Organizer Information:

Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc. Initiated in 1985, Franklin Furnace’s mission is to present, preserve, interpret, educate, and advocate on behalf of avant-garde art. The FUND is supported by the Jerome Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the SHS Foundation.

Title & Description:

Applications are open for The Franklin Furnace FUND for Performance Art 2026-27.

The FUND annually awards grants to early-career artists selected by a changing peer panel review to enable them to produce major new performance art works. Franklin Furnace has no curator; the peer panel system allows artists from all over the world an equal shot at presenting their work. Performance art is understood here as artworks created through actions performed by the artist or participants (live or recorded), expanding the aesthetic or social experience, and often engaging directly with social reality and the politics of identity.

Category:

Performance Art & Avant-Garde Time-Based Art.

Eligibility:

  • Who: Early-career artists from all areas of the world. (An early-career artist is defined as having at least 2 years, but no more than 10 years, of experience generating new artistic works outside of a degree-granting program, and who has yet to be substantially celebrated).
  • Location: While artists from anywhere can apply, selected artists MUST present their funded work in New York City.
  • Student Status: Full-time students and those enrolled in degree-granting programs during the grant period are strictly ineligible.
  • Authorship: Applicants MUST actively generate new work and claim creative "authorship." Artists who merely interpret, perform, or design the work of others (e.g., actors, singers, musicians, set designers, screenwriters) without generating new work are ineligible.
  • Application Limit: Artists may apply once per year as an individual, and once per year as part of a collaboration.

Program Benefits & Awards:

  • Grant Amount: Grants range between $2,000 and $10,000 USD, based on the peer review panel's allocation.
  • XENO Prize Consideration: LGBTQ+-identifying early-career performance artists working in one of the 27 US states with restricted gender-affirming care can opt-in to be considered for the additional XENO Prize for Performance Art.

Application Requirements:

Applications may not exceed a total of 800 MB and must include:

  1. Proposal Narrative: Project Title, Short Proposal (max 100 words), and Full Description (max 350 words).
  2. Budget: Total project income, total project expenses (must match income), and the specific FUND request amount.
  3. Artist Information: Resume/CV (max 2 pages per artist, PDF only), Website URL, and up to 2 Press items.
  4. Work Samples: * Videos: 1 to 2 unedited, continuous videos (approx. 5 minutes each) of work from the past 3 years. (Do NOT submit edited promotional videos).
    • Images: 2 to 5 images (JPG/PNG). (Do NOT submit composite images).

How to Apply?

Submit your application online via the official Submittable portal.

Key Dates:

  • FUND Cycle Opens: January 1, 2026.
  • Online Information Session: February 4, 2026, from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST. (Highly encouraged; Zoom registration required).
  • Application Deadline: April 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.
  • Grant Period: Funded projects may begin as early as September 1, 2026, and must be completed by August 31, 2027.

Location:

New York City, New York, USA. (Global applicants welcome, but presentation must be in NYC).

Contact Information:

Email: proposals@franklinfurnace.org

Website: https://franklinfurnace.org/grants-and-funding/the-fund/