The LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists program, offered by the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF), is a prestigious opportunity for emerging Native artists to receive foundational support in their creative careers. This program provides a $15,000 one-year award along with tailored professional development, mentorship, project evaluation, documentation, and marketing services to help artists grow their practice, develop a new project, and connect with broader audiences.

Designed specifically for early-career Native artists, LIFT focuses on nurturing artistic exploration while empowering recipients to tackle critical community issues. Projects supported through this program are expected to address themes such as cultural sovereignty, social and environmental justice, healing, and systemic change. Artists are encouraged to engage with their communities and to publicly present their work within the 12-month award period.

Applications for the 2025 cycle open on January 28, 2025, and will close on April 8, 2025, at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. Award notifications will be made in July 2025, with public announcements following in August 2025. The grant award period runs from August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026.

To be eligible, applicants must be:

At least 18 years old

A U.S.-based resident

An enrolled member or citizen of a U.S. federally- or state-recognized American Indian tribe or Alaska Native corporation, or of Native Hawaiian ancestry

An individual practicing artist in one or more eligible disciplines, including visual arts, traditional arts, dance, theater, music, literature, performance art, film, or interdisciplinary forms

Additionally, applicants must meet NACF’s definition of an “emerging artist,” which includes having less than ten years of artistic career experience (regardless of age), not having received a previous award of $15,000 or more, and having limited or no history of public exhibitions or presentations. Artists currently enrolled in a higher education institution during the award period are not eligible.

Projects must be new, publicly presented, and completed within the award year. The application process includes a narrative proposal, support materials, and an eligibility verification step. Technical assistance is available through Submittable’s help center or by contacting NACF staff.

For technical help, applicants can contact Amber Ball at apply@nativeartsandcultures.org or 971-417-4835 Ext. 435. For program-related inquiries, contact Laura (Cales) Matalka at grantsupport@nativeartsandcultures.org or 360-334-7285.