Kentucky Foundation For Women: Feminist Artist Career Development Mini Grant

The Kentucky Foundation for Women offers the Feminist Artist Career Development Mini Grant, providing up to $500 to support career advancement for feminist artists in Kentucky. This grant aims to enhance artistic impact and foster community engagement. Eligible applicants include current and past KFW grantees. The funding requires a 3:1 match and can be used for various activities that promote artistic growth and networking opportunities, prioritizing underrepresented artists.

NOTE: Minigrants are now open for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
KFW recognizes the need for quick turn-around funds to support career advancement opportunities for Kentucky feminist artists that may come up outside of our regular grant programs. The KFW Artist Career Development Mini-Grant (ACD) provides up to $500 to support activities that further a KFW artist’s career, broaden the audience or impact of their work, and strengthen artist networks.
The Artist Career Development Mini-Grant is for current and previous KFW grantees whose primary residence is in Kentucky at the time of the application and during the grant activities.
Funding
This mini-grant requires a 3:1 match. KFW will provide ¾ (75%) of the cost of activities up to $500.

Eligibility

The Artist Career Development Mini-Grant is for current and previous KFW grantees whose primary residence is in Kentucky at the time of the application and during the grant activities.Applicants must have received funds through KFW’s Artist Enrichment or Art Meets
Activism grants to apply for this mini grant.
Grantees may receive one ACD grant per calendar year.Artist Career Development Mini-Grants can be used for:Artist residencies and retreats to build your body of work, focus on research or the creation of a new project, and “radical rest” for artists.Radical Rest is a term used to describe a comprehensive approach to healing from oppressive systems. It centers self-care to rejuvenate an artist’s work to create social change.Perform, present, or screen your artwork, films or other performance pieces at panels, conferences, festivals, and juried showcases.Solo or group exhibitions of your work at galleries, museums, or in a community context. This can include framing and shipping costs for visual artwork.Travel costs to attend a career development opportunity that centers your artmaking.Strengthening your artist network by attending a regional, national, or international gathering of artists, or by hosting a gathering of feminist artists working for social change in your community.Entry fees to submit your original art to writing contests, film festivals, art festivals, etc.

Ineligibility

ACD Mini-Grants cannot be used for:Anything that is not artistic in nature. The basis of this grant is career development for a feminist artist’s career in artmaking.Artist fees.Event sponsorship.The same artist cannot apply for both the ACD Mini-Grant and KFW Sponsorship funds for the same event/activities.Artist groups or organizations. This mini-grant is for individual artists only.
Past events or activities that are not at least 30 days after the application is submitted.Participation in a college or university class.Formal apprenticeship or mentorship with an established artist.
Anything that KFW cannot fund as a 501c3.As a private 501(c)3 foundation, KFW grants cannot be used for:Business enterprises or for-profit organizations.
Promotion of specific religious doctrines.
Participation in or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
Tuition costs or living expenses while working toward a degree (or fees for auditing a class).
Endowment or capital campaigns or renovations of institutional facilities.
Operating support costs (including rent exceeding 30 days, utilities, employee salaries normally paid by the organization, etc.).
Taxes (past due, current, or future) for individuals or organizations.Because KFW focuses on supporting the creation of art by feminists in Kentucky, KFW does not fund:

• non-art related expenses (i.e., overdue bills, taxes, etc.)
• work conducted by artists or organizations that have not resided in Kentucky for at least one year at the time of application
• activities that do not focus on improving the lives of Kentucky’s women, girls, trans, and gender nonconforming people.
• In addition, KFW grant funds cannot be used for:
• One-time events.
• Alcohol.
• Decorations that exceed 5% of the KFW grant budget.
• We suggest trying to find in-kind donations for these items.