Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants

The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA) Emergency Grants give urgent, project-based funding to visual and performing artists and poets. Created in 1993, the programme helps artists who have a sudden, unexpected chance to present their work, or who face unbudgeted costs on projects close to completion with fixed exhibition or performance dates. Grants range from $500 to $3,000, and the average is currently $2,200. The programme runs year-round, and applicants must live and work in the United States.

Each month FCA receives about 100 applications and makes around 15 to 20 grants.

What the Grants Cover

Emergency Grants are for two situations:

• Sudden opportunities: a chance to present your work to the public that comes too late to look for other funding
• Unexpected costs: unbudgeted expenses on a project that is nearly finished and has committed exhibition or performance dates

They are not general living grants: the money supports a specific project and its public presentation.

Who Can Apply for FCA Emergency Grants?

Artists living and working anywhere in the United States, in the visual arts, performing arts or poetry. Projects can take place in the US or abroad. FCA's mission is to encourage contemporary, experimental work, so the programme suits artists whose projects take creative risks.

How Much You Can Ask For

You can request any amount between $500 and $3,000. If your application succeeds, you may receive full or partial funding.

Travel for Cultural Exchange

With dedicated support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding, FCA also funds unexpected travel costs for cultural exchanges between the US and a list of countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The full list is on the programme page.

How to Apply

Read the guidelines and FAQs on the FCA website and watch the recorded information session before applying. Applications are made online. Because the grants respond to urgent needs, prepare a clear, short explanation of the opportunity or the unexpected expense, the fixed dates involved, and why other funding is not available in time.

Preparing a Strong Application

Show that the project is real and close to completion: give the venue or event, the confirmed dates and a simple budget showing the gap you need to fill. Include images or documentation of the work in progress. Explain why the cost was unexpected, or why the opportunity arrived too late for other funding. A focused request for a specific, credible amount is easier to fund than a vague one.

Examples of Supported Projects

FCA has supported projects such as performances staged outdoors and on the canals of Venice, California, and installations shown in galleries across the US. These examples show the range of work the programme backs, from performance to visual art.

Who Supports the Programme

The grants are funded by a group of foundations, including the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, the Jerome Foundation and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, as well as individual donors and public funds from New York City.

What Makes a Good Fit

The programme is designed for speed and flexibility. A typical request might cover the cost of shipping work to a newly confirmed exhibition, an unexpected rise in fabrication costs, last-minute travel to an invitation abroad, or technical equipment needed for a performance. If your project is still at an early stage, or if you have months to raise the money, other grants will suit you better.

Things to Consider

• US-based artists only.
• Project costs, not living expenses.
• Year-round, with monthly decisions.
• Partial funding is possible.

Apply for a Grant

Facing an unexpected cost on a project that is almost ready?

Apply for an FCA Emergency Grant

Guidelines, FAQs and the application are on the FCA website.

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Last verified: November 4, 2026