NYC Artist Grants Increase to $10,000
NYC Mayor's Office YouTube
New York City has increased city-funded grants for individual artists and small nonprofits from $5,000 to as much as $10,000, with funding distributed through local arts partners in each borough. In photo - New York City Department of Cultural Affair
New York City is doubling the maximum amount available through city-funded grants for individual artists and small nonprofits, increasing awards from $5,000 to as much as $10,000 for the first time in nearly two decades. The Department of Cultural Affairs provides the funding through local partners in each borough, supporting filmmakers, musicians, dancers, writers, painters and other creative professionals. Applications are currently open in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, while Staten Island's application cycle will begin in November. The city is also expanding support through Materials for the Arts, giving current artist grantees dedicated opportunities to obtain free supplies. Eligibility requirements and application deadlines vary by borough.
Mayor Mamdani Doubles Grants for New York City Artists from $5,000 to $10,000
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Diya Vij today announced that — for the first time in nearly 20 years — the city will increase the size of city-funded grants for individual artists and small nonprofits from $5,000 up to $10,000.
Each year, DCLA provides funding to local partners in each borough who, in turn, distribute the funding to artists, collectives, and small nonprofits. These grants provide vital financial support to a wide range of artists — including filmmakers, dancers, writers, painters and more — across all five boroughs.
While the cost-of-living in the city has increased dramatically over the last two decades, the grant funding available for artists has not. With today’s announcements, artists will be able to apply for up to $10,000 in grant funding each, double the previous amount.
Grants will be distributed through local “regrant” partners in each borough through funding provided annually by DCLA. Applications are now open in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens; Staten Island’s grant cycle will open in November.
“Artists are working New Yorkers with the same costs as everyone else. But while rent, grocery bills and child care costs have skyrocketed in New York City, the funding artists rely on has stayed flat,” said Mayor Mamdani. “Doubling these grants is a critical step towards making sure that the painters, musicians, filmmakers, and other artists who bring life to this city can afford to call it home.”
“Artists are not only an essential part of our city's culture, they are an essential part of our economy as well. Yet we know that too many artists cannot afford to live, work, and create here in the five boroughs,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Su. “With the grant increases we are unveiling today, we will help change that. We will make sure that more artists can work in our city and reaffirm our administration's commitment to protecting and growing the arts in New York.”
“New York is a city of artists, but too many of them are struggling alongside all New Yorkers to afford to stay in the neighborhoods they helped create,” said DCLA Commissioner Vij. “I’ve spent the past six months in town halls and listening sessions with working artists across every borough, hearing just how difficult it has become for them to live and work here. These increased grants and free resources from Materials for the Arts represent our first step to deeper, more meaningful support we're committed to providing so artists can stay in the city we love.”
For details on eligibility, grant guidelines and more, artists should visit the website for the regrant partner serving their borough:
- Bronx: Bronx Council on the Arts (Deadline: October 30, 2026)
- Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Arts Council (Deadline: October 11, 2026)
- Manhattan: Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (Deadline: November 12, 2026)
- Queens: New York Foundation for the Arts (Deadline: November 17, 2026)
- Staten Island: Staten Island Arts (Applications open November 2026)
To bolster its support for working artists, DCLA’s Materials for the Arts (MFTA) program will also launch a new, dedicated shopping day for artist grantees to access free materials on the first Monday of each month — starting in October.
Each year, MFTA collects 4 million pounds of donated materials and makes them available, free of charge, to nonprofits, public schools, and city agencies with cultural programming around the city.
For this new initiative, MFTA will only be open to artists who are current grantees of one of the five local arts councils. Artists should visit nyc.gov/artistgrants for more information on how to book their MFTA appointment.
Since coming into office, the Mamdani administration has worked to make sure that every New Yorker — regardless of income — can enjoy the city’s arts and culture. Last month, Mayor Mamdani announced a long-term partnership with the Met Opera to provide 70,000 free tickets to New Yorkers who have never attended the Opera before. Earlier this year, Mayor Mamdani and the Theatre Development Fund unveiled a new initiative to offer thousands of free and low-cost Broadway tickets to New York City students across the five boroughs.
Under Mayor Mamdani, DCLA’s FY27 budget is also the largest in city history, supporting neighborhood cultural life in all five boroughs.
“From the largest investment in arts and culture in NYC history to doubling the DCLA funding cap from $5,000 to $10,000, this moment is a game changer for Bronx artists and a meaningful step toward addressing the unique affordability challenges they face. We thank Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Vij for acting so swiftly to bring relief to the people who make our city’s cultural life possible,” said Jesús López-Jensen, executive director, Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA). “Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) remains committed to connecting Bronx artists with resources that help them sustain their practices, strengthen their communities, and remain part of the borough they call home. We’ve worked with DCLA for more than 50 years, and we look forward to building on that partnership as we work toward a brighter future for artists in New York City.”
“We cannot continue to bemoan the affordability crisis in our city without taking the necessary steps to mitigate it,” said Jamaine Smith, executive director, Staten Island Arts. “This increase in grant awards serves as a direct mitigation, one that provides our local artists with a bit more to dream, do, and take care of themselves and their loved ones — all while increasing the quality of life of their fellow NYC residents through their art-making. Staten Island Arts is thrilled to be a longstanding partner with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and, along with our fellow borough arts councils, will continue to champion this administration's commitment to support local artists and ensure they can continue to afford to live and work in New York City.”
“Making New York City more affordable has to include the artists who make this city what it is, and this administration is already turning that commitment into action. Raising the individual artist grant ceiling to $10,000 acts on a simple truth: making art is work, artists need to be paid for that work, and our investment has to reflect what it actually costs to create in New York City today,” said Moe Yousuf, president and CEO, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). “This is what real partnership looks like, with a City willing to listen and act and local arts councils able to turn that commitment into meaningful support for artists in their communities. LMCC is proud of our decades-long partnership with DCLA and excited by what this change will allow us to do for artists across Manhattan.”
"New York City is known worldwide for its arts and culture, and it is the artists and arts organizations here who truly bring this part of the city to life,” said Michael Royce, CEO, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). “We're thrilled that the Mayor's Office and the Department of Cultural Affairs is increasing their investment in working artists and in bringing arts and culture to all five boroughs including Queens through the Queens Arts Fund, which NYFA is proud to administer.”
“Raising the grant ceiling to $10,000 is a long overdue recognition of what it costs to live and make art in New York City,” said Rasu Jilani, president, Brooklyn Arts Council. “For years, grant limits have fallen behind the cost of living, the cost of producing work, and the realities of artists’ livelihoods. This change gives arts councils greater flexibility to make meaningful awards that reflect the needs of their communities. Brooklyn is celebrated as a cultural capital of the world, yet the artists who sustain its creative life have been deeply underinvested in. This brings us closer to the investment they deserve and to treating artists as valued citizens of our city.”
Source: NYC Mayor's Office
