Artist Fellowship Award

The Artist Fellowship Program (AFA) recognizes exceptional artists who have created a substantial body of work throughout their career by providing awards to support continued artistic growth.

At the time of application, individual applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Certify that they are:
  
  • A U.S. citizen or have been granted permanent resident alien status.
    
  • Currently and have been a legal resident of the state of Illinois for at least 12 months prior to the application deadline.
    
• Submit a copy of one of the following:
  
  • A valid Illinois driver’s license which includes the date issued and expiration date (entire front and back).
    
  • A valid State of Illinois identification card which includes the date issued and expiration date; (entire front and back).
    
• Apply utilizing a Salesforce account registered to the applicant.

Opens: September 23, 2024
Deadline: November 15, 2024

Who is eligible to apply?

At the time of application, individual applicants must:

• Meet Eligibility Requirements as described above.    
  
• Be an originating artist (i.e., the creator of original artwork) – some exceptions are made for applicants in the Ethnic & Folk Arts category.
• Submit no more than one application to the Artists Fellowship Program per fiscal year individually or collaboratively. 
• Apply utilizing a Salesforce account registered to the applicant 
• Submit all requested application materials. 
• Due to the high number of anticipated applications, the initial review of the application’s eligibility will be strictly enforced. 

Who is not eligible to apply? 

• Individuals enrolled in any degree or certificate granting program (including high school, bachelor, or masters-degree programs) at the time of application or during the award period. (Ph.D. candidates need to have completed their course work by the application deadline to be eligible.)
• Artists who received an Artist Fellowship Award in either of the previous two fiscal years.
• Organizations or schools. This award is for individuals only.

Can I apply to more than one category? 

No. Only one application per artist per fiscal year. Artists who submit an application as part of a collaborative team cannot submit a second application as an individual to any discipline category within the same fiscal year. 

Is the Artist Fellowship Award taxable?

Yes. The Internal Revenue Code provides that the full amount of the AFA is taxable to the recipient. 

Collaborative Applications

Any collaborative team of artists who have a history of working together may apply to the Artist Fellowship Award Program. Only one artist of the collaborative team may be the applicant and that individual should understand that they will be legally responsible for issues related to the grant, including all income taxes. The artistic team needs to indicate within the application supporting materials how their collaborative process works and demonstrate an ongoing record of collaborative work with the collaborating artists as named in the application. All collaborating artists must meet the “Eligibility” requirements listed above.

Work Sample Retention

Work samples of AFA award recipients will be retained or copied by the Illinois Arts Council Agency for its archives or submission to a public-use archive. By submitting work samples, applicants give permission to the IACA to use images and content in IACA produced publications and website.

Final Report

The Artist Fellowship Award does not require a Final Report.