Learn about the 2025 Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment Grantees!

The Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment program will award grants of $1,000–$5,000 to individual craft artists to purchase artistic tools and equipment that support their ability to make object-based work. This program is open to individual craft artists, folk and traditional artists, and craftspeople in the United States and its Territories, with geographic eligibility rotating over the 2024–2026 funding cycle.

The Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) established the Investing in Artists grant portfolio in 2007 to enhance the working lives of and strengthen the creative support system for California artists working in all disciplines. From 2007–2011, and with the support of the James Irvine Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Investing in Artists awarded grants to individual artists across disciplines to acquire tools and equipment, produce new work, and develop plans for marketing and presenting creative work. In 2024, with the partnership of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, CCI revived Investing in Artists’ support of tools and equipment, with a new focus on the disciplines of both craft and folk, and traditional arts, and with expanded geographic eligibility across the U.S. and its Territories.

Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment will award funding through a competitive grant application process. Competitive applicants will present a clear request, demonstrate a sustained commitment to their craft discipline, and illustrate how funding will provide linchpin support, such as enabling the artist to meet demand, address safety requirements or other regulations, replace outdated or damaged equipment, or reach a higher standard of quality or craftsmanship. A total of $60,000 is available in the 2026 funding round. 

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for funding consideration, applicants must meet the following criteria: 

• Identify as an individual working craft artist¹. 
• Align with CCI’s definition of craft². 
• For the 2026 Round: Eligible applicants must reside full-time in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, or Virginia.
  • In 2024, funding was available to craftspeople residing full-time in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, as well as American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
  • In 2025, funding was available to craftspeople residing full-time in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. 
• Presented artistic work in a public context—including online/digital platforms—within the last three years (i.e., since 2023).
• Are 18 years or older at the time of the application deadline.

¹For the purposes of this program, eligible “working craft artists” are defined as adults who are self-taught or have received training in an artistic discipline or tradition such as through an apprenticeship, trade school, undergraduate or graduate program, spend ten or more hours a week on their artwork, self-define as professional artists, and attempt to derive income from work in which they use their expert artistic practices and skills. While serious artistic activity performed as a hobby or as part of volunteer community service may, in some cases, be considered technically eligible, successful applicants will have demonstrated a history of artistic accomplishment and a sustained commitment to deepening and expanding their artistic practice.

²CCI uses the definition of craft put forth by the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+), which describes craft as the creation of original objects by the skillful manipulation of materials. While objects may be created from traditional (clay, fiber, metal, wood, glass) or non-traditional materials (concrete, plastic, synthetic fibers, recycled materials) and be functional or nonfunctional, both types derive part of their meaning from their association with traditional functional forms such as chairs, vessels, garments, or implements and/or their association with cultural tradition. See the Guidelines and FAQs for additional information. 

The following applicants/requests are ineligible for funding consideration:

• Artist collectives, coops, or collaboratives;
• Nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organizations;
• Recipients of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Award in Craft, administered by United States Artists;
• Incomplete applications and those with inaccessible work samples or other required files; 
• Full-time or matriculating students;
• Applicants who submit more than one application;
• Requests to support training in or experimentation with a new medium;
• Requests for routine art materials or supplies;
• Requests for fixed costs (e.g., studio rent, equipment/tool insurance or ongoing maintenance, utilities);
• Requests to support capital improvements or repairs, purchases made before the award of the grant, consultant fees, personal compensation, or payment of debts, credit cards, loans, or other financial responsibilities; and
• Applicants who have a conflict of interest (family or financial relationships) with the boards, staff, and directors of CCI or the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation.

2026 TIMELINE

*In Year Three (2026) of Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment, we are welcoming applicants from 17 States that span three time zones. The table below displays the day, date, and time of the application deadline depending on your location. 

2025 APPLICATION MATERIALS

Note: Applicant materials for the 2026 round of the Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment program will be posted late April 2026. 

 Guidelines

 Application Preview      Application Preview

 Frequently Asked Questions

 Sample Project Budget Template

 Submittable Quick Tips

The 2026 application period opens May 19

QUESTIONS & SUPPORT

CCI staff are here to help! For questions about the grant guidelines or application, email us at grants@cciarts.org (include “IA: Tools & Equipment” in the subject line) or call 213.870.7129. You may also schedule a time to speak here. Deaf applicants and those with hearing loss can contact CCI using the California Relay Service. Our staff are trained in making and receiving these calls.

If you need technical assistance (e.g., password or upload issues), request support at https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/. Submittable’s business hours are 9 am–5 pm MT. They aim to respond within 24 business hours.  

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The Investing in Artist: Tools & Equipment grant program is made possible with support from: