Currently 4 active curatorial grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the UK. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Forma, a London contemporary art organisation commissioning artists who address social and political questions, seeks an experienced curator to oversee delivery of its artistic programme for six months while the organisation undertakes a strategic review. Reporting to the Artistic Director, you step into an existing programme of commissions, exhibitions, residencies and public events, acting as the central point of contact for artists, partners and the Forma team, and keeping production, communications, budgets and timelines aligned. PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS during the term: Scotland + Venice, Bugarin + Castle's 'Shame Parade'; Frieze London Artist Award 2026; Artists' Film International 2027; the Forma Bermondsey Square Gallery Winter/Spring exhibition; and legacy planning and touring for Oliver Frank Chanarin's 'A Perfect Sentence'. RESPONSIBILITIES: coordinate multiple concurrent projects, maintaining project plans, production schedules and risk registers; set and monitor programme and project budgets with the Artistic Director and Managing Director; act as principal day-to-day contact for artists, curators and partners and coordinate contracts, agreements and rights; coordinate weekly delivery schedules, team updates and staffing across FormaHQ; support the Creative Producer on freelance technicians, logistics, health and safety, and be present at installation, film shoots, fabrication and live events; co-curate exhibitions, screenings, talks and performances at FormaHQ and Forma Bermondsey Square; and support the Marketing and Communications Manager, drafting exhibition texts, press releases and editorial pieces. ESSENTIAL: curating contemporary visual art, exhibition production, managing artists, budget and project management, working with multiple partners, excellent administration, calm under pressure, strong written communication. DESIRABLE: international contemporary art networks, public programme production, touring exhibitions, commissioning, trust and foundation fundraising, Photoshop and InDesign. Forma particularly welcomes candidates underrepresented in the sector due to barriers linked to ethnicity, class, disability, gender and sexuality, and offers informal conversations in advance of the deadline (contact Caroline Heron, ch@forma.org.uk). Apply via the online form. NOTE: this is a paid job, not a grant or fellowship. Deadline 16 August 2026; interviews w/c 21 August 2026.
With support from Delfina Foundation's Network of Patrons for Africa, Delfina is offering a six- or twelve-week London residency within its winter 2027 season to curators based in Central and West Africa. ELIGIBILITY: applicants must hold nationality and be based in one of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia or Togo; and must have at least five years of professional curatorial practice in a freelance, academic or institutional context. THE PROGRAMME: alongside time and space to develop their work, residents get guided visits to museums, galleries, non-profits, artist-run spaces and studios, plus trips to institutions outside London; opportunities to meet and engage with artists, curators, academics and researchers through organised presentations, studio visits, events and meals; professional development including presentations and crits, portfolio reviews and mentoring activities to strengthen their practice; and collaborative exchange between residents through informal gatherings and meals. APPLY via the application form on the open call page; Delfina strongly recommends reading the Guidance Notes document carefully before starting. Deadline Sunday 30 August 2026, 23:59 BST.
The Paul Mellon Centre funds scholarship and dissemination in British art, visual culture and architectural history, from the medieval period to the present and across the relevant geographical and cultural contexts. This is the Autumn 2026 round, the first under the Centre's restructured funding scheme announced earlier in 2026, and all grants in the round close together on Monday 14 September 2026 at 23:59 BST. ELIGIBILITY: the Centre's funding is open to INTERNATIONAL applicants, not just UK-based ones (the exceptions are the MA/MPhil Studentship and Doctoral Scholarship, which are not part of this round). Every applicant must show how the award advances their research on British art, visual culture and/or architecture. SUPPORT: general application guidance, an updated FAQ and the Our Funding Focus page set out what the Centre looks for, and there are writeups of previously successful projects. The grants team will take specific questions or arrange a call at grants@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk. No application fee. THIS GRANT: a new award of up to GBP 40,000 for organisations undertaking ambitious and sustained research, consolidating elements of three previous schemes (the Curatorial Research, Collaborative and Digital Project grants). It is designed PRIMARILY to cover STAFF COSTS towards facilitating a research project with public-facing outcomes and/or a legacy. The form the outcome takes is deliberately open: an exhibition, a digital project, a catalogue or another means of dissemination all qualify.
The Paul Mellon Centre funds scholarship and dissemination in British art, visual culture and architectural history, from the medieval period to the present and across the relevant geographical and cultural contexts. This is the Autumn 2026 round, the first under the Centre's restructured funding scheme announced earlier in 2026, and all grants in the round close together on Monday 14 September 2026 at 23:59 BST. ELIGIBILITY: the Centre's funding is open to INTERNATIONAL applicants, not just UK-based ones (the exceptions are the MA/MPhil Studentship and Doctoral Scholarship, which are not part of this round). Every applicant must show how the award advances their research on British art, visual culture and/or architecture. SUPPORT: general application guidance, an updated FAQ and the Our Funding Focus page set out what the Centre looks for, and there are writeups of previously successful projects. The grants team will take specific questions or arrange a call at grants@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk. No application fee. THIS GRANT: up to GBP 6,000 for organisations producing publications tied to their exhibitions and displays, covering practical publishing costs such as image and production costs.