How to Apply
Lee Krasner, “Untitled,” 1942.
Courtesy of Kasmin Gallery © Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Artists can apply to the Pollock-Krasner Foundation by submitting an online application.
Requirements for consideration are the application form, a cover letter, an artist statement, a current resume including an exhibition record, and ten digital images of current work with a corresponding identification list. All applications will be promptly acknowledged and considered. Please do not send application forms by mail, fax or e-mail. A crucial part of the application process is based on the Committee of Selection’s review of each artist’s images. The Foundation will only accept images completed within the past ten years. The Foundation urges artists to send the highest quality images of their work.
Please review the grant guidelines and FAQs prior to starting an application.
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The Foundation provides unrestricted financial resources to exceptional visual artists. The grants can be used in any way that allows an artist to meaningfully pursue their practice. Grants are typically used to create new work, acquire supplies, rent studio space, prepare for exhibitions, attend a residency, and offset living expenses.
Application Guidelines
The Foundation welcomes, throughout the year, applications from professional visual artists who are painters, sculptors, and/or artists who work on paper, including printmakers. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis: there are no deadlines. Grants are intended for a one-year period of time and the Foundation will review expenditures relating to an artist’s professional work and personal expenses. Our unrestricted grants range up to $50,000 with the size of the grant determined by the individual circumstances of the artist. Professional exhibition history will be taken into consideration. Artists must be actively exhibiting their current work in professional artistic venues, such as gallery and museum spaces.
The Foundation does not accept applications from commercial artists, graphic artists, video artists, performance artists, filmmakers, crafts-makers, or any artist whose work primarily falls into these categories. The Foundation does not have an open photography grant program. The Foundation does not make grants to students or fund academic study.
Review Process
The review process is led by a panel of recognized specialists in the fields of the Foundation’s concern. All completed applications will be promptly acknowledged and considered. If further information is required after the completed application has been received, the artist will be contacted directly by the staff of the Foundation. The application process typically takes nine to twelve months.
Reapplication Process
Applicants may reapply to the Foundation. Grantees who reapply must wait 12 months from the end of their grant period and reapplicants who were previously declined must wait at least 12 months from the date of their previous application to reapply. All reapplicants must send images of work not previously submitted.
Foundation Governance
The Directors reserve the right to review and redefine Foundation program guidelines according to the donor’s original intent and their determination of how artists will be best served.
2.
General Application Questions
The application is open on a rolling and ongoing basis, and there are no deadlines. The selection process can take between nine months to a year.
The Foundation does not have an emergency grant program.
Yes. The Foundation is proud to provide grants to individual artists and organizations internationally, with PKF grantees in more than 80 countries to date. Artists throughout the world are encouraged to apply. Please be aware that the U.S. Department of Treasury does have a sanctioned country list. If you are a citizen of or reside in one of the countries on the sanctioned list, be sure to contact us prior to filling out the application form. This sanction list can be found on the U.S. Department of Treasury website.
The Foundation has no restrictions regarding style, school, technique, or subject matter. The artist’s work must fall within the categories of painting, sculpture, and works on paper.
We do not disclose the dates of our meetings, but there is no deadline for submitting an application.
The Foundation does not accept videos of work. Please only send the materials that are requested in the application.
For any questions concerning the application please contact us at [email protected].
For alternative resources, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) aggregates grant opportunities and other critical support, professional development tools, and resources for artists and the artistic community. Artists can also explore opportunities and resources through Creative Capital, a nonprofit organization that supports artists through grants, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. Through their online Artist Lab courses and curriculum, Creative Capital aims to help artists build sustainable careers, create equity in the arts, and foster community.
Eligibility Questions
The Foundation does not make grants to students or fund academic study.
The Foundation currently does not make grants to video artists. The Foundation does, however, support artists who include a small video component within their painting, sculpture, installation, or printmaking. But video cannot be the primary focus of the work.
Photography grants are by nomination only. An artist cannot apply for this award, unlike our regular grant program which is by open application. However, the Foundation will continue to support artists in our regular grant program who include a small component of photography within their painting, sculpture, installation, or printmaking. But photography cannot be the primary focus of the work.
Both awards are by nomination only. Lee Krasner Awards are awarded to established artists in recognition of a lifetime of artistic achievement. The Pollock Prize for Creativity honors an outstanding artist whose work embodies high creative standards and exemplifies the impact of art on individuals and society. An artist cannot apply for either of these awards, unlike our regular grant program which is by open application.
We will accept applications from artists whose work falls primarily within our guidelines. Work incorporating materials and mediums that fall out of guidelines can constitute a small component of a work but not the primary focus. For example, sculptural installations with a video projection that is a small component of the work would be within our guidelines.
The Foundation will accept applications from two-person collaborations. We cannot accept applications from collaborations of more than two people. Please email the Foundation at [email protected] prior to applying for special instructions.
Login and Technical Questions
All information provided to the Pollock-Krasner Foundation will be held in strict confidence. We use the information from your grant application solely to evaluate your request.
Your information will automatically be saved as you work on your application.
Go to the Apply Online link directly on our website. Clicking that link will take you to the login page. Once you login to your account, you will see your in-progress application.
You may only submit ten images. You can use two of those ten to show details.
When you click “Submit” you will receive an e-mail confirmation that we have received your application.
The online grant application system has been designed to minimize loss of information. The system automatically saves the information you have entered. You can easily resume your application by going to the Apply Online link on our website and logging into your account.
The Foundation cannot provide technical assistance with your computer, web browser, or files. We can, however, help with any technical questions relating to our online application.
Online Application Questions
The following items are required with your application. Attachments #1 – #4 must be sent as Microsoft Word Documents (.docx/.doc) or OpenDocument Text files (.odt). Digital images must be sent as JPEG (.jpg/.jpeg). Other file extensions will not work in the system. A legible font type and size must be used for all documents. Use the name you go by professionally (if it differs from your legal name) on your attached documents and for all file names.
- Cover Letter – A cover letter stating for what specific purpose (professional, personal, and/or medical) you require funds and in what amount. Indicate how the funds you seek will be used to advance your artistic career and well-being as a creative artist. This letter and other materials must be completed in English. There is no length requirement for the cover letter. Make sure that you are sending a final draft of your cover letter. Your name must be included on this document. Please use the following format for the file name: LastNameCoverLetter.docx
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae – A current resume or curriculum vitae listing your exhibition record, grants, awards, residencies, and other professional activities, including dates and locations. Your exhibition history must be in chronological order with the most recent exhibitions first. Separate solo shows and group shows into their own sections. Please be sure to include your name on this document. Please use the following format for the file name: LastNameResume.docx
- Artist Statement – A one page statement describing the 10 images you have included with your application. Please be sure to include your name on this document. Please use the following format for the file name: LastNameArtistStatement.docx
- Image Identification List – This list must include your name, the image number corresponding to the digital file (see how to name digital images files below), the year the work was executed, title, dimensions, and medium used for each image. (For example, John Smith, image #1, 2010, Abstraction, 20 x 30 inches, oil on canvas.) This list must correspond to the images that you are submitting. (For example, the first item on this list should be the identifying information for digital image #1 that you are submitting.) Please use the following format for the file name: LastNameImageList.docx
- Digital Images 1 through 10 – The Foundation will only accept images of work completed within the past 10 years. Do not include maquettes, proposed work, or other unfinished work with your submission. Please note that the Foundation does not fund or accept work that contains live animals. Work done with others cannot be included unless applying as a collaboration. Two of the ten submitted images can be used to show detail, another view of the work, or exhibition/installation views. The other eight images must be of separate, individual works. We do not accept multiple views of a work within individual slides. EACH IMAGE MUST BE FORMATTED AS A JPEG AND MUST BE EXACTLY 2100 PIXELS ON THE LONGEST DIMENSION AND 96 OR 72 DPI. Please select the highest quality and least compression possible for each image. Each image must use the following format for the file name: YourLastName_YourFirstName_No.jpg (example Smith_John_1.jpg). Do not include identifying information on the image itself. Please note that your images will be projected on a large overhead screen and will be viewed in sets of two in the order that you number them.
Yes, you may still apply, however, exhibition history is taken into consideration in the review process.
In this section, you will provide a general description of the medium and size of the work referenced in your application. Do not list the medium for each individual work attached to your application, this will be done through the “Image Identification List.” You will also state the size of the smallest work you are submitting and then the size of the largest work you are submitting.
Should we require letters of recommendation, we will contact your references directly.
We do not require a detailed budget during the initial application phase. Should we require more information, we will request it.
PKF awards artist grants of up to $50,000. The amount you request will depend on your individual circumstances and your proposal.
There is no deadline to submit the application, but after 120 days of inactivity the system will automatically delete the application.
Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an e-mail confirming receipt. If we have questions regarding your submission we will contact you. Our application review process can take from nine months to a year to complete. We will contact you when a decision has been made on your application.
If you discover a mistake in your application, contact us at [email protected]. Do not submit another application or cancel your submitted application.
