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Table of Contents

• Elmo’s Got The Hustle! Do you?

• The Leads

  • International

  • National

  • Regional

• Anatomy of a Grant Application (Part 3)

• This Week’s Challenge

Elmo’s Got The Hustle! Do you?

Word on the street—Sesame Street, that is—is that Elmo is adapting to dire circumstances beyond his control. These days, he’s been seen hustling in New York’s Times Square, offering personal meet-and-greets, autographs, and unsolicited career advice to anyone who’ll stop long enough for a selfie.

Photo credit: Eduardo Munoz for Reuters.

Kermit, by the way, has followed all the other seasoned print journalists to Substack. Cookie Monster, you ask? Eyes deep in crypto.

Since the feds decided to snatch the purse strings from PBS and NPR, The Street’s just not what it used to be. But the old gang is learning to adapt. And so should you.

You might feel angry. You might feel cheated. You might feel like giving up. Grant Fancy is here to tell you that this is not the noble path of the creative artist. Art is bigger than government policy. Art transcends the power of Washington, DC.

Instead, you want to channel your energy, your anger and frustration, into your art. Because if there is one thing that history has taught us, it is that tough times make for better art. Let your canvas be your megaphone; your film be your soapbox. Let your dance be the Zippo lighter that torches up all of those bad feelings and shows this country what they are giving up when they turn their backs on public funding of the arts.

So, rise up, America! Paint the town red! And green, blue, yellow . . . any color that expresses the emotions within you. Call—nay, scream—for change. And for justice. But don’t let it get you down. Channel it into some of what the late, great Georgia Congressman John Lewis so powerfully called ”good trouble.” And may you make your best art yet.

On to the leads . . .

The Leads

International

Creative Future Writers' Award | UK
This prize centers underrepresented writers in the UK—writers who’ve been systemically pushed to the margins due to health, race, class, identity, or income. Each year they choose a theme (2025's is Wild) and publish the winners in a high-quality anthology with national exposure.

Run by Creative Future, a nonprofit focused on access and equity in the literary arts, the award includes cash prizes, publication, and mentorship opportunities.

• Historically available to: UK-based emerging writers from underrepresented backgrounds

• What it’s known for: Prizes across poetry and prose, print and digital publication, and professional development

• Theme for 2025: Wild

• Deadline: October 25, 2025

• More info: creativefuture.org.uk

Our take: If you’ve been honing your voice off the main road and you’re ready to step forward with a theme like Wild, this is a real chance to be seen—and printed.

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Adelaide Fringe Fund | Australia
Held every February–March, the Adelaide Fringe is one of the largest open-access arts festivals in the world. The Fringe Fund provides direct support to help artists present original work during the festival.

While based in Australia, the Fringe welcomes international artists and projects, especially those with bold ideas and diverse points of view.

• Historically available to: Artists presenting work at Adelaide Fringe

• What it’s known for: Helping underrepresented artists offset production costs

• Grant amount: Up to AUD 7,500

• Deadline: August 1, 2025

• More info adelaidefringe.com.au

Our take: If you’ve ever dreamed of taking a weird, beautiful, scrappy show to the other side of the world—this is the fund that might make it happen.

National

Artadia Awards

• Deadlines vary by city (next up: Chicago—August 15, 2025)

• $10,000 unrestricted

• Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

• The 21c Roving Award (not anchored to any location)

• More info: artadia.org

Why we love it:
No strings. No weird reporting requirements. No long list of deliverables. Just ten grand, straight-up, to help you keep doing what you do best.

Open to visual artists working in any media. You don’t have to prove your work saves democracy—just that it matters.

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Creative Capital Awards
This is one of the most ambitious and artist-forward grants in the U.S.—and it’s not just about the money. In addition to up to $50,000 in direct funding, awardees get access to $50,000 in advisory support, networking, and career development over the long haul. The deadline for 2026 has passed (in June 2025), but put it on your radar for next year.

Creative Capital takes risks on bold ideas that other funders avoid. If your work is innovative, experimental, or wildly interdisciplinary, this is one to watch.

• Historically available to: U.S.-based artists across all disciplines

• What it’s known for: Long-term investment and high-risk, high-reward support

• Grant amount: Up to $50,000 cash + $50,000 in services

• Application opens: Fall 2025

• More info: creative-capital.org

Our take: This is the grant you clear your calendar for. If your project doesn’t fit in any boxes—that might be the best thing going for it.

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United States Artists Fellowship
This fellowship doesn’t fund a project—it funds you. $50,000 in unrestricted support for artists working in visual, literary, performing, and traditional arts. It’s a trust-based investment in your creative life, not your deliverables.

The catch? You have to be nominated. But if you’re selected, this can be a career-affirming boost.

• Historically available to: U.S.-based artists in any creative discipline

• What it’s known for: Large, unrestricted grants to individuals

• Grant amount: $50,000

• Application: By nomination only

• More info: unitedstatesartists.org

Our take: If you’ve ever received an out-of-the-blue nomination email, don’t brush it off. This is one of the good ones.

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Puffin Foundation Grants
Puffin has a clear mission: support artists whose work explores activism, justice, and the issues of our time. They fund projects that are often too bold or niche for bigger foundations.

The awards are small, but the reach and affirmation are real.

• Historically available to: U.S.-based emerging or under-recognized artists

• What it’s known for: Support for socially engaged or activist projects

• Grant amount: $1,000–$2,500

• Next cycle opens: September 2025 (Get cracking!)

• More info: puffinfoundation.org

Our take: This is one of the few foundations whose values feel totally aligned with grassroots, progressive work. Small check, big impact.

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Foundation for Contemporary Arts | Grants to Artists
This is another one of the few major awards that doesn’t accept applications. Instead, recipients are nominated and selected by a rotating panel of artists.

The award offers serious funding with zero strings. No deliverables. No mid-year reports. Just time and space to do your work.

• Historically available to: Practicing artists working in contemporary forms

• What it’s known for: $40,000 unrestricted awards, no application

• Grant amount: $40,000

• Application: By nomination only

• More info: foundationforcontemporaryarts.org

Our take: This one’s a unicorn. If you’ve ever been nominated, that means someone out there is paying attention.

Regional

South Arts | Arts in Community Grant
This grant supports projects that actively engage communities through the arts. Whether that’s a mural, festival, or workshop series, the goal is connection—and lasting impact in the U.S. South.

Open to both artists and organizations, this is a chance to test out ideas rooted in place and people.

• Historically available to: Artists and orgs in South Arts' nine-state region

• What it’s known for: Community-driven engagement grants

• Grant amount: Up to $10,000

• Deadline: September 3, 2025

• More info: southarts.org

Our take: This is where artists become neighbors. If you’re building something that brings people together, start here.

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South Arts | Arts in Rural Places
This one’s for the smaller towns and unincorporated places—where great art still happens, and often with less support. The application is short, and decisions are made quickly. Current offerings include “Jazz Road Tours” opportunities for filmmakers, and relief for artists impacted by recent hurricanes.

If you live in a rural area within the South Arts region and have a project ready to go, don’t wait.

• Historically available to: Artists and orgs in rural communities in the U.S. South

• What it’s known for: Quick-turnaround rural project grants

• Grant amount: Up to $3,000

• Deadline: Rolling (apply at least 60 days before project start)

• More info: southarts.org

Our take: Big dreams don’t need big cities. This is a fast, smart option for artists making local impact.

Anatomy of a Grant Application (Part 3): Background/Context

[To revisit the full anatomy from Part 1, see Grant Fancy Issue No. 2.]

This week we take a look at the Background or Context section often required in a grant application. This is the part where you zoom out and look at the big picture. You’ve already told them what you plan to do (your Abstract) and why you care (your Statement of Purpose)—now it’s time to show that you understand where your work sits within a larger conversation, community, or field.

Key Questions to Answer:

• What is the larger context for your work? Social, cultural, historical, environmental, etc.

• What problem, tradition, or question is your work engaging with?

• Who else is working in this space—and how is your approach similar or distinct?

• Why is now the right time for this project?

✅ Fancy Dos:

• Try to place your project on a timeline. Where does it sit in relation to art that has come before you? Where is it headed?

• Reference thinkers, movements, or other works sparingly, but intelligently. Don’t just name drop.

• Connect your personal background to the project when it makes sense.

❌ Fancy Don’ts:

• Don’t drown them in statistics unless your funder is data-obsessed.

• Don’t turn this into a think piece. Don’t wax philosophical. Stay focused.

• Don’t center your entire essay on what other people have said or done. Be your uniquely fancy self.

This Week’s Challenge

You guessed it: Write your project background/context. This might be a tough one to get started on, but don’t give in to pressure. Write loosely, uncritically, and write more than you’ll need. Later, pare it down to the essentials. And if you get stuck at the very first step, just open your favorite AI tool and ask for help writing it. Anthropic’s Claude AI is a good place to start with that. I find the writing it produces to be more unique and creative than some of its competitors.

[I’ll discuss AI tools (and why you should embrace them) in more depth in a future issue. 😉]

By the way: did you complete any of the previous challenges from Issue 2 or Issue 3? I would love to hear how they went for you. Reply to this email and tell me all about it.

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