Innovate

Innovate

verb

in·​no·​vate | \ˈi-nə-ˌvāt

in·​no·​vate | \ˈi-nə-ˌvāt

1: to do something in a new way
2: to effect change

1: to do something in a new way
2: to effect change

Ceaphas Stubbs in the studio, Innovate Grant Winner Spring 2019 Photography

Innovate Grant Recipient in Photography – Ceaphas Stubbs (Studio view of work in progress, Newark, NJ)

About

About

Innovate Grant supports artists and photographers through quarterly grants.

We believe that new ideas come from sparks of inspiration and aim to provide just that, access to small and mighty bursts of financial support so that you can focus on making your important and innovative work.
Innovate Grant was created out of the frustration of applying to grants with time-consuming requirements. These lengthy applications took valuable time and energy away from making new work. Countless hours were always sacrificed in either writing artist statements, crafting project proposals and getting letters of recommendation.
We believe that time is one of the most valuable components to fostering creativity and innovation. Our aim is to provide the time you need to be fully immersed in your ideas and in creating your work.
Keeping the grant process simple enables us to continue to support you on your important journey of creation, inspiration, and innovation.
Innovate Grant supports artists and photographers through quarterly grants.

We believe that new ideas come from sparks of inspiration and aim to provide just that, access to small and mighty bursts of financial support so that you can focus on making your important and innovative work.
Innovate Grant was created out of the frustration of applying to grants with time-consuming requirements. These lengthy applications took valuable time and energy away from making new work. Countless hours were always sacrificed in either writing artist statements, crafting project proposals and getting letters of recommendation.
We believe that time is one of the most valuable components to fostering creativity and innovation. Our aim is to provide the time you need to be fully immersed in your ideas and in creating your work.
Keeping the grant process simple enables us to continue to support you on your important journey of creation, inspiration, and innovation.

How it Works

Innovate Grant distributes (2) $550.00 grants each quarter, to one Visual Artist and one Photographer. Grant cycles are in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

We believe your work should speak for itself and our grant application reflects that. All that we require is your:

— Name
— Email
— Website (Optional)
— Grant Category
— 3-5 Images of Your Work

Winners will be featured on our website and will receive a one time unrestricted $550.00 grant. All applicants retain the right to the work they submit. 

The application fee of $25 USD (non-refundable) helps offset our administrative costs, enabling us to continue to support artists and the creation of their innovative work.

Spring 2021 Cycle: Deadline June 10, 2021

Join Our Mailing List for News and Updates

Innovate Grant distributes (2) $550.00 grants each quarter, to one Visual Artist and one Photographer. Grant cycles are in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

We believe your work should speak for itself and our grant application reflects that. All that we require is your:

— Name
— Email
— Website (Optional)
— Grant Category
— 3-5 Images of Your Work

Winners will be featured on our website and will receive a one time unrestricted $550.00 grant. All applicants retain the right to the work they submit. 

The application fee of $25 (non-refundable) helps offset our administrative costs, enabling us to continue to support artists and the creation of their innovative work.

Join our Mailing List for Cycle News & Updates

Eligibility

Eligibility

Visual Artists and Photographers 18 years and older, from all around the world, are eligible to apply. All media and genres are accepted:

 

Visual Artists and Photographers 18 years and older, from all around the world, are eligible to apply. All media and genres are accepted:

 

Art

  • Painting
  • Printmaking
  • Drawing
  • Sculpture
  • Film / Video
  • Mixed Media
  • Installation
  • New Media
  • Painting
  • Printmaking
  • Drawing
  • Sculpture
  • Film / Video
  • Mixed Media
  • Installation
  • New Media

Photography

  • Portrait
  • Conceptual
  • Still Life
  • Black + White
  • Documentary
  • Street
  • Composite
  • Collage
  • Portrait
  • Conceptual
  • Still Life
  • Black + White
  • Documentary
  • Street
  • Composite
  • Collage

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stay up to date with notifications on winners, new grant cycles, and upcoming deadlines?
Easy! Just sign up for our mailing list!

How many grant cycles are there per year and when are they open?
Innovate Grant distributes awards each quarter, 4 times a year:
Q1: Winter: Jan, Feb, Mar
Q2: Spring: Apr, May, Jun
Q3: Summer: Jul, Aug, Sept
Q4: Fall: Oct, Nov, Dec
Join the mailing list to stay current with specific cycle deadlines.

Can artists duos, collaborations, or collectives apply for an Innovate Grant?
Yes, duos, collaborations, and collectives are eligible to apply. In the Work Caption field, enter the name of the duo/collaboration/collective and list each member (if applicable).

Can I submit more than one application in the same cycle?
Yes, you may submit as many applications as you like. There is no limit to how many applications you can submit as we understand that a creative practice is diverse. Please be mindful that each application will be judged individually and will require it's own fee.

Can I submit work to both art and photography categories?
Yes, you may submit applications to both art and photography categories. We understand that a creative practice is diverse. Please be mindful that each application will be judged individually and will require it's own fee.

If I have applied to a previous cycle, am I eligible to apply again?
Yes, you are eligible to apply to new cycles.

I am submitting video, where do I put the links to my work? Do I need to upload images?
You can paste the URLs to your videos in the Work Captions field. You will need to upload at least 1 still from the video work you're submitting.

Do the 3-5 images need to be of the same work or can each image be of different work?
You may submit images of different works as part of the application. Our application is flexible so you may chose any combination of images that best represents your work. The images can represent a single project or be a series of images representing different bodies of work.

Do I retain the rights to my images and work? 
Yes, all applicants and collectives retain the right to the work they submit.


Can I edit or make changes to my application after submission?
No, you will not be able to edit or make changes to your application once we've received it. Please review your image selection and work captions thoroughly before submission. Once your application is submitted your submission will be considered final and no further changes can be made.




How do I stay up to date with notifications on winners, new grant cycles, and upcoming deadlines?
Easy! Just sign up for our mailing list!

How many grant cycles are there per year and when are they open?
Innovate Grant distributes awards each quarter, 4 times a year:
Q1: Winter: Dec, Jan, Feb
Q2: Spring: Mar, Apr, May
Q3: Summer: Jun, Jul, Aug
Q4: Fall: Sept, Oct, Nov
Join the mailing list to stay current with specific cycle deadlines.

Can artists duos, collaborations, or collectives apply for an Innovate Grant?
Yes, duos, collaborations, and collectives are eligible to apply. In the Work Caption field, enter the name of the duo/collaboration/collective and list each member (if applicable).

Can I submit more than one application in the same cycle?
Yes, you may submit as many applications as you like. There is no limit to how many applications you can submit as we understand that a creative practice is diverse. Please be mindful that each application will be judged individually and will require it's own fee.

Can I submit work to both art and photography categories?
Yes, you may submit applications to both art and photography categories. We understand that a creative practice is diverse. Please be mindful that each application will be judged individually and will require it's own fee.

I am submitting video, where do I put the links to my work? Do I need to upload images?
You can paste the URLs to your videos in the Work Captions field. You will need to upload at least 1 still from the video work you're submitting.

Do the 3-5 images need to be of the same work or can each image be of different work?
You may submit images of different works as part of the application. Our application is flexible so you may chose any combination of images that best represents your work. The images can represent a single project or be a series of images representing different bodies of work.

Do I retain the rights to my images and work? 
Yes, all applicants and collectives retain the right to the work they submit.


Can I edit or make changes to my application after submission?
No, you will not be able to edit or make changes to your application once we've received it. Please review your application thoroughly before submission as it will be considered final.

Are you currently accepting submissions?
Yes, the Spring 2021 deadline is June 10, 2021. Innovate Grant distributes awards each quarter, 4 times a year (Q1 Winter, Q2 Spring, Q3 Summer, and Q4 Fall. Join the mailing list to stay current with specific cycle deadlines.

When is the next deadline?
Spring Cycle 2021 Deadline is June 10, 2021. Sign up for our mailing list for news and updates.

What are the requirements associated with the grant award?
Innovate Grants are unrestricted. This means that you may use the grant award in any way you see fit, whether it is applied directly toward a new project, materials, rent, travel, a car payment, etc. We do not require receipts or progress reports after you receive your grant award.

I am having trouble with the form, after I press "Continue" or "Submit" nothing seems to happen. What else can I do?
Here are a few things we suggest trying:
- Copy and paste your work captions into a notepad or text editor

- Turn off any add blockers temporarily, refresh the browser and retry
- Clear your browser cache, refresh the browser and retry
- Try the form in a different browser entirely (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
- After clicking the "Continue" or "Submit" button, wait 30-60 seconds to allow the process to complete. Sometimes technology is quite slow (for that we apologize!)
- If you continue experiencing difficulty after trying the steps above in all available web browsers we suggest:
1)  Disconnecting from your current internet/wifi and connecting to a different internet/wifi network all together
2) Applying from a different computer

What do you mean by 2,000 pixels on the longest side?
2,000 pixels is the minimum suggested length for the longest dimension of the image. For example, the longest dimension for a landscape/horizontal image is it's "width" and the longest dimension for a portrait/vertical image is it's "height". If your images are natively large and high res, we recommend setting your minimum size to be 2,000 pixels on the longest side.

I am having trouble saving my images at 2,000 pixels wide and keeping the file size under 2mb. Can you show me how?
You can achieve this by:
1: Open your image file
2: Image > Image Size
– Make sure your ratio constraint icon (to the left of the width/height fields) is highlighted so your image doesn't get skewed
– Check "Resample: Automatic"
– Change your resolution to 72 dpi

– Set the longest dimension (either width or height) to at least 2,000+ pixels
– Click OK
3: File > Save As
– Save As: 01-nameofyourfile.jpg
– Format: JPEG
– Click SAVE
4: JPEG Options
– Quality: High
– Click OK


Are you currently accepting submissions?
Yes, the Spring 2021 Cycle deadline is June 10, 2021. Innovate Grant distributes awards each quarter, 4 times a year (Q1 Winter, Q2 Spring, Q3 Summer, and Q4 Fall. Join the mailing list to stay current with specific cycle deadlines.

When is the next deadline?
The Spring 2021 Cycle deadline is June 10, 2021. Sign up for our mailing list for news and updates.

What are the requirements associated with the grant award?
Innovate Grants are unrestricted. This means that you may use the grant award in any way you see fit, whether it is applied directly toward a new project, materials, rent, travel, a car payment, etc. We do not require receipts or progress reports after you receive your grant award.

I am having trouble with the form, after I press "Continue" or "Submit" nothing seems to happen. What else can I do?
Here are a few things we suggest trying:
- Copy and paste your work captions into a notepad or text editor

- Turn off any add blockers temporarily, refresh the browser and retry
- Clear your browser cache, refresh the browser and retry
- Try the form in a different browser entirely (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
- After clicking the "Continue" or "Submit" button, wait 30-60 seconds to allow the process to complete. Sometimes technology is quite slow (for that we apologize!)
- If you continue experiencing difficulty after trying the steps above in all available web browsers we suggest:
1)  Disconnecting from your current internet/wifi and connecting to a different internet/wifi network all together
2) Applying from a different computer

What do you mean by 2,000 pixels on the longest side?
2,000 pixels is the minimum suggested length for the longest dimension of the image. For example, the longest dimension for a landscape/horizontal image is it's "width" and the longest dimension for a portrait/vertical image is it's "height". If your images are natively large and high res, we recommend setting your minimum size to be 2,000 pixels on the longest side.

I am having trouble saving my images at 2,000 pixels wide and keeping the file size under 2mb. Can you show me how?
You can achieve this by:
1: Open your image file
2: Image > Image Size
– Make sure your ratio constraint icon (to the left of the width/height fields) is highlighted so your image doesn't get skewed
– Check "Resample: Automatic"
– Change your resolution to 72 dpi

– Set the longest dimension (either width or height) to at least 2,000+ pixels
– Click OK
3: File > Save As
– Save As: 01-nameofyourfile.jpg
– Format: JPEG
– Click SAVE
4: JPEG Options
– Quality: High
– Click OK

 

 

Contact

Contact

Sign up for our mailing list below to receive news and updates. For all other questions please use the contact form: