SPACE is excited to announce that we are now accepting 2026 Kindling Fund applications for project grants for Maine artists. The Submittable portal is open. Read on for details.
The Kindling Fund awards project grants ranging from $3,000 – $7,000 (with smaller Research and Development Grants) to Maine-based artists of all career levels, who organize projects that engage audiences and the visual arts in inventive and meaningful ways.
The Kindling Fund values and uplifts artistic collaboration (or collaboration with community in meaningful ways). Applicants seeking support at the $5,500-$7,000 range must have at least one stated core collaborator.
This is the 12th year of grantmaking for the Kindling Fund. The Kindling Fund is administered by SPACE Gallery as part of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts’ Regional Regranting Program.
In the context of this grant, the visual arts is defined as broadly as possible and includes: photography, video, non-traditional performance, ceramics, earth works, drawing, bookmaking, weaving, crafts, installations, painting, mail art, printmaking, basketry, sculpture, calligraphy, social engagement, participatory or community driven projects, glass, design, and the alternative spaces, artistic collectives, art writing, and artistic platforms that support that work.
If you are interested in proposing a project that is not listed and you think of it as a form of visual art, please email kindlingfund@space538.org. With a focus on risk and experimentation, successful projects value unconventional engagement, critical dialogue, collaboration, and create new models for presenting artists’ work.
The application portal is open as of September 16th at 12:00 pm on space538.submittable.com
This year’s deadline is Sunday, November 16th at 11:59 pm.
More info at the Kindling Fund website here.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
- Thursday, October 16th at 5:30pm at Center for Maine Contemporary Art – Artist Toolbox Opportunities Panel in Rockland, Maine | More info here
- Tuesday, October 21st at 5:30pm at Ogunquit Museum of American Art – In-person information session in Ogunquit, Maine | Registration available at OMAA (TBA)
- Friday, October 24th at 12pm – Virtual Information Session #1 and Q&A on Zoom | Register here
- Sunday, October 26th at 11:45am at Langlais Art Preserve – In-person information session in Cushing, Maine | Register here
- Monday, November 3rd at 5pm – Virtual Information Session #2 and Q&A on Zoom | Register here
Questions? Email kindlingfund@space538.org. Please submit any eligibility or specific application questions by Monday, November 10th at 10am to allow time for us to reply to all inquiries.