New York, NY – There is a light at the end of the tunnel for 134 artists living and working in New York State. The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has just announced the recipients for its annual fellowship grants of $7,000 apiece to 134 artists recognized for excellence in their given disciplines. The grants total $917,000 and are intended for unrestricted use, meaning that they can be utilized for everything from art materials to rent – which is welcome news for recipients. Artists have been strongly impacted by the economic crisis. A recent survey conducted by NYFA suggested that almost half of the artists living in New York State make less than $25,000 per annum.

Read Press Release….

A new charity, United States Artists, will announce today an ambitious plan to provide support to working artists, starting with a grant program that will be one of the most generous in existence.

Fifty artists working in a wide variety of disciplines and at various career stages will receive $50,000 each, no strings attached. The first recipients will be announced on Dec. 4.

However, to be eligible for a grant you will need to be nominated.

“Each year, nominations are made by an anonymous group of arts leaders, critics, scholars, and artists chosen by USA. Nominators do not know one another. There identities shall remain secret.

Nominators are asked to submit names of artists they believe show an extraordinary commitment to their craft. Artists at any stage of career development may be nominated. To be considered for fellowships, artists must be 21 years of age or older and U.S. citizens or legal residents in any U.S. state. Artists must have the following:

• Expert artistic skills
• Received artistic education or training (formal or informal)
• Attempted to derive income from those skills
• Been actively engaged in creating artwork and presenting it to the public.”

For further information visit United States Artists.

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