Funding Opportunities
View funding opportunities currently available to creatives in Illinois. Our list regularly includes opportunities from local, state, and national funders and agencies.
Deadline: Ongoing
Is a loan right for your creative business or nonprofit? Check out a recording of our April webinar with lenders and creatives talking you through the process of thinking through and applying for a loan.
Individual artists and arts educators, nonprofit organizations, and local government entities, such as park districts, libraries, and municipalities are eligible for up to $12,000 in funding.
Applications open: July 1. Open until funding is expended.
The National Endowment for the Humanities has issued a call for proposals for Celebrate America!, a new initiative to recognize the nation’s semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026. NEH will award 250 challenge grants of up to $25,000 each for projects that focus on the founding of the American nation, key historical figures, and milestones that reflect the exceptional achievements of the United States.
Deadline: Rolling; projects can start between August 1, 2025, and July 2, 2026.
Artists are invited to apply to create a permanent and original mural installation for the University of Illinois Chicago Innovation Center.
Deadline: September 26.
View the Request for Qualifications here.
The City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD)’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) provides capital development grants up to $250,000 for small business and cultural projects located along West, Southwest, and South Side commercial corridors. NOF grants are provided as reimbursement for up to 75% of eligible project expenses with a maximum grant of $250,000. Applicants may qualify for additional funding for Technical Assistance.
Next Quarterly Deadline: Friday, November 14
A special initiative of the Museums for America program, this grant program is designed to support small museums of all disciplines in project-based efforts to serve the public.
Deadline: November 14, 2025
Learn more here.
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Support this work
If you’re a funder interested in helping the Alliance provide funding navigation services to the creative sector, we’d love to talk! Reach out to our Senior Director of Development, Kaitlin Donnelly, at donnelly@artsalliance.org.