Overview
The Verdant Fund awards grants of up to $7,000, with a total of $60,000 dispersed annually. These project grants support non-traditional, public-facing visual art projects that take place within the state of Alabama and are led by Alabama-based visual artists.
Eligible applicants include individual artists, artist-curators, collectives, or collaboratives, provided the lead applicant resides in Alabama.
Project Criteria
Funded projects must:
- Be artist-driven.
- Occur outside traditional venues (e.g., museums, galleries, art centers).
- Include a public-facing component that engages the local community.
Projects may be interdisciplinary but must be grounded in visual arts. The Verdant Fund does not support projects that are primarily:
- Film (narrative or documentary)
- Performing arts, event production, music, dance
- Product design, decorative arts, or architecture
Exceptions may be considered if a significant visual arts component is present. We acknowledge that disciplinary boundaries can be fluid and welcome projects that are conceptually and formally rooted in visual arts.
Examples of Projects We Support
- Visual art interventions in public spaces (e.g., murals, billboards, digital wraps)
- Site-specific installations in non-art venues or public spaces
- Temporary sculptures
- Artist books, zines, or short-run publications with free public access
- Community-engaged fiber art or craft projects that advance the field
- Socially engaged or civic practice projects with collaborative public components
- Moving image or new media work grounded in visual arts
- Dialogue-driven practices (e.g., podcasts, research, criticism, art journalism)
- Experiments in new media or materials
- Innovative exhibition or programming formats in unconventional spaces
What We Do Not Support
- Projects presented as part of an art institution's regular programming (nonprofit or for-profit)
- Projects accessible only behind a paywall or by limited invitation
- Projects without a lead artist who resides in Alabama
- Projects not meaningfully contributing to the field of visual arts
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be an artist or artistic collaborative with a professional documented practice
- Reside in Alabama and maintain a permanent address in the state
The Fund prioritizes proposals from:
- Women artists
- Artists of color
- Artists with disabilities
- LGBTQ+ artists
- Artists working in or from rural Alabama
Selection Process
A panel of three jurors — regional and national artists, curators, and arts professionals — will review applications. Verdant Fund partners (Alabama Contemporary Art Center, the Coleman Center for the Arts, and Space One Eleven) do not select awardees.
Proposals are evaluated on the following criteria:
- Artistic Strength - Clarity, originality, technical and conceptual execution
- Equity + Relevance - Positionality, cultural timing, access, and representation
- Critical Value - Thoughtfulness, research, and cultural contribution
- Clarity - Transparency of idea, process, and outcomes
- Project Integration - Alignment of concept, form, audience, and scale
- Feasibility - Budget, logistics, timeline, and capacity
- Community Experience - Public interaction, co-creation, and engagement
Timeline
- Application Opens: August 10, 2026
- Application Closes: October 9, 2026
- Grant Notifications: December 2026
- Earliest Project Start Date: January 2027
- Project Completion Date: December 2027
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted through Submittable. You will be asked to provide:
- Website
- Bio
- Demographic Information (This information is required to ensure the Verdant Fund is supporting projects and artists in alignment with our mission and stated priorities. Responses are used for internal tracking and reporting only.)
- Resume or CV
- Project Summary and Description, clearly describing what you plan to do, when and where it will happen, who is involved, how it meets the public-facing requirement, and how it relates to contemporary visual art
- Project Budget (template provided)
- Up to seven work samples (related to the proposed project or representative of prior work)
Accepted file types: JPG (≤1MB), video links (Vimeo), audio files, PDFs or Word docs.
Need Help?
Contact info@verdantfund.org.