Individual Artist Fellowship: Literary Arts Grant

Individual Artist Fellowship: Literary Arts Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Kentucky Arts Council
Amount: US $7,500
Last Updated: December 31, 2025

Summary

The Individual Artist Fellowship, offered by the Kentucky Arts Council, provides a competitive $7,500 award to professional artists in Kentucky. This fellowship recognizes creative excellence and is based on the quality of submitted work samples. Applicants must demonstrate a high level of achievement in their field and have been Kentucky residents for at least one year. The award is unrestricted, allowing artists to use the funds to enhance their careers in various ways.

Overview

Kentucky Arts Council The Kentucky Arts Council is the state arts agency and is responsible for developing and promoting support for the arts in Kentucky. Strategically placed in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the Kentucky Arts Council is publicly funded by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent agency of the federal government. Individual Artist Fellowship The Individual Artist Fellowship is a highly competitive $7,500 award given to working, professional Kentucky artists who have achieved a high level of excellence and creativity in their work and who have demonstrated significant achievement in their field. Fellowships are based upon the quality of the work samples submitted by the artist. Fellowship awards are unrestricted and may be used in any way to enhance the artist's career. Program Purpose The purpose of the Individual Artist Fellowship program is to support professional, established Kentucky artists engaged in creating artwork of high quality and to recognize creative excellence.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. An applicant must: Have been a legal Kentucky resident for a period of at least one full year immediately prior to the application deadlineRemain a legal, full-time resident of Kentucky for the duration of the grant periodBe at least 21 years of age at the time of applicationBe a professional, working artist, responsible for creating original work, not interpreting the work of others or creating under the guidance of an instructor or mentor Residency Requirements Applicants must be United States citizens, lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence, or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the U.S.The Kentucky Arts Council requires applicants to provide two proofs of Kentucky residency at the time of application. Acceptable proofs of residency are:Kentucky driver’s license or Commonwealth of Kentucky identification card that includes the date issued and expiration date (Note: The arts council will not accept both a Kentucky driver’s license and a Commonwealth of Kentucky identification card as the required two proofs of residency.)A screen shot of current Kentucky voter registration verification from the State Board of Elections’ Voter Information Center website at https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/VIC/)2024 or 2025 Kentucky state income tax form (740 series form for full-year residents)A copy of a Kentucky utility bill (electric, gas, or water) that includes the applicant’s name, current address and evidence of usage as of January or February 2026 RestrictionsIndividual Artist Fellowship recipients may receive no more than two per fellowships in their lifetime.Applicants may apply only with work samples over which they had complete creative control.Applicants may apply in only one discipline and subdiscipline per application year. All work samples submitted must be representative of the selected discipline and subdiscipline.

Ineligibility

College students in graduate or undergraduate programs are ineligible.  Individual Artist Fellowship recipients are not eligible to apply for an Emerging Artist Award.Works based on appropriated art are not allowed.Work created solely for commercial or instructional purposes is not eligible.Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary or multi-category applications are not eligible.Work created by collaborations or teams is not eligible.Applicants with past due final reports for any Kentucky Arts Council program are not eligible.