Currently 5 active open calls open to applicants in the US, across AI, arts, film, journalism, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. 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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Gallery Route One, a nonprofit artist-run gallery in Point Reyes Station, offers a two-year fellowship for emerging artists from the greater Bay Area. WHAT YOU GET: USD 1,500 toward the production and presentation of work; a minimum of ten exhibition opportunities across the 24 months, including one solo show and one two-person exhibition; mentoring from GRO artists; publicity, receptions, artist talks, radio appearances and studio visits; website and social media exposure; professional development; networking with artists, donors and the community; and eligibility to teach in GRO's Artist in the Schools Program. ELIGIBILITY: artists aged 21 to 40 who live or work in the greater Bay Area within commuting distance of Point Reyes Station, with a serious fine arts practice built on training, education or experience, a portfolio of work from the last five years, and clear goals for artistic development and public exposure. Two fellows are selected each cycle. Applications are accepted 1 to 30 September 2026 via the form on the fellowship page. DEADLINE: 30 September 2026.
Humanity AI, an initiative of ten leading philanthropies, opens a USD 10 million call for community-led initiatives that shape how AI affects people's lives. ISSUE AREAS: Education (student and educator-centered work shaping AI's educational impact); Labor and Economy (worker-led efforts to ensure AI enhances rather than replaces employment); and Humanities, Arts, and Culture (artist and creator-focused work protecting cultural contributions). ELIGIBLE APPROACHES: shaping the rules for AI governance and deployment; building AI controlled by communities rather than corporations; and challenging misaligned AI deployments. Community-led means the affected community defines the goals and shapes the approach. Priority goes to open-weight and open-source AI models over proprietary ones. OUT OF SCOPE: AI literacy training, AI adoption promotion, and research-only work. GRANTS: three tiers from USD 75,000 to 1,000,000, up to three years. ELIGIBILITY: US-based 501(c)(3) organizations as lead applicants; individuals via fiscal sponsors or collaborations; Tribal governments treated as States under IRC Section 7871; for-profit entities only as collaborators, not leads; all proposals must serve US-based communities. TIMELINE: launched 10 September 2026; applicant webinar 14 September 2026; initial applications due 21 October 2026 at 4:59pm PT; finalists notified December 2026; awards announced early spring 2027. Apply via Submittable; an organizational readiness tool on the site helps assess eligibility first.
The SURF Artist-in-Residence program invites artists to create work inspired by the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. At 4,850 feet deep, SURF is the deepest underground laboratory in the United States, housed in the former Homestake Gold Mine, and hosts experiments in physics, biology, geology and engineering. The residency is modeled after programs run by the National Park Service, CERN and Fermilab, and aims to create awareness of the science and encourage interdisciplinary work. STRUCTURE: a four-week on-site visit in summer 2027 (between 22 May and 31 July, timed to the artist's schedule) with studio time, guided underground visits, tours of Lead and the surrounding Black Hills sites, and dinners with scientists; then a one-week visit in October 2027 to install an art exhibition, give up to two lectures based on the proposal, and run promotional or outreach events in the local community (which may include schools, universities, interviews or documentation of the residency). FUNDING: a USD 5,000 stipend paid in two installments; the artist may apply for up to USD 5,000 in additional funds for creating the artwork; transportation, housing and per diem for both visits; and return shipping covered up to USD 7,000. CONDITIONS: each artist donates at least one artwork, selected by a SURF representative, to SURF's permanent art collection, and is responsible for installation and de-installation in coordination with SURF and the exhibition space. A timeline and expectations are agreed in an MOU before the residency begins. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: working underground requires being comfortable in dark spaces, following all safety protocols, walking on uneven surfaces for at least a mile at a time, and negotiating wet, slippery conditions and an elevator ride in the dark; safety training and loaned personal protective equipment are mandatory, and a SURF guide accompanies the artist at all times. DEADLINE: 1 November 2026, via the SURF AiR application portal.
The MIT Museum seeks proposals for compelling digital content exploring humanity's relationship with the BRAIN, the museum's thematic focus from April to September 2027 bringing together art, science, technology and design on cognition, neurotechnology, brain-computer interfaces, mental health and the boundaries of ability. Selected proposals run as ambient content on the two-story digital screen (3840x3024, 80:63 aspect ratio, 20'3" x 16'2") in the museum's central Exchange amphitheater. The museum wants immersive, non-linear, experimental, non-didactic work, such as artful visualizations of data or scientific phenomena; interactivity (touchscreens, QR codes) is out of scope and content-critical audio is discouraged. Content must run on the museum's existing hardware (Windows PC with RTX 3090, NEC LED wall with Analog Way 4K system). WHO CAN APPLY: artists, scientists, engineers, designers and other creative practitioners, from MIT or the broader community. SUPPORT: flat honorarium of USD 2,500-5,000 per selected proposal; no additional development funding. Applications reviewed from 2 November, accepted list finalized January 2027. Deadline: 1 November 2026.
apexart's Open Calls turn a curatorial idea into a funded apexart exhibition, selected by a crowdsourced international jury of more than 600 people in 70 countries. WHO CAN SUBMIT: anyone, from anywhere, with no fees at any level: trained and student curators, artists, writers and creative people regardless of experience, background or location. HOW: a 500-word proposal for a focused, idea-driven, original group exhibition, submitted through the online form during the proposal window. TWO ANNUAL WINDOWS: every October for exhibitions in apexart's NYC space, and every February (to early March) for exhibitions taking place anywhere in the world except NYC; for the international call you must propose a location you have actually visited, with the specific venue settled after selection. SELECTION: jurors vote anonymously online (each proposal gets an equal number of views, submitter names hidden); proposals are judged on the strength of the idea and how well it is communicated, not on connections or CV. WHAT WINNERS GET: a USD 10,000 budget (USD 8,000 for expenses, up to USD 2,000 curator honorarium, plus up to USD 1,000 venue-rental match outside NYC), with apexart covering insurance, publicity, the printed brochure, the opening reception and most logistics including loan agreements and shipping, and staff working closely with the guest curator. Winning proposals become part of apexart's next exhibition season. Check the site for the current window's exact dates; submission forms only go live during the proposal periods.