Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) — Grants for Artists (rolling cycles)

Read the scope note before you spend time on this one. OVAC funds visual art, and its FAQ states plainly that music, dramatic productions, dance and narrative or documentary film fall outside its mission. Sound art, performance art and video art are fundable. So this is relevant to musicians working across into gallery and installation contexts, and not to anyone applying as a recording or touring artist.

There are four small grants, all with an October 15 deadline. Creative Projects and Community/Artist Partnership each go up to $1,500; Education Assistance and Professional Basics up to $500. Creative Projects supports making and showing work; Community/Artist Partnership supports projects done with a community; Professional Basics covers practical needs like equipment or framing; Education Assistance covers training and travel to it.

You must be 21 or older and have lived in Oklahoma for at least twelve months before the deadline. Students on BFA or MFA courses cannot apply. OVAC membership is not required. You can only have your name on one application per cycle, and if you win you wait a year before applying again. Retrospective reimbursement is not possible — the project has to happen after the award and within a year of it.

You apply through Submittable; OVAC publishes example applications and the scoring matrix for each category. A panel of community reviewers scores concept, quality of work, career impact and your capacity to deliver, with extra credit for projects serving under-served parts of Oklahoma or involving Native and artists of colour. Feedback is given whether or not you are funded, and decisions come within four weeks.