The Kresge Foundations Awarding Thousands to Artists

Metro Detroit artists have a new opportunity to secure one of the region’s most prestigious no-strings-attached awards. The 2026 Kresge Artist Fellowships will grant $50,000 each to 10 artists working in Live Arts or Film & Music, underscoring Kresge’s commitment to supporting creative talent in an evolving national landscape.

Artists living in Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb counties can apply online through January 15, 2026. Funded by The Kresge Foundation and administered by Kresge Arts in Detroit at the College for Creative Studies, the fellowships will be awarded alongside 10 Gilda Awards, with distribution across disciplines based on the number of applications in each category.

Eligible disciplines include Live Arts—choreography, comedy, dance, performance art, playwriting, storytelling, theatre directing, and interdisciplinary work—and Film & Music—animation, film directing, music composition and performance, screenwriting, sound art, and interdisciplinary work.

Key dates

Dec. 1, 2025: Online application opens

Jan. 15, 2026, by 11:59 PM: Application deadline. There are no exceptions to this deadline.

For detailed application guidelines, CLICK HERE.