Currently 12 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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The Sixi International Artist-in-Residence Project, run by Sixi Museum in Nanjing since 2024, selects 4 artists across two three-month sessions in 2027 (Spring, March to May, and Autumn, September to November). The program is built as an open network across the city, connecting residents with local scholars, artists, historic neighborhoods and natural landscapes, with Open Studios and workshops along the way. Proposals must respond to one of two themes: Flux and Imprints, Contemporary Echoes of Migration History (cross-regional mobility, cultural reconstruction and memory, including family histories of overseas Chinese, the legacy of colonialism in Asia, and identity within global geopolitics), or Folds of Text, Cross-Media Intertextuality and Intervention (text as a fluid medium, with interdisciplinary work across literature, linguistics, music and sound, and visual arts). SUPPORT: round-trip flights, visa fees, insurance, private apartment or loft studio, material allowance, technical assistance, airport pickup and translation; no separate artist fee or stipend is mentioned. ELIGIBILITY: artists of all disciplines, aged 18 or older, proficient in spoken and written Mandarin or English. HOW TO APPLY: email a CV with profile photo, portfolio and residency proposal as a single PDF or ZIP with the subject line Residency Application. Final responses by mid-February 2027; allow 2 to 3 months for visa processing. DEADLINE: 15 November 2026 (GMT+8).
A year-long fellowship for journalists covering artificial intelligence. Fellows complete a three-month full-time remote programme on AI and journalism fundamentals, attend a weeklong summit, then work for nine months as reporters embedded in a partner newsroom (current partners are in Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC and Cambridge). ELIGIBILITY: journalism or AI expertise, aged 18+ by 7 June 2027, no degree required; primarily for applicants with the right to work in the US, UK or Hong Kong, as visa sponsorship is uncommon and needs partner-outlet approval.
The Sigg Fellowship for Chinese Art Research supports new research on Chinese art in dialogue with the M+ Collections; the 2026/27 edition focuses on tradition and contemporary Chinese art. WHO: individuals or research groups of any nationality and any age, with a postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline, or an undergraduate degree plus at least three years of relevant professional or academic research experience; proficiency in spoken and written Chinese or English is required, and the fellowship is subject to obtaining a Hong Kong visa. WHAT YOU GET: HKD 200,000 to cover all expenses, including travel, living, insurance and research costs, for a three-to-six-month attachment to M+. Fellows give a public lecture in Hong Kong and write an essay of at least 5,000 English words or 7,500 Chinese characters for M+ Magazine. APPLICATION: submit a research proposal (max 1,000 words) and full CV via the Google form on the call page, in English or Chinese, and have two academic or professional referees email recommendation letters directly. Results are announced in early 2027. DEADLINE: 30 November 2026, 23:59 (UTC+8).
The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, run by the Research Grants Council, funds around 400 new full-time PhD students a year at eight Hong Kong universities, in any discipline, including AI, computing and data science programmes and practice-led art research (Hong Kong Baptist University's Academy of Visual Arts promotes the scheme for practice-led and practice-based PhDs with access to its studios). FUNDING: HKD 344,400 a year stipend and HKD 14,400 a year travel allowance for up to three years, with university top-ups (HKBU: Elite Scholar Award HKD 40,000 a year, extra travel funds, tuition waiver, housing). ELIGIBILITY: anyone seeking admission as a new full-time PhD student at a participating university, irrespective of country of origin, prior work experience or ethnic background; selection weighs academic excellence, research ability, communication and leadership. HOW TO APPLY: first make the Initial Application to the RGC (open since 1 September 2026) by 12:00 noon Hong Kong time, 1 December 2026, then apply to up to two programmes at one or two universities by their own deadlines (listed as 1 December 2026, 11:59pm Hong Kong time; some fall right after the RGC deadline, so apply early). Many departments, HKBU's AVA included, require a proposed supervisor.
Open call for dance and movement-image films up to 20 minutes for the 2027 Jumping Frames festival. The 2027 theme, Copy Right Copy Left, explicitly invites AI and digital tools and asks about authorship in the AI era. Entries via FilmFreeway (https://filmfreeway.com/CCDC_JumpingFrames2027); earlier tiers closed 6 and 26 November, final deadline 16 December 2026. Entry fees apply on most tiers.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival, one of Asia's oldest film festivals, is taking submissions for its 51st edition (16-29 March 2027). Categories: feature films (60 minutes plus), short films (20-60 minutes), documentary features and documentary shorts, and the Short Film Competition (any genre, including fiction, documentary, animation and experimental, under 20 minutes). The Young Cinema Competition (first, second or third features, with Chinese-language and World sections) and the Documentary Competition draw on the feature submissions. ELIGIBILITY: completed after 1 January 2026; except Hong Kong productions, not shown in Hong Kong before the festival; English subtitles required for non-English films; films submitted before and not selected are not reconsidered. FEES (late window, 4 November to 31 December 2026): Short Film Competition USD 50 / HKD 390, all other categories USD 80 / HKD 624; documentaries by Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card holders can be waived. Submit online via the HKIFF site or FilmFreeway, or by post with the entry form; screeners by Vimeo link or DVD. Notification by 5 March 2027 (unsuccessful entries are not notified). Contact entries@hkiff.org.hk.
The Hong Kong Arts Development Council's Emerging Artists Development Grant funds a first arts project by recent graduates: performances, exhibitions, publications, creation of artwork, translation and other project types allowed under its general Project Grant. It covers music, dance, xiqu, drama, visual arts, literary arts, film and media arts (each including multi-disciplinary work) and arts administration, criticism and education. ELIGIBILITY: individual artists holding a Hong Kong identity card who graduated from an arts and culture course at a local or overseas tertiary institution within five school years of applying (for local graduates, 2021/22 to 2025/26; students not yet graduated are ineligible; local graduates preferred), or Hong Kong registered organisations with at least half of their office-bearers meeting that test. Applicants must never have received HKADC funding (except HKADC Scholarship and Arts-in-School Partnership Scheme) or similar government project funding; the grant can be received at most twice. AMOUNT: ceiling HKD 90,000. DEADLINE: 6pm (Hong Kong time), 31 December 2026, under the guidelines valid for applications submitted 1 July to 31 December 2026. Apply with the HKADC Project Grant forms; guidelines and forms on the HKADC Project Grant page.
The Hong Kong Arts Development Council's Cultural Exchange Project Grant supports Hong Kong artists and arts organisations taking work abroad: overseas exhibitions, performances, festival participation, residencies, touring and similar exchange activity, across music, dance, xiqu, drama, visual arts, literary arts, film and media arts (each including multi-disciplinary work) and arts administration, criticism and education. There are two versions: a Trial Version (up to HKD 150,000, limited to transportation, freight, insurance and video documentation) and a General Version (up to HKD 500,000 for individuals and organisations, all project expenditure; up to HKD 800,000 for experienced organisations with a track record of exchange outside Hong Kong and a large-scale project). Touring projects in two or more cities must budget each city separately. ELIGIBILITY: individual artists holding a Hong Kong identity card, or Hong Kong registered arts organisations. DEADLINE: 2nd round closes 6pm (Hong Kong time), 31 December 2026, under the 2026 Cultural Exchange Assessment Guidelines; HKADC runs further rounds during the year. Guidelines and forms on the HKADC Project Grant page.
The A4 Residency Art Center in Chengdu, the residency platform of the A4 Art Museum in Luxelakes Eco-City, opens its full-year 2028 recruitment. The interdisciplinary, open and collaborative platform fosters creative exchange among artists, scientists, writers and other professionals, with residents initiating participatory local activities that connect them with the city and community; A4 also organises group activities, sharing sessions, media promotion and exhibition opportunities. CYCLES: Spring 2028 (April to June) and Autumn 2028 (July to October), each approximately eight weeks. WHAT YOU GET (International Residency Fellowship, fully funded): private studio and accommodation, round-trip economy airfare or second-class train within a set budget, a production grant of RMB 10,000 per person or team for materials and production (excluding living expenses), community engagement and cultural experiences, media promotion and networking. ELIGIBILITY: multidisciplinary creators worldwide, including visual and performing artists, musicians, filmmakers, architects, curators, designers and creatives with interdisciplinary backgrounds bridging art, business and culture. APPLICATION: free; submit a photo, portfolio, CV and project proposal in English and Chinese to a4residency@a4am.cn, with the subject line specifying the programme tier and preferred cycle. DEADLINE: 31 December 2026 for the 2028 full-year recruitment. A parallel self-funded light track exists; this listing covers the funded fellowship only.
BlueDot Impact's rolling Rapid Grants fund people taking a promising next step in AI safety or biosecurity where money is the bottleneck. Grants of up to USD 20,000 cover time and living costs, research access, compute and tools, testing an idea, meetups, venues and community events, and conference, collaboration and fieldwork travel. The application takes about 15 minutes (plan and budget), and accepted grants are paid as a single lump sum through a claims portal. ELIGIBILITY: open to anyone, though BlueDot course participants, alumni, facilitators and active members of the AI safety and biosecurity community are more likely to be funded. Funds cannot go to Afghanistan, Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, India, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Russia, Venezuela and Yemen. Requests above USD 20,000 belong in BlueDot's Career Transition Grants (individuals) or Seed Grants (new projects). Rolling applications, no deadline.
Fellowship grants for a defined period of full-time work transitioning into AI safety or biosecurity: research, policy or technical output, building evidence, testing an uncertain career path, closing a skill gap, or moving into a role. Grantees also get structured advising, introductions and a peer community. BlueDot has taken over Coefficient Giving's former career development and transition funding. ELIGIBILITY: ready to work full-time on the transition (not alongside a job); evidence of recent relevant action (strong analogous work counts); a plausible plan with milestones and a theory of change linked to reducing catastrophic risk from advanced AI or biological threats. No prior BlueDot course needed. Master's and PhD programmes are generally not funded. PROCESS: a roughly 45-minute form, then routing, evidence review, interview and decision; grantees send weekly updates and a short end-of-grant report.
BlueDot Impact's Seed Grants fund the first 6 to 12 months of a new AI safety or biosecurity project or organisation, covering founders' living costs, compute, tools and running costs, and travel. WHAT YOU GET: USD 20,000 to 200,000 (smaller requests go to Rapid Grants). ELIGIBILITY: anyone can apply; no BlueDot course is needed and the project does not have to match BlueDot's stated missions. Solo founders are welcome. Grants are currently paid to individual founders; if the money needs to go to an organisation, say so in the application. For-profits are considered in some cases where the work clearly serves the public good. Funds cannot go to Afghanistan, Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, India, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Russia, Venezuela and Yemen. PROCESS: the form takes about 45 minutes (choose 'Starting an organization'); BlueDot aims to decide within about four weeks. Grantees send short monthly updates and a final report, and return unspent funds if they stop. Rolling, no deadline.