Creative Visionary Grant

The Creative Visionary Grant is a project grant provided by the Black Artists & Designers Guild and funded by the Maxwell | Hanrahan Foundation. The program supports advanced Black makers working in craft and is intended to celebrate Black diasporic expression through craft mediums. The grant focuses on makers with 10 to 25 years of active studio practice and gives special attention to the decolonization of the field and work that affirms Black Diasporic culture. The stated goal is to help makers move toward actualizing all phases of a creative project, from research and fabrication through presentation, while advancing their creative practice and legacy building. The program will make two awards of $5,000 each. Award funds may support endeavors that advance the recipient's craft practice, including fabrication of objects, creation of new work for exhibitions, design of installations, production of products, permanent public art installations, completion of an existing body of work, or continuation of a project already underway. Projects must be based in craft traditions. The grant is intended for projects celebrating Black diasporic expression and is specifically not intended for business operations. Winners are not required to obtain approval for their use of funds within the stated purposes of the grant. Eligible applicants are Black-identifying craftspeople with 10 to 25 years of creative or active studio practice. Applicable disciplines include fiber arts, ceramics, furniture and woodworking, metalworking and jewelry, glass, paper and book arts, and textiles and wearable arts, as well as other craft disciplines. Contemporary and traditional craft practices are eligible, including conceptual work using craft materials. Architecture, industrial design, and fashion design are not included as craft disciplines for this program. Applicants working in multiple craft disciplines may submit work from more than one discipline but are asked to identify the discipline in which they work most. Applicants who have previously received a Black Artists & Designers Guild grant are not eligible. U.S. citizenship is not required, but an applicant must have a U.S.-based bank account for award disbursement and must be able to receive taxable income in the United States and report the grant as income. The source does not state a cost-share or matching requirement. Applicants are asked to provide work sample images representing their best work. The FAQ refers to a ten-image requirement and permits multiple perspectives of a single piece, a range of different works, or images showing pieces installed in a gallery or other space. Composite images made by combining separate images are not acceptable. Applicants may submit either a series or a cross-section of their work, although conceptually related works are recommended. Recipients will be selected by a jury of three professionals from across the United States who are active in the field of craft. Jurors will evaluate artistic excellence and the feasibility of the project described in the application questions, with attention to work that reflects and represents the diversity of Black Diasporic expression in craft and craft-based materials. Images are typically reviewed by individual jurors on computer screens, first as thumbnails and then enlarged to approximately full-screen size. The source identifies the 2026 jurors as TBD and does not provide individual juror names. The application is identified as opening in Fall 2026, although an exact opening date is not provided. The final application deadline is September 6, 2026, at 11:59 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. The 2026 Creative Visionary Grant award recipient announcement is scheduled to be made on or before December 3, 2026. Each $5,000 award is distributed in two $2,500 payments by ACH to a U.S. bank account. The second payment is sent after submission of the required progress or impact report. The recipient must submit a one-page progress report, with images if appropriate, describing use of the award no later than February 15, 2027. The award constitutes taxable income and recipients are instructed to file accordingly. Questions may be directed to grants@badguild.info. The source does not expressly state that the Creative Visionary Grant recurs annually or provide a subsequent application cycle.

Emphasize artistic excellence and present a feasible project that clearly reflects the diversity of Black Diasporic expression in craft and craft-based materials. Submit the strongest work samples; multiple perspectives and installed views are permitted, but composite images are not acceptable. Conceptually related works are recommended. Ensure all submitted work falls within craft even when showing multiple disciplines.