Currently 6 active paid grants, fellowships and residencies taking place in China, across AI, arts, film, journalism, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. Many are open to applicants of any nationality; check each entry for residency and citizenship requirements. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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NOTE: this is a climate-and-democracy funder rather than an arts or technology programme; relevance to creative or tech practice depends on whether political leadership is a genuine driver of the proposed model. The Resilient Futures Call is a co-funded initiative by the Better Politics Fund, the European Climate Foundation, Naia Trust and the Vibe Fund supporting non-partisan initiatives working at the intersection of democratic political leadership and climate resilience globally. Total available funding is USD 700,000 across two streams: Ideation Grants (open call, this entry) and Incubation Grants (nomination only, up to USD 50,000, for approaches already proven beyond early testing; nominees are contacted directly and there is no way to apply). WHAT IS FUNDED, across three areas: (1) Pathways, helping climate scientists, advocates and affected communities work more effectively with political and governance decision-makers so that evidence and local knowledge shape policy and policy is carried through at every level of government, from town councils to national parliaments; (2) Leadership, programs integrating a critical climate lens into democratic leadership development, strengthening ethical communication, policy design, implementation and strategic coalition-building, including pipelines for leaders from underrepresented backgrounds; (3) Cross-Sector Leadership, backing leadership on energy, housing, transport, food, security, health and conservation, and helping reform political systems and institutions so leaders and new ideas in these areas can succeed. The funders want work where political leadership is a key driver of change, not a side effect. WHO CAN APPLY: organizations, networks, collectives or individuals anywhere eligible. No need to be a registered charity and no need to be based in a priority country, though it strengthens regional fit. ELIGIBILITY CHECK (all must be yes): the idea is new or early-stage (organization under 12 months old, or a new pilot from an older organization; established programs with a strong track record are not right for an Ideation Grant); it aligns with at least one of the three funding areas and with regional priorities; it is non-partisan (no parties, candidates or campaigns); the applicant is based in an eligible location. PRIORITY COUNTRIES: Africa (Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa); Asia (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand); Europe (France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, UK); Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname); Pacific (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu). CANNOT FUND, for legal and operational reasons, individuals and organizations in: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Burkina Faso, China, Cuba, DR Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Georgia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Myanmar/Burma, Nicaragua, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Palestine (Gaza), Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, the United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson). NOT FUNDED: physical infrastructure such as solar panels or climate infrastructure where political leadership is not a driver of the model; research, accountability scorecards and policy-gap mapping (the funders support the leaders and institutions who act on evidence, not the generation of it); public awareness campaigns without a political leadership dimension; anything affiliated with a political party or candidate; corporate sustainability or ESG initiatives; outside-pressure advocacy campaigns that push governments on emissions targets without building new leadership capacity; citizens' assemblies or deliberation projects with no link to political leaders or institutions acting on the outcomes; transparency or open-data initiatives that do not feed into political or institutional decision-making; watchdog or investigative journalism without a direct link to strengthening political leadership or institutional response. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: innovation (a genuinely new idea, method or audience); impact potential; strategic clarity (a credible plan connecting activities to the intended outcome); financial clarity; regional fit; leadership (motivation, experience and rootedness in local context). PROCESS: fill out the short application form before midnight CET on 4 September 2026. There is no second full proposal stage. Every application is acknowledged; all are screened and shortlisted, and a Grantmaking Council of eight regional experts across Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Pacific reviews the shortlist and makes recommendations. Shortlisted applicants are asked for supporting documentation for due diligence, sometimes including a short call. Feedback is only given to shortlisted applicants; no reply by December 2026 means the application was unsuccessful. INFORMATION SESSION: online 17 August 2026, two sittings at 8:00 CET and 16:00 CET, registration on the call page. Questions: resilientfutures@betterpolitics.foundation.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in China, in partnership with artist-run space Making Space in Guangzhou, invites Netherlands-based artists, makers, curators, writers, researchers and other cultural practitioners to a six-week residency in spring 2027. Making Space (est. 2017) focuses on art and social practice with an emphasis on long-term research, local knowledge and care-driven collaboration. The residency is process-oriented with no obligation to produce finished work; the resident takes part in at least one public exchange (talk, workshop, reading group, screening, performance or open studio). SUPPORT: EUR 2,700 travel and artist fee subsidy (fixed per application; duos or collectives share the amount), accommodation in Guangzhou, shared studio space, curatorial and research support with access to local networks, and logistical support for public programming (extra funding may be considered for public programmes). The resident arranges their own China visa; Making Space provides an invitation letter. LOOKING FOR: practitioners engaging with alternative education, ecological justice, migration and labour, social practice, intergenerational narratives, diaspora and transdisciplinary collaboration; English communication required. APPLY by email (makingspace2017@gmail.com) with a 200-word bio, CV, 2-page project proposal and portfolio (max 20 pages) in a single PDF, in English. Result expected late November 2026. Deadline: 3 October 2026, 23:59 CST / 17:59 CEST.
Design Trust offers grants to individual designers, curators, collectives, and non-profit organisations for projects and activities relevant to various design disciplines, supporting work relevant to the context and content of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao and the nine Guangdong municipalities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing). It supports innovative, thought-provoking investigations across design disciplines from graphics, media, and wearables to architecture and the built environment, including exhibitions, research projects, and creative installations that advocate the positive role of design in the region. THREE GRANTS: (1) SEED GRANT (HKD 50,000) fosters experimentation, testing, and sharing, awarded to individuals kick-starting a meaningful project with social, educational, economical, or environmental impact; supports emerging designers, young scholars, and projects in the pipeline needing additional resources, including research and prototypes focused on Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area issues to be showcased at international venues, symposia, or biennales. (2) FEATURE GRANT (capped at HKD 300,000, awarded annually upon special consideration) fosters cross-disciplinary projects on the Greater Bay Area with wide-reaching audiences, often sited at an exhibition or biennale of international standing, supporting exchange between a Hong Kong/China-based collective and an internationally renowned cultural institution. (3) IMPACT GRANT supports public-facing, community-based projects led by former Design Trust grant recipients, fellows, and mentees with a proven track record; considered case-by-case (contact grantapplication@designtrust.hk). ELIGIBILITY: individuals, collectives, and certified non-profit organisations either based in the Greater Bay Area or seeking support for design projects related to the region. Individuals or collectives who have completed two Feature Grants or three Seed Grants should apply for the Impact Grant instead. APPLICATION: two cycles annually, deadlines 20 April and 20 October (late submissions roll to the next cycle); apply at least 3 to 6 months before the project's commencement. Design Trust may provide full or partial funding on a case-by-case basis.
The Creative Industries Fund NL (Stimuleringsfonds) runs this residency with Videotage, a Hong Kong-based non-profit media arts institution specialising in the promotion, presentation, creation and preservation of moving image and media art in all forms and languages. The Fund is recruiting one Netherlands-based designer, maker or observer working in digital culture to spend two or three months at Videotage's studio space in Hong Kong in 2027, conducting research, broadening their network, developing new work inspired by Hong Kong, and presenting their findings or completed works. The residency encourages crossovers and experimentation, giving the participant space to explore new methodologies, widen their creative practice and produce work that pushes the boundaries of digital culture, with a focus on social and urban dynamics. The 2027 edition takes the technological 'black box' phenomenon as its starting point and invites the resident to respond to that theme within the context of Videotage. ELIGIBILITY: you are an individual designer, maker or observer within the field of digital culture; you are established in the Netherlands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius or Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands); you are registered in the business register of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) or another business register within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; and you have had a professional practice in the creative industry for at least four years. NOT open to duos, collectives or cooperative ventures, nor to designers and makers who receive a grant during the work period under the Talent Development Grant Scheme, the Open Call Self-taught Designer or the Open Call Emerging Design Practices ABCSSS. Note that accepting this open call means you cannot apply to those schemes and open calls in 2027. FUNDING: EUR 5,000 for two months or EUR 6,500 for three months, covering travel, insurance, living expenses, compensation for time invested and material and transport costs; accommodation, studio use and Videotage's facilitation are covered separately by the Fund. Submit your proposal to the Creative Industries Fund NL by 21 October 2026, 16:00 CEST.
Launched in 2024 to support young emerging artists, the Sixi International Artist-in-Residence Project (run by Sixi Museum in Nanjing, China) facilitates exchanges between artists from different backgrounds and helps them achieve creative breakthroughs and personal growth. The project calls for artists across all disciplines and cultural backgrounds who are ready to engage in dialogue with the city. TWO THEMES FOR 2027: 'Flux and Imprints: Contemporary Echoes of Migration History' and 'Folds of Text: Cross-Media Intertextuality and Intervention'. WHAT IS PROVIDED: living and working space (a city-centre apartment plus a loft studio in the outskirts to suit the research and production demands of different disciplines), financial support, hardware facilities and staff assistance, and help establishing contacts with the local art scene; by the end of the residency artists have the opportunity to showcase their outcomes in exhibitions. Nanjing combines traditional and contemporary Chinese culture, and the project positions itself as one of the few local art residency programmes contributing to international cultural exchange in the city and to the diversified development of contemporary Chinese art. ELIGIBILITY: open to artists across all disciplines and cultural backgrounds. Deadline: 15 November 2026. Apply via siximuseum.com.
Multidisciplinary international residency at the A4 Residency Art Center in Chengdu, China, a global exchange platform integrating creation, networking and resources, dedicated to fostering cross-cultural creative collisions and innovation through residency programmes while promoting deep integration of creative culture with commerce and communities. Residents initiate one to two participatory local activities to facilitate communication with the city and community; A4 also organises group activities, intimate sharing and exhibition opportunities to foster understanding among creators and connect them with local resources. AVAILABLE DATES: Spring 2028 (April - June) or Autumn 2028 (July - October). ELIGIBILITY: international applicants from any field; A4 welcomes applications from multidisciplinary artists (visual, performing, music, film, sound, architecture), curators, designers (product, fashion, spatial, interactive), and interdisciplinary creatives. PROGRAMME SUPPORT: studio and accommodation; round-trip economy airfare or 2nd-class train within a set budget; RMB 10,000 production grant per person/team (excluding living expenses). DEADLINE: 31 December 2026 (2028 cycles). APPLY via the A4 Residency Art Center latest-recruitment page.