To be eligible for a USA Fellowship an artist must be: 

• 21 years of age or older

• Eligible to receive taxable income in the U.S.

• Residing and working in the U.S. for the last two years

• Not a USA employee, contractor, Board member, or one of their family member

• Not previously awarded the USA Fellowship

The selection process takes an entire year to complete. Artists are anonymously nominated by a geographically diverse and rotating group of arts professionals to apply for the Fellowship. Over the span of three months, applications are reviewed by discipline-specific panels that recommend finalists for board approval. Once our Board of Trustees approves, artists are notified prior to the public announcement in January 2026.

• June - September 2024 → Nominations Received

• November 11, 2024 → Application Opens

• January 6, 2025 @ 11:59 PM CST → Application Deadline

• Winter/Spring 2025 → Panel Review

• Summer 2025 → Board Approval

• October 2025 → Applicant Notification

• January 2026 → Public Announcement of Awardees

Vision

How has the artist demonstrated a unique artistic vision and/or innovative artistic approach throughout their practice?

Impact

Have they made or could they make significant contributions to their field and the creative and cultural ecosystem of the country? 

Timing

Is now the right time in the artist’s professional or artistic development for this award? 

1. Eligibility Requirements: Eligibility verification through a series of “yes” or “no” questions.

2. Contact Information: Basic information about yourself and how we can contact you.

3. Demographic Information: Information that helps us improve our application outreach and process.

4. Discipline: Choose the disciplinary panel you’d like to review your application

5. Artistic Practice: Practice Descriptor, Biography, Website, and Resume upload

6. Written Statements: Short answer questions about you and your work.

7. Portfolio: Work sample upload.

Do nominated artists have to be U.S. citizens? No. However, artists must have lived and worked in the U.S. or its territories for the last two years and be eligible to receive taxable income in the U.S.

Can a project, organization, or company apply? No. USA Fellowships only support individual artists or small collaboratives. Short-term projects or nonprofit organizations are ineligible.

What constitutes an artist collaborative? USA defines a collaborative as a small group of up to three (3) artists who make most of their artistic output together. 

Does the panel take financial need into consideration? The panel does not take into consideration your perception of an applicant’s financial need or their history of other awards. We believe that all artists who apply need the support the Fellowship offers. While Fellowships are awarded based on merit and not on financial need, we are going to approach each panel deliberation with generosity toward every applicant given the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

If awarded, do I have to submit a project proposal, budget, or report on how I used the award? No. Fellowships are awarded without restrictions. Applicants are not asked to propose how they would use the award money. They are not project grants.