Every year, millions of dollars in grants are awarded, but most photographers may not know about them. Foundations, non-profits, and private companies are looking for talented photographers with a fresh eye and a new take and are willing to pay them for it. Here are some grants for photographers that are sure to help fund your project in order to tell the story your images will convey, and how to apply for them.
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The Aftermath Project
Amount: $25,000.
Eligibility: Open to working photographers worldwide who are interested in creating work that helps shed light on aftermath issues.
Deadlines: The application deadline is March 1st.
Two awards of $25,000 will be given to photographers for a project that explores the aftermath of violent conflict. For more information, visit the Aftermath Project Website.
Alexia Foundation Professional & Student Grant (Syracuse University)
Amount: $20,000 for professionals, tuition plus $1,000 stipend for students.
Eligibility: Open to student and professional photographers.
Fees: $50 for professionals, $0 for students.
In its 31st year, the Alexia Foundation offers production grants to students and professional photographers to use their photography to drive change and make the world a better place. The professional grant recipient will receive $20,000 for the production of the proposed project. Students will receive grants to study photography, plus a $1,000 stipend to serve as a research assistant at the school. Submission guidelines can be found on The Alexia Foundation Website.
Aperture Portfolio Prize
Amount: $3,000 and more.
Eligibility: Open to only Aperture Magazine subscribers.
Fees: Subscription to Aperture Magazine, starting at $59 a year.
The Aperture Portfolio Prize is an annual international competition to discover, exhibit, and publish new talents in photography. $3,000 cash prize, Feature cover of Aperture Magazine, and exhibition in New York. Rules can guidelines can be found on Aperture Magazine’s Website.
Artadia Awards
Amount: $25,000 or $10,000.
Eligibility: Open-call application is made available in each of the six active partner cities (LA, Chicago, New York, Louisville, San Francisco, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Houston). Applicants must be living and working within the cities’ eligible counties.
The Artadia Awards provide financial support, exposure, and recognition to artists. The awards are unrestricted, allowing artists to use the funds in any way they choose. Three Awardees in each partner city will receive unrestricted funds of $10,000. Marciano Artadia Awardee receives unrestricted funds of $25,000. Funds are not granted for continuing education, or for films for cinematic distribution. Details, including application deadlines for each city, can be found on the Artadia Awards Website.
The Artist Grant
Amount: $500.
Eligibility: 18 years or older.
Fees: $25.
The Artist Grant offers up to $500 in grants to emerging artists. Offered four times a year. No proposals are required. In fact, they won’t read one if sent. Just an application and a link to your website showing your body of work communicating its viewpoint, ideas, and concepts clearly, effectively, and creatively. More information can be found on the Artist Grant Website.
Canon IFP Grants
Amount: $18,000 and equipment loans.
Eligibility: Open to all professional photojournalists who speak fluent French or English, have not won the award for the last five years, and have a relevant body of work to submit.
Deadlines: Submissions begin January 4, 2023, deadline April 4th, 2023.
Canon announced two grants for 2022 as part of the International Festival of Photojournalism (IFP). The grants include the Canon Video Grant and the Canon Female Photojournalist Grant, and they will award up to $18,000 in funding plus equipment loans. Submission guidelines can be found at the Visa Pour L’Image website.
Center Advancing Photographic Arts Project Launch and Development Grants
Amount: $5,000, mentorship, and workshop.
Eligibility: Any photographer who isn’t represented by an agency.
Fees: $35 for CENTER members, $45 for general.
The Project Development Grant and Project Launch Grant both support a complete or nearly completed, documentary project, or fine art series. The grants provide financial support of $5,000, mentorship opportunities, and admission into the Professional Development Workshop. Details can be found on the CAPA Website.
Center for Photographic Art Artist Grants
Amount: $5,000 for exhibitions and $3,500 for projects.
Deadlines: Submissions for the Riff Award are open until June 1st.
The Center for Photographic Art (CPA) awards $5,000 exhibition award grants and $3500 project support grants. There’s also the annual Paula Riff Award which gives $1,000 for challenging conventional photography through work that reflects the artist’s hand, either based on the historical/alternative photographic processes or with physical intervention. Details can be found at Photography.org.
Counter Histories Magnum Foundation
Amount: $10,000.
Eligibility: Proposals accepted from photographers and artists working with photography who would like to expand and complete a project.
Fees: Free.
Deadlines: February 1.
The Counter Histories Magnum Foundation supports projects that creatively reframe the past to engage with questions of the present and future. Awards 12 recipients with grants of up to $10,000, plus additional completion funds.Details can be found on the Counter Histories Magnum Foundation Website.
Getty Images Grants for Creative and Editorial Photography
Amount: $5,000 to $15,000
Eligibility: Emerging photographers, videographers, and photojournalists.
Getty Images offers a variety of grants for both Creative and Editorial photography. The Creative Grant (otherwise known as the #ShowUs Grant) offers two awards of $5,000, while the Editorial Grant offers awards from $5,000 to $15,000. Winners will also be invited to license their work through Getty’s online stock photo catalog. Details can be found on the Getty Images Website.
The Hopper Prize
Amount: $1,000 or $3,500.
Eligibility: Individual visual artists 18 and older located around the world.
Fees: $40 for 10 images.
Deadlines: May 17.
Twice a year, The Hopper Prize offers unrestricted cash grants of $3,500 and $1,000 to individual artists working in visual media. Twelve grants in total. This is an international open call. Grants are available to artists age 18 and older working in all visual media. Details can be found at the Hopper Prize Website.
The Howard Chapnick Grant
Amount: $10,000 for education, research, sabbatical, and internships.
Fees: $50 per project.
This grant is available as part of the W. Eugene Smith Foundation grants and is awarded to individuals, initiatives, organizations, or projects that promote social change and/or serve significant concerns of photojournalism and documentary photography. This $10,000 grant is for educational purposes, research, sabbaticals, and even internships. It is not intended to be used for the production of photographs. That will be funded under the main grant of the Smith Fund. A report at the end of the grant period will also be required.
There is a fee of $50 per project, but there are a limited number of waivers available through various partner organizations. Details can be found on the W. Eugene Smith Website.
Ian Parry Scholarship
Amount: Up to $3,500.
Eligibility: For young photographers who are either attending a full-time photographic course or are under 24.
Fees: Free.
Deadlines: The scholarship closes for applications on July 15th.
The Ian Parry Scholarship is divided into two categories: The Sunday Times Award for Achievement and The Canon Award for Potential. Awardees will receive up to $3,500 for their chosen project plus equipment loans through Canon Europe. There is also a year-long personal Mentorship to the winner of The Canon Award for Potential. Work will also appear in The Sunday Times Magazine. For more details, visit the Ian Parry Scholarship Website.
Light Work Artist-in-Residence Program
Amount: $5,000, apartment, studio/darkroom, and more.
Eligibility: Open to all artists working in photography or image-based media, from any country.
Fees: $10.
Deadlines: July 1.
The LightWork Artist-in-Residence one-month program will award 12 to 15 photographers with a $5,000 stipend, an apartment to stay in, a private digital studio and darkroom, and 24-hour access to its facility. Details can be found on the Lightwork Website.
Lucie Foundation Scholarships
Amount: Up to $3,000 and more.
Eligibility: “Emerging” photographers 18 years and older. This is any photographer enrolled as a student, in the first five years of their photography career, or who does not earn the majority of their income from photography.
Fees: Lucie Fine Art Scholarship, $25 /submission; Emerging Artist, $20 / submission; Photo Made, $10 / submission; Photo Taken, $10 / submission. 10% off early bird submission discounts until March 31st.
Deadlines: September 1.
The Lucie Foundation offers four scholarships in its program: The $3,000 Fine Art Scholarship, the $1,500 Emerging Artist Scholarship (plus a Sony a7III camera body and 28-70mm lens), the $1,000 Emerging Photo Scholarship, and the $1,000 Photo Taken Scholarship for photojournalism. Details can be found on the Lucie Foundation Website.
Nikon Storyteller’s Scholarship
Amount: $10,000.
Eligibility: Student of a visual art at an accredited school with satisfactory grades.
Deadlines: The application process opens in January. Deadline on March 15th.
The annual Nikon Storyteller’s Scholarship offers ten grants of $10,000 to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in visual arts, fine arts, journalism, film, photography, and multimedia/content creation. The applicant must be an undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited, non-profit college/university or vocational/technical school in the United States or Canada, majoring in visual arts, fine arts, journalism, film, photography, or multimedia/content creation and have a minimum cumulative 2.5-grade point average at the time of application. Contact NikonUSA.com for further details.
PhMuseum Photography Grant
Amount: $5,000, $2,000, $1,000, and more.
Fees: $45.
Deadlines: February 16th.
The PhMuseum Photography Grant is an annual initiative that recognises the importance of photography and visual storytelling. Over the years it has grown into a leading photography prize, […] the initiative is designed to support the production and promotion of visual projects through cash prizes, exhibitions at international festivals, a residency program, educational activities and exposure on online media. You can apply on the PhMuseum website.
Puffin Foundation Annual Artist Grant Program
Amount: Up to $2,500.
Eligibility: Open to citizens of the United States.
Deadlines: Requests for applications must be received by December 31st. Completed/returned applications must be returned by January 21st.
Provides annual grants in the fields of Fine Arts, Music, and Photography. Average grants are approximately $1,250. The maximum grant size is $2,500. Details can be found on the Puffin Foundation Website.
Right of Return USA Fellowship
Amount: $20,000.
Eligibility: Formerly incarcerated artists; all mediums welcome including visual, performance, poetry, media, design, and other artistic practices.
Deadlines: January 14th.
The Right of Return USA Fellowship program supports formerly incarcerated artists in the creation of original artworks. Six artists will be awarded a grant of $20,000 each to support a project aimed at reforming our criminal justice system. Details can be found on the Right of Return Website.
W. Eugene Smith Grant
Amount: $40,000 and more.
Fees: $50.
Deadlines: May 31st, midnight.
The W. Eugene Smith Grant is presented annually to a photographer whose past work and proposed project, as judged by a panel of experts, follows the tradition of W. Eugene Smith’s concerned photography and dedicated compassion evidenced during his 45-year career as a photographic essayist. Open to proposed projects most likely to use exemplary and compelling photojournalism and documentary photography to address an issue of import and impact related to the human condition: social change, humanitarian concern, armed conflict, or other topics of interpersonal, psychological, cultural, social, environmental, scientific, medical and/or political significance, ideally expressing an underlying acknowledgment of our common humanity.
The grant for 2022 was $40,000, with an additional $5,000 grant awarded as a Fellowship. Two runners up will each be awarded a grant of $2,500. Details can be found on the W. Eugene Smith Website.
Rebecca Vassie Memorial Award
Amount: £2,000 and more.
Eligibility: The award is open to photographers at the early to the mid-career stage who are either UK citizens or current residents in the UK.
Fees: Free.
The Vassie Memorial award offers a £2,000 cash bursary, plus additional benefits including Mentorship and £500 print credit, for a professional photographer to undertake a narrative photography project. Details can be found on the Rebecca Vassie Memorial Trust Website.
Women Photograph Project Grants
Amount: $5,000.
Eligibility: The grants are open to all women, nonbinary, and transgender photographers.
Deadlines: Applications are open on April 1, with a due date of May 15. Winners announced in late June.
This grant is open to women support photography projects — either new or in progress — from visual journalists working in a documentary capacity. There are seven $5,000 grants available annually. Four grants, funded by Getty Images’ Inclusion Grants program, will be awarded for a specific concentration in subject matter or medium: one for a project with a news focus, one for a sports project, one for an arts & entertainment project, and one for a video or multimedia project. Three additional grants, supported by Nikon USA, will be open to work from any genre — photographers will be asked to self-identify the subject matter or medium of their submission in the application.
Funding may be used to cover the hard costs of reporting, photographers’ creative fees, and any other expenses that support the production of new work. This grant is not meant to support the production of books, exhibitions, workshops, or other secondary materials. Details can be found on the Women Photograph Website.
Women Photograph with Leica Grant
Amount: $10,000.
Eligibility: The grants are open to all women, nonbinary, and transgender photographers.
Deadlines: Applications are open on April 1, with a due date of May 15. Winners announced in late June.
Through a partnership with Leica, this grant is open to women photographers and will award a $10,000 grant to a photographer focused on an ongoing documentary project. Applicants should submit portfolios of 20 images indicating that a substantial amount of work has already been completed and that the photographer has a clear vision of what further work is needed to complete the project.
Additional consideration will be given to applicants who are engaged with the communities they cover beyond traditional journalistic documentation. Funding should primarily be used to support the production of new work, including the hard costs of reporting, and photographers’ creative fees. Details can be found on the Women Photograph Website.
Image credits: Stock photo from Depositphotos
