NYC Doubles Grants For Individual Artists, Small Arts Nonprofits

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su and Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij announced that New York City will increase city-funded grants for individual artists and small nonprofits from $5,000 to as much as $10,000—the first increase in nearly 20 years.

The grants are distributed through local regrant partners in each borough and support artists and creative organizations across disciplines, including filmmakers, dancers, writers and painters.

Applications are currently open in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, with Staten Island’s grant cycle scheduled to open in November.

• Bronx: Bronx Council on the Arts (Deadline: October 30, 2026)
• Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Arts Council (Deadline: October 11, 2026)
• Manhattan: Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (Deadline: November 12, 2026)
• Queens: New York Foundation for the Arts (Deadline: November 17, 2026)
• Staten Island: Staten Island Arts (Applications open November 2026)

The Department of Cultural Affairs is also expanding support through its Materials for the Arts program, which will launch a dedicated shopping day for artist grantees on the first Monday of each month beginning in October.

Eligible artists who are current grantees of one of the five local arts councils will be able to access donated materials free of charge.

Materials for the Arts collects about 4 million pounds of donated materials each year for nonprofits, public schools and city agencies with cultural programming.

Artists can visit nyc.gov/artistgrants for information on grant applications and booking Materials for the Arts appointments.