Creating Futures Grant Program

The Creative Futures Grant is an initiative of the Black Artists & Designers Guild (BADG), funded by the Maxwell | Hanrahan Foundation. This grant provides two awards of $5,000 each to Black-identifying graduate students in craft disciplines enrolled in Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs at U.S.-based institutions. The purpose of this grant is to support creative projects that may not receive institutional backing, encouraging applicants to pursue ambitious ideas that reflect Black diasporic expression in craft. This funding opportunity is tailored to graduate students whose primary artistic practice falls within traditional and contemporary craft fields, such as fiber arts, ceramics, furniture and woodworking, metalworking and jewelry, glass, paper and book arts, and wearable or textile arts. Projects funded may include the creation of new work, work related to thesis exhibitions, permanent public art installations, bodies of work separate from coursework, or travel that supports project-based research. The grant is not intended to fund business operations or promotional activities. Applicants are required to submit a complete application that includes a detailed project description explaining the project’s long-term value, a budget, a CV, a portfolio of work, proof of enrollment, and two letters of recommendation. Submitted images should represent the applicant’s best work and demonstrate either a cohesive series or a strong cross-section of their practice. Applicants must specify a primary discipline in their submission, though multidisciplinary work within craft is also considered. To be eligible, applicants must identify as members of the global Black diaspora, be full-time MFA students at a U.S.-based institution, and have a U.S. bank account to receive taxable award payments. U.S. citizenship is not required. Former BADG grant recipients are not eligible to apply. The grant award will be disbursed in two $2,500 payments via ACH transfer, with the second payment contingent upon submission of a progress and impact report, due by February 15, 2026. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on September 22, 2025. Recipients of the Creative Futures Grant will be announced on or before October 28, 2025. This program is highly competitive and emphasizes innovative, historically grounded projects that amplify underrepresented voices in the global craft narrative. Applicants may direct questions to the grant program via email at grants@badguild.info. Status inquiries will not be answered via email.