Currently 14 active paid curatorial grants, fellowships and residencies. 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.
Subscribe: RSS feed · Calendar (.ics)
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.
Scuola Piccola Zattere is an independent non-profit centre for continuous education and research in the expanded field of contemporary arts, running exhibitions, commissions, fellowships, workshops, seminars, performances and public discussions as one connected research ecosystem rather than separate strands. Two international fellowships are offered. The support is unusually solid for a research fellowship: EUR 5,000 as a grant, EUR 2,000 as a research budget, accommodation, travel and a study space for three months. SEASON THEME: the 2026-2027 cycle is titled Living Document, investigating archives, regulatory documents, collective rituals, games, performative instructions, and the relationship between bodies, architecture and social organisation. Fellows join that shared inquiry while continuing their own work, and are expected to keep an active presence in the institution and contribute to public events through workshops, seminars, presentations, screenings or performances. The fellowship overlaps with the run-up to and opening of the 2027 Architecture Biennale, which is a real advantage if your research benefits from that traffic. ELIGIBILITY: artists, curators, researchers, architects, choreographers, performers and writers of any nationality, as individuals, collectives or duos. Good English is required, and non-EU applicants need a valid passport for international travel. No age limit, but the organisers say it is especially intended for practitioners in the post-academic stage of their career, typically under 40. You must be prepared to spend the full period in Venice, so this is not a remote or partial-attendance fellowship. WHAT THEY WANT: an active research process that can develop through discussion and experimentation, tied to the Living Document theme, not a finished stand-alone project proposal. The motivation letter, portfolio and public programming proposal are read as one integrated application. Deadline 4 September 2026 at 10:00 CEST.
VBKÖ, the Austrian Association of Wom*n Artists founded in 1910, invites proposals for its annual programme running March 2027 to February 2028. The call reads the present moment through the resurgence of authoritarianism, fascism, militarisation, colonial violence and extractive capitalism, and the parallel privatisation of care and criminalisation of solidarity. Drawing on María Galindo's framing of feminism as a project of social transformation and Sara Ahmed's account of feminist work beginning with refusal, the programme treats alternative ways of living as something rehearsed collectively through organising, creating, caring, listening, remembering and struggling. VBKÖ seeks a programme of practices that nurture communal care and build a platform for collective rehearsals: proposals that allow for tenderness, that are not afraid of ugly feelings and different truths, and that explore how contemporary queer and feminist perspectives resonate across artistic, social and political movements. FORMAT REQUIREMENT: only exhibition formats bringing together multiple artists, collectives or collaborative practices are accepted. Solo exhibitions, individual presentations and projects centred on a single artist's work are explicitly not supported. Proposals that activate the exhibition through public programming (screenings, performances, workshops, lectures and other events) are encouraged. Regular opening hours are Fridays and Saturdays 2pm to 6pm; any additional hours must be arranged and staffed by the selected group. The association acknowledges that its own history is marked by violence, exclusion and discrimination on the basis of religion, class, gender, sexuality and ethnicity, and states that it actively opposes all forms of discrimination including trans-exclusionary radical feminism. APPLICATION: a single PDF (max 5MB) with a programme description (max 2 pages, images welcome, English or German, including preferred dates and duration), a CV and biography for every participant (max 1 page each), a financial plan (Fair Pay encouraged), technical requirements, and contact details including email, mobile number and main residence; three high-resolution images of work or exhibition sketches sent within the email or via a download link, labelled with artist name, work title, year and proposal title (video links may be included in the proposal). Send to opencall@vbkoe.org with the subject line 'Open Call + your proposal title'. Incomplete applications will not be considered. A shortlist is compiled by the VBKÖ team and final selections are made by the VBKÖ board with an external jury member experienced in contemporary art, activism and community building; shortlisted applicants may be asked to present to the jury. Results are announced at the beginning of October 2026. Deadline 10 September 2026, 23:59. Free to apply.
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.
The Dedalus Foundation, established by artist Robert Motherwell, awards a Senior Fellowship supporting critical and historical studies related to painting, sculpture, and allied arts of the twentieth century. The fellowship is open to art historians, critics, curators, and other writers and scholars who have demonstrated their abilities through previous accomplishments. Awards provide a stipend of up to USD 30,000 for projects lasting up to one year, with the amount varying by project needs. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and may not be currently pursuing academic degrees. Applications are submitted online and reference letters through a separate form. A distinguished scholar jury selects recipients, with awards announced by mid-December.
SOCIAL DIVE is Tokyo Biennale's open call, now in its third edition and, for 2027, open to both international and domestic applicants (the 2019 round drew roughly 1,500 overseas applications and the 2025 international-only round roughly 1,400). Artists and curators propose projects to be presented as part of Tokyo Biennale 2027, whose theme is 'From Me to Us'. THEME: general producer Masato Nakamura frames the biennale against an age of conflict and division, arguing that to avoid repeating memories of war, violence and exclusion we must reexamine the wisdom and cultural resources passed down across generations. Tokyo carries the memories of neighbourhoods dating back to the Edo period, twice suffered great loss through the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Second World War, and each time was rebuilt through the strength of its citizens; it is also an international city where different languages, memories, beliefs, wounds and hopes intersect. Quoting Kenzaburo Oe, 'I cannot live my life over again. But we can live our lives over again', the call proposes that when a single 'me' encounters others and reconnects relationships, a new consciousness of 'us' emerges. Art projects are treated as a form of cultural prescription, reconnecting people with people, people with places and people with memories. ELIGIBILITY: open to artists, curators, researchers, collectives and practitioners in related fields active in Japan and abroad; applicants must be 18 or older at the time of application; there are no restrictions on nationality, place of residence or base of operations; participants must be able to work in Tokyo during the designated period. ACCEPTED FORMATS: artwork creation, exhibitions, performances, video works, tours, workshops, participatory projects, research projects and curatorial projects. Applications cover both artwork production by artists and art project proposals by curators. APPLY via the Google Form linked from socialdive.jp/en (a Google account is required) during the application period 17 July to 30 September 2026, 23:59 JST. Read the official call documentation for full eligibility requirements and guidelines.
d/p is an independent alternative exhibition space in the Nakwon Arcade, the historic mixed-use commercial and residential complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul built in 1968. Its Curator Support programme, sponsored by NakwonSangga, has selected two to three independent curators every year since 2018, giving each an exhibition venue, curatorial collaboration with the d/p team, and a modest curatorial grant to develop and realise their curatorial practice. ELIGIBILITY: individual curators or teams with at least one curating experience within the past three years. The applying curator or team cannot participate in the exhibition as an artist; curators and artists must be clearly distinguished. SELECTION: approximately two individuals or teams. WHAT IS PROVIDED: a curatorial grant of KRW 4,000,000 including tax; use of the d/p exhibition space of approximately 187 square metres; and a five-week exhibition slot somewhere between March and December 2027, with installation and deinstallation time counted separately from the five weeks. PROCESS: first round is a document review of the APPLICATION and PROPOSAL submitted in the provided format; second round is individual interviews followed by final selection. Interviews are conducted offline in principle, but may be held online if the applicant is abroad or in other exceptional circumstances. HOW TO APPLY: submit the APPLICATION via the Google Form and the PROPOSAL by email to dslashp@gmail.com between 3 August and 30 September 2026. The proposal template is downloadable from the link in the @dslashp Instagram bio. File name format: '2027 d/p Curator Support Application_Applicant Name'. Submit as PDF; if the proposal includes video, provide a link rather than a file. KEY DATES: submissions 3 August to 30 September 2026; first round results announced in the first week of October 2026 by individual contact; second round interviews in the second week of October 2026; final selection announced in the third week of October 2026 by individual contact and on the @dslashp account. Inquiries: Minji Lee, Curator, dslashp@gmail.com.
Mondriaan Fund grant for written and/or spoken-word publications about contemporary visual art: article series, long reads, podcasts, video essays, social-content series, and similar formats published across magazines, newspapers, online platforms, public media or social media. Aimed at strengthening reflection on, criticism of, and journalism around visual art practice in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Eligible applicants: existing or new platforms (online magazines, public media, podcast outlets, etc.) AND individuals working as curators, critics, social-content creators or journalists. New initiatives and collaborations may apply. Two cycles per year; the next deadline is 15 October 2026, 16:00 Dutch time / 10:00 Caribbean time (an earlier 2 April 2026 round has already closed). Grant covers up to 70% of eligible expenses, with two pricing structures: fixed €2,480/month for short 1-6 month work periods, or a flexible grant of up to 12 months for larger project plans (amount determined by submitted plan and budget). Round budget €229,000. Good fit for science-communicator / critical-tech / art-and-AI long-form writing, podcast series, or video essay projects. Applications submitted via the Mondriaan Fund online portal after creating an account; documents cannot be uploaded after the deadline. Free to apply.
Residency programme run by the Art Explora Foundation with the Cite internationale des arts at its Montmartre site, supporting work that engages scientific and technological exploration and the major social and environmental issues of the present. Residents receive a studio-apartment of around 50 sqm, a monthly living grant of EUR 1,000, a production grant of up to EUR 3,000, and a round-trip travel grant, plus access to production facilities and local networks. Two tracks are offered: a SOLO programme for artists and writers across visual arts, performance, digital practices, literary and other experimental disciplines, and a COLLECTIVE programme for duos or collectives working collaboratively on interdisciplinary, experimental or research-based projects, for which a single studio-apartment designed for collaborative work hosts two residents sharing a bed, and only one member should submit the application. Eligible artistic disciplines are visual arts, performance and live arts, digital arts, curatorial practices, and writing and literary practices; eligible research fields are humanities, social sciences, cultural studies and history, technological innovation, and ecology. No output is required at the end of the residency, but participation in the Open Studios is mandatory. ELIGIBILITY: artists, artist collectives, researchers, curators and writers of all nationalities, no age restriction, with a minimum of five years of professional activity and works or research exhibited at national or international level. The Cite lists 20 to 22 residencies per year on this programme. Deadline 6 November 2026, 23:59 Europe/Paris. Questions: residences@artexplora.org. FLAG: the grant figures above come from the open-call text supplied to the desk; neither the Cite nor Art Explora publishes amounts on the programme page, so confirm them, along with the exact deadline, before applying.
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.
The Cloud House Residency, run by Dreamsong in the Northeast Arts District of Minneapolis, provides accommodation and support for individuals working in contemporary art who intend to develop, exhibit, or curate new work in Minnesota. Residents stay in a 700 square foot one-bedroom cottage on Dreamsong's compound and receive a prorated stipend of USD 300 per week, with possible studio space and travel or materials budgets considered on request. The program is open to emerging and mid-career visual artists, curators, and writers with a focus on contemporary art, and it hosts one individual or a two-person collaborative team at a time. The organizers arrange introductions to local artists, curators, writers, institutions, and galleries across the Twin Cities. Standard stays are 4 to 6 weeks, with occasional one-week options. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the program is currently booking residents for October through December 2026 and throughout 2027.
Funding for preliminary research into exhibitions, events, articles or presentations. For curators. Continuous deadline.