Overview

The Ignite Fund offers six $10,000 grants for Chicago-area artists and artist-led collectives to produce and present bold new projects rooted in the visual arts. We prioritize public-facing work that embraces accessibility, fosters community impact and/or participation, and responds to the issues shaping our social climate. In this spirit, The Ignite Fund shines a light on the vibrancy, creativity, and resilience of the Chicago arts ecosystem.

Application

The Ignite Fund applications will open on March 11, 2026. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with all application launch details.

Application Process

Applications for The Ignite Fund grants will include:

• Contact information for the Lead Applicant
• Lead Applicant and/or collective biographies
• Project information including a summary and description
• A proposed timeline of your project
• A completed Budget
• Visual Support Materials and description

For more details about application guidelines and requirements, please review the documents below.

Helpful Documents

• Application Questions

• Budget Template

For more details about application guidelines, eligibility, and requirements, please read below.

Eligibility

Applicant Eligibility

Who can apply?

• Artists living in the Chicago metropolitan area (Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Lake, and Will counties).

• 18 years or older.

• Must legally be able to receive taxable income in the United States. Citizens, permanent residents, or anyone who can provide a W9 and a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) are eligible.

• Not currently enrolled in a full-time degree-granting program (high school, college, or university).

Who cannot apply?

• Artists living outside of the Chicago metropolitan area (Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Lake, and Will counties).

• Artists who are younger than 18 years old.

• Artists not legally be able to receive taxable income in the United States. Citizens, permanent residents, or anyone who can provide a W9 and a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) are eligible.

• Full-time students currently enrolled in high school, college, or university.

• Artists led by incorporated entities (LLCs, B Corps, 501(C)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations), universities and schools (private, public, charter), and religious entities.

• Artists or Artist collectives who received an Ignite Fund grant the previous round

• Artist collectives may apply if the lead applicant meets all of the criteria above. Other collective members do not need to meet all eligibility criteria.

Project Eligibility

What types of projects are eligible?

• Projects proposed by visual artists or artists with a history of presenting their work in visual art contexts.

• Projects proposed by artists with an active artistic practice that can demonstrate recent work and supply work samples.

• Projects must center contemporary visual arts practice as the primary root and impulse. The Ignite Fund embraces a broad understanding of the visual arts. Applicants will be required to describe how a strong visual context plays a critical role in presenting your project.

• Projects that can be completed within a one-year grant term.

• A new project or the new phase of a project. Keep in mind The Ignite Fund grant is intended to help individuals and collective groups of artists take new risks with their work. The Ignite Fund will not allocate resources to finished projects or support individuals looking to document pre-existing or finished projects.

What types of projects are ineligible?

• Projects seeking support retroactively or seeking reimbursement for a past project.

• Proposals to fund a solo exhibition and/or an individual artist's ongoing work.

• Projects that do not have a substantial public component.

• Proposals to fund operational costs for a physical space or website.

• Proposals to fund educational resources or materials for an artistic practice.

Here are some examples of past projects funded through the Ignite Fund:

• A locally touring public installation
• Experimental film and community screening
• A community specific visual arts skill-sharing program
• A series of archival publications and radio conversations
• Socially engaged public installations
• A gathering that showcases public visual art
• A series of art making workshops
• An exhibition, event, and zine
• A visual arts-based fashion show
• A community memorial project
• A visual-arts centered dinner series

For a full list of previously funded projects, visit our Grantees page.

Priority

The Ignite Fund prioritizes projects that are:

• Rooted in the visual arts in form and content
• Collaborative
• Inclusive of one’s community, or others, in process, creation, and presentation
• Based in the Chicago metropolitan area
• Accessible for all members of the intended audience
• Feasible and able to be completed within the one-year grant period

When reviewing project proposals, priority reflects how closely a project aligns with The Ignite Fund mission. The above criteria is provided to Panelists and helps them focus their review on projects that best advance The Ignite Fund goals.

Timeline

• Application Opens: March 11, 2026
• Info Session #1: March 17, 2026, 4–5PM (CT)
• Info Session #2: April 7, 2026, 12–1PM (CT)
• Application Deadline: April 13, 2026, 11:59PM (CT)
• Applicants Notified: June 2025
• Grantee Announcement: November 2025
• Grantee Cycle Ends: November 2027

Info Sessions

We invite and encourage all applicants to join us for an information session to learn more about the program, application, and selection process. This is a valuable opportunity to ask questions before you apply.

• Info Session 1: June 13, 2025, 4–5PM (CT) on Zoom, Watch Recording
• Info Session 2: June 26, 2025, 12–1PM (CT) on Zoom, Watch Recording

Office Hours:

Artists interested in applying for the Ignite Fund can meet individually with Ignite Fund team members (on Zoom) to discuss specific questions about the application. Meeting times are limited. Artists are encouraged to attend or view a recording of an info session prior to registering for an Office Hours meeting.

Selection Process

Proposals to the Ignite Fund are reviewed by a panel of jurors made up of three artists and/or professionals currently working in the arts and culture field, including one representative of another Regranting Program of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Panelists will consider each eligible applicant based on The Ignite Fund priority list above and the selection criteria below.

Successful project proposals will excel in the following:

• Artistic Vision & Creative Strength: The application demonstrates a compelling artistic vision and a creative approach to both process and presentation. The applicant describes with clarity how the project represents an experimental, imaginative, innovative, and/or unconventional shift in their work, and how it may advance their practice in meaningful ways.
• Collaboration: The project engages multiple artists, thinkers, or community members in the development and presentation processes. If the project references any necessary partners or external stakeholders, the applicant has also indicated how they will create or deepen relationships with those groups to ensure success.
• Community Engagement: The project will be designed for audiences in the Chicago metro area. The applicant clearly describes with specificity the local audience or community for whom the project is intended and why/how the project may be relevant to that intended audience. The applicant considers the lasting impacts of the project on its intended communities.
• Accessibility: The project includes at least one presentation open to the general public. The applicant has thoughtfully considered accessibility, including Deaf and/or disabled audience members, as well as any barriers that may prevent audiences from having access to their work. We encourage you to review our Accessibility page, which includes examples, resources, and providers.
• Feasibility: The applicant demonstrates that they have the readiness and experience needed to complete the proposed project within the one-year grant period. The budget and timeline are appropriate to the scope of work proposed.

Still have questions? Visit our FAQ page.