Currently 5 active design grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Worldwide. 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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Touch Some Grass is an open-call poster exhibition responding to the growing presence of AI-generated imagery and its impact on creative labour, authorship and visual culture. At a time when images can be produced instantly and consumed just as quickly, the exhibition reclaims the poster as a space for ideas, intention and public conversation, inviting artists to make work that questions, challenges or reflects on this changing landscape. As the organisers put it, the question is no longer whether machines can make images, they can; the question is what kind of world we build when speed matters more than thought. NOTE: this call offers exhibition and visibility only, with no artist fee or stipend. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: artwork size A3 (297 x 420 mm), portrait orientation, 300 DPI, CMYK recommended, print-quality PDF preferred, maximum file size 1 GB, one submission per artist. CAP: participation is limited to 60 artists and the submission form closes automatically once all slots are filled, so the effective deadline may fall well before 31 August 2026 (10 of 60 slots were taken at the time of listing). Inato Gallery is an artist-run space in Iligan City, Philippines, which began as a solo street exhibition by KaraTula and now runs concept-driven solo and group shows, open mics, talks and workshops built on openness, participation and the belief that art should exist where people already are.
A research fellowship from Impart, an online platform building accessible resources on South Asia's art histories, in collaboration with Nalli Silks, a heritage textile brand established in 1928. The programme has supported two research projects a year since 2024-25; for the 2027-28 cycle two fellowships are awarded, each carrying a grant of up to INR 5.5 lakhs for one year of independent research and project development. AREAS OF FOCUS: underexplored textile-related histories, practices and traditions across South Asia. Any textile-centric subject may be proposed; the call particularly encourages textiles in religious, literary, liturgical and mythological contexts; the environmental impact of textile production and consumption; endangered or disappearing textile traditions; critical perspectives on textile revivalism, digitisation, archives and material afterlives; labour in textile production with attention to caste, class and gender; relationships between textiles and other cultural forms including storytelling, poetry, music, architecture and material culture; techniques, technologies and tools tied to specific traditions; South Asian textiles within the contemporary global design economy; intellectual property, ownership and cultural rights; and socio-cultural perspectives on the relationship between handmade and industrial textiles. ELIGIBILITY: open to anyone aged 18 or over residing anywhere in the world, provided the project engages with textile practices in the wider South Asia region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet). Early- and mid-career researchers, designers, archivists, journalists, writers, educators, practitioners, collectives and small organisations are all welcome, and collaborative projects are permitted provided co-creators are credited and listed in the application. Both new and ongoing projects are eligible, but applicants must specify which part of the project the grant will develop and disclose any current or previous funding from other organisations. SUPPORTED FORMATS: journalistic inquiry, documentary film, archive activation, practice-based research, archive generation, digitisation and documentation initiatives, and exhibition or book projects. DELIVERABLES: a comprehensive project report at the end of the grant period; a research dossier developed from that report in collaboration with Impart, presenting key questions and findings and hosted on Impart's website for public benefit; and a set of final project outputs, which may be audio-visual (interviews, short films), visual essays (photographic or process-based documentation), written pieces (essays, features, interviews) or curatorial work (exhibition or digital curation). Fellows also take part in periodic check-ins and submit progress reports. Copyright is settled case by case, but all final outputs must be made openly and freely accessible to the public. APPLICATION: a Google Form structured as a full project proposal, plus a project budget (percentage-based allocation is acceptable, but be as specific as possible), a project timeline for the one-year period with key phases, activities and milestones, and a single supporting PDF containing an up-to-date CV, selected work samples, and up to two letters of support or recommendation. The form is in English; applicants who would prefer another language are invited to write to Impart to arrange an alternative. NOTE: the fellowship has a strict no-tolerance policy on the use of AI or LLMs in the application form or any submitted materials, and any violation results in rejection. KEY DATES: applications close 31 August 2026; awardees notified December 2026; fellowships run January to December 2027. No individual feedback is given on unsuccessful applications.
Open call from SAC Art Amsterdam and Mama Magnet for a printed matter fair themed around jugaad: improvised, resourceful solutions built from what is on hand (from the Sanskrit yuj, 'to join', via Hindi jugar, famously embodied by post-independence Punjabi vehicles pieced together from scrap metal and pump engines). The curators want work that engages the spirit of jugaad either as subject (everyday intelligences of getting by, lateral logics of adaptation, unlikely workarounds, reinvention born of necessity) or in how it was made (found or repurposed materials, adapted processes, structures built to solve a specific constraint). Work that came from adjustment rather than access, problem-solving rather than budget. WHAT: zines, artist books, comics, risograph or photocopied prints, posters, foldables, instruction manuals, packaging and other small-format works; if it can travel in a suitcase it is probably in scope. No framed work or anything needing gallery-standard installation. Gen-AI images and text are not accepted. WHO: artists, designers, writers and collectives whose practice genuinely engages with the theme; if unsure, reach out and explain in a line or two. Selected work must reach the Netherlands by end of September 2026. TERMS: selections made on a rolling basis 5 August to 5 September; selected work is sold at the fair (9-10 October, Amsterdam) on mutually agreeable commission terms, with payment within 30 days of each sale and unsold work returned after the consignment period. HOW TO APPLY: email info@mamamagnet.org with a CC to art@sacartamsterdam.com, subject line 'JUGAAD - [Your Contribution]', by 5 September 2026; earlier is better given rolling selection.
This scheme funds international activity by the Dutch design, architecture and digital culture sectors, covering projects that take place mainly abroad and require at least one international partner. Open to professional makers, observers, design agencies and cultural institutions. Grants run EUR 10,000 to EUR 50,000 with at least 20 percent co-financing. The round runs 25 August 2026, 15:00 CEST to 22 September 2026, 16:00 CEST. From 2026 places are allocated by lottery draw rather than order of submission. Activities in countries under a code-red travel advisory or subject to sanctions are excluded. Applicants must be registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK).
Travel voucher for Dutch-based professionals in design, architecture and/or digital culture who have been invited by a foreign party to give a presentation, lecture or workshop. To apply you must have submitted an application to the Fund in the past five years that was positively assessed (previous International Vouchers do not count). The inviting foreign party must cover a proportionate share of the costs. Covers hourly fees, travel and accommodation directly related to the activity. IMPORTANT TIMING RULE: applications are accepted from 5 months to a minimum of 7 weeks before the activity begins, and processing takes about 6 weeks. This lead time can rule out activities that fall shortly after a round opens. Round 2 (4 May to 22 June 2026) has closed. Round 3 runs 8 September 2026 15:00 CEST to 27 October 2026 16:00 CEST, with a budget of EUR 33,000; given the 7-week rule it effectively serves activities starting from late October 2026 onwards. IMPORTANT PREREQUISITE: you must already have had an application to the Fund positively assessed within the past five years, and a previous voucher does not satisfy this, so this is not a viable first approach to the Fund. The window runs 8 September 2026, 15:00 CEST to 27 October 2026, but closes early once 20 complete applications are received. Maximum one voucher per applicant per calendar year.