Created in 1993 to further FCA's mission to encourage, sponsor, and promote work of a contemporary, experimental nature, Emergency Grants provide urgent funding for visual and performing artists and poets who:
Have sudden, unanticipated opportunities to present their work to the public when there is insufficient time to seek other sources of funding
Incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses for projects close to completion with committed exhibition or performance dates
Emergency Grants is a year-round, multi-disciplinary program that offers immediate, project-based assistance to artists living and working anywhere in the United States, for projects occurring in the U.S. and abroad.
Each month FCA receives an average of 100 Emergency Grant applications and makes approximately 15-20 grants in the range of $500 to $3,000 each. Applicants may request any amount in that range and, if granted, may receive full or partial funding. The average grant is currently $2,200.
Please review all guidelines and FAQs before applying.
Follow FCA on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about Emergency Grants-supported projects.
To watch a recording of our June information session, click here. Please refer to this website for the most up-to-date details.
FCA receives dedicated support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding to fund unexpected or unbudgeted travel-related expenses for cultural exchanges between the U.S. and the following countries:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
As of July 2025, FCA will also distribute cancellation funds to address the financial impact of cancelled engagements stemming from the sudden, and continuing, losses of federal funding. Early-career, NYC-based experimental artists with previously confirmed exhibitions, readings, performances, and/or other public presentations who are facing financial deficits due to the cancellation are encouraged to apply. Grants will mitigate losses up to $3000 incurred by the artists involved. Read more here to see if you should apply.
If you have lost funds, either directly or indirectly, due to federal funding cuts and you have decided to move ahead with your public presentation, we welcome you to apply for an emergency grant.