Exhibition and Capital Grants
“Peaking” an exhibition of work by Oregon artist Rick Silva at Oregon Contemporary, 2022. Courtesy Oregon Contemporary. Photo: Mario Gallucci.
Support for those who support artists
Two opportunities
The Visual Arts Program offers two opportunities designed for Oregon visual arts presenters whose principal mission is the exhibition, preservation and/or creation of art:
- Exhibition and Documentation Support grants
- Capital Improvement grants
Application process
Applications for these grants are extended by invitation only. Please reach out via the contact form below if you’d like to be considered. We support organizations with or without non-profit status, including artist-run spaces. Applications are made available each year in November, with selections announced in February.
Grant amounts
Typical grants range between $5,000 and $20,000 and should not exceed $50,000.
“Weaving Data,” exhibition at Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU, 2023. Courtesy JSMA at PSU. Photo: Mario Gallucci.
Umpqua Valley Arts Association exhibition catalog (page featuring Glide artist Renee Couture) for “Rural.”
Exhibition and documentation support
Grant funding is available for the curation, preparation and traveling of exhibitions of works by established Oregon visual artists, as well as the production of catalogs and other materials. Specifically, grant funds may be used to underwrite an exhibition, including:
- Curatorial, registrar and installation services
- Artist fees
- Crating and shipping
- Artist visitation
- Curriculum programs
Funds may also be used to produce quality printed or electronic materials, including:
- Critical writing
- Editing
- Photography and filming
- Printing and distribution of work
Case study: Artist-run exhibition space
About 10 years ago, Eugene artist Mike Bray and a group of fellow MFA students from the University of Oregon began looking for a venue to show contemporary art from around the country. Display space is rare, and they had nearly given up when Bray (a 2013 Hallie Ford Fellow in the Visual Arts) stumbled on a warehouse section near downtown Springfield. Nondescript from the outside, the warehouse, part of an old lumber mill, opened up to a massive space with rustic charm.
“Midnight at High Noon,” an exhibition at Ditch Projects by Jessie Rose Valla, 2017. Photo: Ditch Projects
Crow’s Shadow Institute for the Arts has received small capital improvement dollars from the program to enhance printmaking capacity and facilities.
Capital Improvement
These grant funds may be used to improve or expand exhibition, studio or appropriate storage space or to purchase equipment to showcase the work of Oregon visual artists. Requests should indicate specifically how grant funds will be allocated. We do not contribute to large capital campaigns.
For example, grant funds have been used for upgrades to exhibition spaces, including:
- Lighting
- HVAC
- Artwork storage
Funding details and selection criteria
Funding details
- Up to $50,000 (not to exceed 75% of total project budget). Most awards and project budgets will be significantly smaller than this.
- Priority will be given to projects with a strong, diverse funding plan that will support the completion of the entire project as outlined in the application.
- Preference will be given to those projects ready to fully expend grant funds in the award year, understanding that some project completion dates may cross a calendar year.
- Foundation funds must finish a project or specific component(s) of a total project.
- Project oversight expenses/indirect costs will not be funded (i.e. staffing and administration).
Selection criteria
- The applicant must be an organization focused on the exhibition, preservation and/or creation of visual art.
- Applicants must have a proven track record of mounting original and/or hosting traveling exhibitions.
- The project must be feasible and one that will advance an organization’s ability to originate or host exhibitions and care for works of art, and/or support the creation of new work.
- Applicant organizations must have current 501(c)(3) public charity status from the IRS, be a governmental entity or be a federally recognized tribe to apply through the Foundation’s website. Artist-run or other organizations without 501(c)(3) status should apply through our partnership with the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art.