Funding Areas
Grants Programs
The Foundation
Grants Portals
In 2026, eligible applicants are midcareer individual artists who are 30 years or older and have been full time Oregon residents for the last five years and at the time of application. They are able to demonstrate a dedicated visual arts practice for a minimum of 7 years (not including schooling and a growth in public engagement with their work over the course of their professional career, with likely future contributions to their discipline. Please review the full eligibility criteria, as well as a list of those who are ineligible to apply.
This is a three-year pilot program during which the Foundation expects to support 60 individual Oregon artists in total (20 per year) across artistic disciplines. Each year focuses on distinct discipline(s). In 2024, we supported artists in the performing arts; in 2025, literary artists and media artists; and in 2026, visual artists. (Read about the 2024 and 2025 Awardees).
The pilot phase of this program ends in 2026. We will have more information about the future of the program in early 2027. Sign up for our newsletter or check our website for updates.
A midcareer visual artist is defined here are being 30 years or older who has been a practicing artist with a dedicated visual arts practice for 7+ years (not including schooling) that extends beyond the studio. Their practice must involve creating new original visual arts work, rather than interpreting, translating, arranging, reviving, remounting or copying the work of others/ previously existing material, and able to demonstrate a track record of a growth in opportunities to present their work to public audiences for 7 years or longer. Examples of such progression could include several solo exhibitions at dedicated arts venues, inclusion in curated group surveys, or other demonstrations of your work developing regional or national reach, etc.
This program is not intended to support emerging artists (less than 7 years of professional practice outside of schooling) or artists in an advanced stage of their career. The Foundation defines "advanced" as a well-established artist who has experienced significant recognition and achievements over an extended period, i.e. major national awards, a retrospective, multiple solo museum exhibitions, etc.
Yes, artists must have turned 30 years or older by December 31, 2026, no exceptions.
We define a working artist as someone with an individual artistic practice that is current and ongoing, and regularly and actively shares their work with audiences. Participation in or completion of a creative or other degree program is not a prerequisite for applying to this program.
Applicants have an artistic practice that is current and ongoing, who regularly share their work with public audiences, reaching beyond their studio. This could be via curated exhibitions, competitive residencies, talks, readings, distribution, publications, public screenings, etc.
New original artistic work refers to a body of work that the artist conceived of from initial concept to actualization, rather than interpreting, translating, arranging, reviving, remounting or copying the work of others/ previously existing material.
At this time, this program is intended for individual artists rather than artistic teams. If you work within a collaborative, you must be able to represent your ongoing individual and unique contributions in your application narrative and work samples.
While we recognize that many works are created collaboratively, the Spark Award is an opportunity intended to support individual artists. Accordingly, your work samples should reflect your original, individual practice.
No. Applicants must be full time Oregon residents at the time of application and anticipate staying in residence for the next year.
Yes. Brief absences are acceptable as long as you maintained an Oregon residence during that time period (a "resident of Oregon" is a person who would be required to file a resident Oregon income tax return). We cannot make exceptions to the overall 5-year Oregon residency requirement.
Yes.
No. Applicants may not be currently enrolled in a creative degree program (Associate, low residency, undergraduate or graduate).
Applicants employed by an arts organization in an artistic capacity are only eligible if the majority of their individual artistic practice is independent from the work of the nonprofit organization by which they are employed. These grant funds are intended to support the work of individual artists rather than the work of arts organizations. We would like to ensure that organizations who are eligible to receive funding from the Miller Foundation to support their staff and operations are not potentially receiving duplicate support through this program (i.e. supporting the creation of a single work with Miller organizational support AND a Spark Award).
We welcome applications from midcareer visual artists and culture bearers creating original works of visual art and presenting in an exhibition/installation context for 7+ years in one or more of the following visual arts categories: Book arts, Collage, Ceramics, Drawing, Ecological Art, Fiber, Glass, Installation, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Social Practice, Sound Art, Video/Digital Art, and interdisciplinary practices where visual arts is an ongoing primary form of expression.
Ineligible categories: Architecture, commercial art (photography, illustration and other forms made-for-hire), curatorial practice, design (game/graphic/interior/industrial/furniture etc.), and work that is intended primarily for online viewing, a theatrical setting, or other non-exhibition/installation settings.
If your practice doesn't fall within the eligible or ineligible categories listed above, contact us at artists@millerfound.org to determine eligibility.
No. This funding does not need to be used in support of a specific project.
Yes. On April 22 at 4:30pm PST we will host a virtual info session. You can register on our website to receive the Zoom link. A recording and transcript of the session will be uploaded to our Spark webpage by April 24.
Email Yaelle Amir at artists@millerfound.org.
For technical support accessing our Grants Portal, you can email artiststech@millerfound.org. For assistance with your application or for other questions about the program, please contact Yaelle Amir at artists@millerfound.org.
Applications are due by 5pm PDT on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Late submissions cannot be accepted.
No, late submissions will not be accepted. For this reason, please begin filling out your application several days prior to the deadline.
No. Applications must be submitted through our Artists Grants Portal, available by visiting www.millerfound.org. Emailed applications cannot be accepted under any circumstance.
If you need assistance with our Grants Portal, email artiststech@millerfound.org
The Foundation recognizes that some applicants utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) while preparing their grant application materials.
As a supporter of individual artists, the Foundation values and uplifts the human experience in artmaking. As such, we encourage artists who apply for Miller funding to avoid relying heavily on AI tools to communicate their work and make sure that their individual voice and perspective is represented in their application materials. We value the original, creative, and innovative voices and visions of the individuals engaging with our programs.
In the 2026 Spark cycle for visual artists, we will not accept AI-generated or augmented visual or image work samples. The one exception to this restriction is work from artists whose continued practice explores and interrogates the uses of AI in meaningful and deliberate ways. In such cases, applicants must articulate the ways in which they employ AI in their work in the narrative of their application and the relevant work sample information field. Applicants who do not disclose their use of AI in the making of their work will be deemed ineligible in any stage of the review process or after awards have been made.
Applicants must be holders of the copyright and intellectual property of the submitted work samples.
Following a screening for eligibility, applications will be reviewed by a panel of regional and national visual arts professionals. The panel will recommend a final roster of awardees to the Miller Foundation Board of Directors.
Spark Award funds are flexible and are intended to support you as an artist. As such, the funding may be used to support any activities and expenses that sustain your practice, including - but not limited to - living costs such as rent, healthcare, childcare, and/or training, materials, equipment, research costs, etc.
There are two types of expenses that these funds cannot support:
1) Tuition toward a college degree program; and
2) Compensation for work an artist is doing as an employee of a nonprofit organization with an arts-based mission. [We would like to ensure that organizations who receive funding from the Miller Foundation to support their staff and operations are not receiving duplicate support through this program (i.e. supporting the creation of a single work with Miller organizational support AND a Spark Award).]
Yes, the IRS considers these award funds taxable income. Award recipients will be asked to fill out a W-9 upon acceptance of the award and will receive a 1099-MISC form at the end of the tax year. Awardees have the option to receive funding in a single payment, quarterly or 12 monthly payments.
Payments for this award must only be made to individuals or single member LLCs. They cannot be made out to fiscal sponsors or multi-member LLCs.
You should only apply if you anticipate remaining an Oregon resident for the next year or longer.
All applicants will receive notification via email by mid-November 2026, regardless of the outcome. Updates will also be posted in the Grants Portal.
If selected for an award, you will be asked to complete a grant agreement and W-9 shortly after you accept the award. Once completed, the Foundation will issue payment(s) within a month. Recipients can receive the award in a single payment or in multiple payments. Award funds are taxable income.
Yes. If you applied for the award in the most recent cycle and it has been less than 6 months since you were notified of the outcome of your application, you are invited to reach out to Yaelle Amir at artists@millerfound.org to receive feedback on your application. Due to the limited capacity of our team, we are only able to accommodate requests made within this time range.
No. The Spark Award is a one-time grant. Spark Awardees are not eligible to re-apply.
