The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) offers the Grants for Artists: Education Assistance program to support the creative excellence of visual artists in Oklahoma. OVAC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting visual artists living and working in the state of Oklahoma. This program aligns with OVAC’s mission by providing financial assistance to help artists pursue educational opportunities that can enhance their professional practice and artistic careers. The grant focuses on fostering development through conferences, residencies, studio workshops, and study trips, and funding can be used to cover travel fees associated with these activities.

This funding opportunity provides up to $500 per award to eligible artists. Artists working in visual-based mediums, art writing, and curation are eligible to apply. The grant is intended to support educational opportunities that will have a direct impact on the artist’s creative practice and career development. Applications are evaluated based on the quality of the educational opportunity, the potential impact on the artist’s practice or career, the artist’s ability to successfully complete the proposed project, and the relevance of the opportunity as demonstrated in the applicant’s portfolio.

Applicants must meet several eligibility criteria, including being at least 21 years old, residing in Oklahoma, and not being currently enrolled in a BFA or MFA program. Additionally, applicants cannot have received funding from OVAC within the past year. All applicants must submit a completed application form, a resume or CV, an artist, curator, or writer statement of up to 250 words, and a portfolio consisting of 5-10 artwork samples or video artwork links with up to 3 minutes of content. Applicants must also submit an image list (with relevant details such as file name, medium, date, and dimensions), a project timeline highlighting major milestones, and a balanced project budget showing that expenses equal income.

The application process occurs three times per year, with deadlines on January 15th, March 15th, and October 15th. Applications are reviewed by a grants committee, and applicants are notified of decisions within four weeks after the deadline. Successful applicants will receive their grant funds approximately two weeks after submitting the necessary paperwork. Funded projects must begin after the grant is awarded and be completed within one year of receiving funds.

Artists are encouraged to ask questions if they need guidance on the application process. The primary point of contact for this grant is Ariana, who can be reached via email at ariana@ovac-ok.org. All applications must be submitted through Submittable, the platform OVAC uses to manage submissions.