Puffin Foundation: Environmental Artistic Activism Grant Program

The Puffin Foundation's Environmental Artistic Activism Grant Program supports artists addressing environmental issues through diverse artistic genres such as film, music, and theater. Grants, typically around $1,750, fund projects that prioritize sustainability and innovative solutions to the climate crisis. Eligible applicants include U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and current DACA recipients. The foundation emphasizes projects that avoid contributing to environmental harm while fostering artistic expression and community engagement.

The Puffin Foundation, Ltd. seeks to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their identities or social philosophies.
Please note that The Puffin Foundation does not fund: projects, individuals, or entities who advocate violence; partisan activities; individuals or entities who engage in or support terrorist activity as defined by US law. More details on these policies can be found in our award agreement, which must be signed prior to the issuance of any funding by The Puffin Foundation.
What Projects Fall Under "Environmental Artistic Activism?
This category is for projects focusing on pressing environmental issues and the climate crisis in any artistic genre or discipline that Puffin funds. Projects that are solution-focused (not simply raising awareness) are prioritized. Please note that the project methodology and materials should also take into account environmental concerns. If your project involves, for example, plane travel, or utilizes a lot of raw material, or in other ways seems to be contributing to rather than addressing the existential issues of human-caused climate change, our reviewers will take this into account.

Eligibility

Our tax status only allows us to grant money to citizens and permanent residents of the United States with a social security number (SSN). We will also accept proposals from current DACA recipients with SSNs. While we do, on rare occasions, fund citizens/permanent residents for projects taking place outside of the United States, we recommend that you include some information regarding the accessibility of the project to people residing in the United States. The Foundation enjoys a tax status which allows us to fund individual artists directly, even if they are not part of a tax exempt organization or tax exempt themselves. But please be aware that grants made to individuals count as gifted income that should be declared for tax purposes and we issue 1099 forms at the end of the year. Grantees can also be organizations or utilize a fiscal sponsor.Both organizations and individuals can use fiscal sponsors to receive a Puffin grant. Such sponsors can offer tax advantages and fiscal services to those who utilize them, but will almost always charge an administrative fee in exchange.If you choose to use a fiscal sponsor when applying for a Puffin grant, the award will be mailed directly to the fiscal sponsor, in support of your specific project.We also give an extra close look to projects with budgets over $100,000. In general, the larger the budget, the less critical our funding is likely to be to the realization of the project. By focusing on organizations and individuals with smaller budgets, we can prioritize applicants with fewer financial resources and maximize the impact of our support.One of Puffin’s funding goals is to reach as many grantees as possible.Therefore, each applicant is limited to one proposal in any given year.If your project is funded, we ask that you “skip” the next year, and wait until the following year before applying again.

Ineligibility

What is not eligible for Puffin funding:

• Education-related expenses:

The Foundation does not have the resources to offer financial assistance for scholarships or for any projects or expenses related to education or professional development.
If the project as a whole or in part counts toward any of your coursework or your degree, no part of it is eligible for funding.
Likewise, if you are a professor, projects related to the coursework you offer are not eligible for funding.
Travel, conference fees, related expenses such as food and lodging:

• Puffin does not fund travel or conference fees, or related expenses such as food and lodging, even when they are an integral or unavoidable part of a project.
• If travel-related expenses or conference fees are a part of your project, they should be reflected in your budget, but excluded from your funding request.
• Projects that involve the use of artificial intelligence (AI):
• We do not fund any projects with AI components.
• Projects which consist of or utilize, in whole or in part, content generated by artificial intelligence are ineligible for funding by The Puffin Foundation.

This includes works that comment upon or critique actual AI-generated material (regardless of origin).
Literary and written word projects, dance projects (formerly supported by The Puffin Foundation):

• The Foundation has limited resources, and has made the painful but necessary choice to discontinue funding for projects in certain genres.

Literary and other written word projects, including developmental writing for theater, video, film, and radio projects, are no longer eligible for Puffin funding.
Likewise, the Foundation does not fund dance-related proposals.
Exceptions can be made for projects whose main focus is environmental artistic activism.