Please read this page in its entirety before contacting the foundation for a meeting. 

Overview

Artist Professional Development Grants promote the growth and development of visual art in Kentucky by helping improve the critical skills, resources, knowledge, and connections of fine artists.

APDG Grants support and forward artists’ careers by encouraging them to engage with the broader contemporary art world and raising the bar for art being produced in the region. Developing fine artists’ awareness of and participation in the national and international contemporary art world, this program aims to strengthen the level of critical discourse among artists in the state.

Eligibility

All prospective applicants must: 

  • Be current residents who have held their primary residence in the Great Meadows Foundation region—which encompasses the 120 counties of Kentucky, and the Greater Louisville area of Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana—for at least 12 calendar months before applying, and until the grant final report is submitted to the foundation
  • Not currently be an enrolled student, including graduate programs
  • Be current and professional visual artists
  • Note: The foundation’s focus is on the visual fine-arts. We do not consider artists whose work is primarily focused on commercial art activity including but not limited to fields such as fashion, design, music,  non-fine art photography, or dramatic film.

2024 – 2025 Calendar 

  • Round 27 | Current
    • Application Deadline: Midnight EST on Sunday February 9, 2025
    • Notification Date: March 9, 2025
    • Grant Implementation Period: April 1 – September 30, 2025
  • Round 28 | Future 
    • Application Deadline: Midnight EST on Sunday June 8, 2025
    • Notification Date: July 7, 2025
    • Grant Implementation Period: August 1, 2025 – February 28, 2026

 

  • Round 26 | Closed
    • Application Deadline: Midnight EST on Sunday October 13, 2024
    • Notification Date: November 10, 2024
    • Grant Implementation Period: December 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025
  • Round 25 | Closed
    • Application Deadline: Midnight EST on Sunday June 9, 2024
    • Notification Date: July 7, 2024
    • Grant Implementation Period: August 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025
  • Round 24 | Closed 
    • Application Deadline: Midnight EST on Sunday February 11, 2024
    • Notification Date: March 10, 2024
    • Grant Implementation Period: April 1 – September 30, 2024

 

 

What We’re Looking For

This grant program aims primarily to strengthen the level of critical discourse and practice among fine artists in the region through travel that supports a growth in knowledge and engagement with contemporary art, and creates opportunities to build connections.

Applicable travel includes: 

  • To see contemporary art exhibitions, installations, performance art events, or visual art festivals outside of the region that can help the artist develop broader knowledge and critical engagement with contemporary art and its concerns
  • To meet and engage with professional colleagues (such as critics, curators, other artists, etc.) outside of the region  
  • Travel outside of the region for participation or attendance at symposia, conferences, and seminars relating to the applicant’s practice
  • To attend residencies whose primary programming connects artists with critics, curators, other artists, and professionals related to the artist’s practice

Preference is given to applicants who: 

  • Demonstrate that the travel will facilitate connections and strengthen their practice
  • Have clear and demonstrable outcomes that are explained in their application
  • Can outline how the travel is relevant to and will support their practice
  • Are participants at a conference, seminar, or symposium

Restrictions

We will not consider applications who primary purpose is:

  • Attendance at art classes, art courses, or technical and workshops
  • Attendance at commercial art events (i.e. Art Basel Miami, Paris Photo, Frieze, etc)
  • Searching for commercial gallery representation
  • Exhibition of the artist’s work or the production of exhibitions
  • The production of artwork or the development of a body of work
  • To attend or study non-contemporary, historical exhibitions or collections of work
  • Curatorial interests or projects
  • Researching exhibitions or collections
  • To travel within the Great Meadows Foundation region

Notes

  • While the foundation supports artist residencies this funding does not include costs for materials
  • This program is not open to applications by arts organizations and institutions or commercial art outlets
  • Group travel is not permitted. All applicants must apply individually unless otherwise approved by the foundation
  • Projects that begin before or after the grant implementation period are ineligible
  • Applications to support the remainder of a project will not be considered

Applicants will be disqualified who: 

  • Fail to meet with the foundation prior to submitting
  • Do not submit their application through the online application portal. Emailed applications will not be accepted.
  • Without exception, late applications will not be accepted.

 

Application Process

Step #1: Contact 

  • Contact the foundation to arrange an appointment to discuss your proposal via info@greatmeadowsfoundation.org
  • Meetings can be conducted in person or via a video/phone call

Step #2: Meet

  • Meet with the foundation prior to the relevant meeting deadline. During grant meetings, we will:
    • Review the application process and our expectations
    • Ask for information around your art practice 
    • Ask you to present prospective grant ideas 
    • Guide you in making decisions around your travel plans and application
  • Note: All applicants are required to meet with the foundation before applying. In this meeting with the foundation, we will outline and discuss the grant application process, expectations, and will review and make decisions around prospective application ideas

Step #3: Draft 

  • Applicants will be required to submit a draft of their application for review. The foundation will work with the applicant to help edit and strengthen the quality of the application

Step #4: Submit 

  • Applicants will be required to submit their completed application through the online website portal by the relevant deadline

Step #5: Notification

  • Applicants will be notified about the status of the application by the relevant notification date for their Round. Should the application be awarded a grant, they will be contacted with further instructions.

Application Overview 

Purpose

  • For travel directly related to a specific issue surrounding contemporary art that is relevant to the applicant’s practice as an artist.

Consider Before Applying

  • Applicants are encouraged to be ambitious and to go beyond business as usual
  • Applicants are encouraged to research what is going on in the contemporary art world nationally and globally and consider how these events can be important for your development as an artist
  • Applications should clearly identify goals, benefits and outcomes of travel
  • Preference will be given to applicants who aim to connect with individuals and groups outside of the region that can critically benefit their practice
  • Applicants should develop a convincing proposal illustrating how the travel would advance their knowledge and engagement with contemporary art discourse
  • Applicants should outline in their proposal how the event and travel will critically inform their practice and/or how it would allow them to connect and build discursive relationships with others in the field

Range

  • Applicants may request between $500 and $7,000

Materials

  • Application
    • Part 1: Your Practice
    • Part 2: The Travel
    • Part 3: The “Why”
    • Part 4: Budget
    • CV
    • Images PDF

Deliverables

  • Grant recipients, upon the completion of their grant, must submit a Final Report via this form
  • Final Reports must be submitted no later than 14 days after the completion of your grant project
  • The foundation reserves the right to audit receipts relating to a final submitted budget

 

Preparing Your Application

Parts 1-3 

  • Be ambitious. We want you to go beyond business as usual and think how this proposal will advance your knowledge and engagement with contemporary art discourse
  • Think about contemporary art. For example, consider major contemporary art exhibitions or art events that can critically inform your practice, or conferences and residencies that will allow you to connect and build discursive relationships with other creatives
  • Research what is going on. We want artists to understand the contemporary art world nationally and globally and consider what and how this can be important for your development as an artist
  • The application is about your work, so write your proposal in the first person
  • We recommend composing your application in a separate document and then copying and pasting them into the relevant boxes on the website
  • Artist Professional Development Grant | Example Application

Part 1 | Your Practice 

  • Max 1500 characters including spaces
  • Give a brief outline of your practice
    • We recommend including:
      • Background about your work
      • Your artistic concerns and intentions with the work
      • The subject matter you address
      • Your process
      • Other artists who have influenced your practice
    • Contextualize what you do and the ideas you address in a clear and concise way without being wordy and avoid “art jargon”
    • Remember you are describing your work to someone who has never seen it before
    • Remember that the reviewer will be reading this response in relation to the images of your work that are included in the application and will be looking for cohesion in what you say you do and what you are showing them in your images  

Part 2 | The “What”

  • Max 1500 characters including spaces
  • Give a detailed and clear description of your plan of activities
    • Include how many days your travel will take, and when you will be departing, arriving, and leaving
    • State where you will go and what you want to see or do
    • If you plan to meet other professionals let us know who they are
    • If you are planning to attend an event let us know what the significance of this event is

Part 3 | The “Why” 

  • Max 1500 characters including spaces
  • Give a brief description of why you want to undertake this travel and why it is relevant to your practice
    • What is the significance of the travel destination or event for you as an artist?
    • How will you benefit from visiting this destination or event, seeing the work of and/or meeting individuals you have identified?
    • What will be the impact upon your practice as an artist when you return to Kentucky?

Part 3 | Budget

  • No maximum character limit
  • Use the budget boxes to provide a clear and realistic itemized budget
  • We encourage as much detail as possible and find that bullet point format is often helpful
  • Consider what would be realistic if you were spending your own money and use this as a guide in your request
  • The reviewer will look at your budget to determine if your activities have been well researched and thought out, and if they are realistic
  • They will also refer to your budget when recommending funding amounts for awarded grants
  • Travel:
    • Give the dates you will travel
    • List your methods of travel (plane, train, car, etc.)
      • For flights, list the airline, arrival and departure times, flight number, etc. Will you need to check a bag? If so, list checked baggage cost. We encourage applicants to provide a link to their flight.
      • If you are traveling by car, use the government mileage rate per mile
      • If you will use public transportation while away, list what you will be using, what pass you will get, etc.
      • If you plan to use rideshares, list the anticipated routes and costs
  • Lodging
      • List the number of nights you will need lodging, include check-in and check-out dates
      • List the name of accommodation and where it is located
        • Choose accommodation that is in close proximity to where you will be visiting
      • We encourage applicants to include a link to their lodging
  • Meals
    • Use www.budgetyourtrip.com or a similar source to detail the cost per day for food
    • Consider that on travel days you may not need a meal if you will be provided breakfast, lunch, or dinner on your flight
    • Consider if your hotel provides breakfast
  • Other
    • In this section detail other costs such as catalogues for exhibitions outlined in your application, entrance costs to museums, or other admission fees
  • Other Funding
    • List other funds you will be utilizing
    • For instance, you may be using your own funds if the total travel costs exceed our maximum of $6,000 or you might have other grants you received for this travel

CV

  • Formatting:
    • Submit as a pdf
    • Submit in CV form, do not send as a biography or resume
    • Use Arial font 12 pt. and single line spacing
    • Maximum 1 page
  • Be selective and include the most important and significant exhibitions and other references to give a view of your history as a professional artist
  • Include only your name, “CV”, and website address (or Instagram handle if applicable) at the top of this page
    • Do not include a photo, logo, address, email or phone number as these will be removed before your application is forwarded to the outside reviewer
  • Applicable CV categories include:
    • Education
    • Exhibitions (Group & Solo)
    • Publications/Bibliography
    • Residencies, Fellowships, Grants, etc.
    • Public Collections
  • Artist Professional Development Grant | Example CV

Images PDF

  • Formatting:
    • Submit as a pdf
    • 10 pages total, with 1 artwork per page
      • If you wish to include a detail photo or different aspects of a 3D work, please put it on the same page
    • On each page under the artwork photos, list ONLY the:
      • Title
      • Date
      • Medium
      • Dimensions (or duration for time-based work)
    • The complete pdf can not exceed 4mb
      • If you get a X in a red box, you have exceeded the 4mb file limit
    • Images should show the applicant’s recent work or work that is relevant to what is detailed in Part 1 of the application
    • For large works or installations, you may want to demonstrate this, for instance by including a person in the shot
    • Images do not have to be hi-res, but should be clear and sharp when you look at them on a computer screen
    • Artists whose practices are time-based may use each page to list a link to a work with a still image on the page
    • If your work is on a large or small scale you should demonstrate this in the submitted images
    • Please do not include written information about the work.
    • If there is an optical illusion or other sort of visual element in the work that is ambiguous or requires clarity, you may provide a short explanation
    • Artist Professional Development Grant | Example Image List

Review Your Application

  • Once you have completed your application, ask a friend to look over your material. Having a second eye on your proposal can help make sure that your intentions read clearly
  • Remember late applications will not be accepted in any circumstances. We recommend applying with plenty of time so that if you encounter issues with submitting your application we can assist you.

 

Review Process

Artist Professional Development Grants are awarded on the recommendation of a professional in the field from outside of the region. Reviewers change each round. 

The Reviewer takes into account: 

  • The quality of the applicant’s work
  • The proposal’s relevance to the program guidelines
  • The ambition of the proposed itinerary
  • Specific goals and identified contacts detailed in the proposal
  • The ability for the travel to positively benefit the critical growth of the artist’s career
  • How detailed and realistic the budget is

Re-application Rules

  • All previous grant recipients must have submitted a Final Report before being eligible to reapply.
  • Artists who have received up to 4 grants in this program must miss 1 round before being eligible to reapply.
  • Artists who have received 5-9 grants in this program must miss 2 rounds before being eligible to reapply
  • Artists who have received 10+ grants in this program must miss 3 rounds before being eligible to reapply.

Contact

If you have a question about applying or would like to schedule a meeting, we invite you to email us.

 

 

APPLY HERE