About This Opportunity

**Project & Presentation**

These $7,500 grants support ongoing or new projects that embrace unconventional or D.I.Y. values and will be presented publicly in the DC-area during the grant period. Project & Presentation grants are intended to directly support artists presenting work in spaces beyond commercial galleries, museums, or established non-profit art spaces.

**Research**

These $5,000 grants are for DC-area artists to further their practices through ideation, research, and experimentation. Grant funds compensate you for your intellectual labor, support payment for other artists and thinkers for their time and contributions, and other research-related expenses.

**Grant Period**: January – December 2026

Eligibility

Geographic Requirements

Washington, DC, US

Other Requirements

**Project & Presentation** * Applicants must live within the greater Washington area either in DC, Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Montgomery, or Prince George’s counties. * Applicants must be artists with a history of presenting their work in visual arts contexts/venues. * Projects must have a public presentation during the grant period. These public presentations can take a variety of forms, including but not limited to: in-person or virtual events, exhibitions, performances, publications, screenings, readings, installations, curated dinners, festivals, etc. * Projects must take place in DC or in the eligible surrounding counties (Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Montgomery, or Prince George’s counties), or take place virtually. * Grantees are responsible for organizing and managing their projects as well as finding sites and venues. * If you are applying as a collective, one person must serve as the Lead Applicant of the project and be responsible for the receipt, management, and distribution of the funds, handle all communications with WPA, and complete grant reporting. * This $7,500 grant can be used to pay for your time and that of your collaborators, production, space rental, material costs, etc. It can entirely fund a small-scale project or event, or contribute to the funding of a larger project with multiple sources of funding. * Grantees are required to submit a final report on outcomes and reflections at the end of the grant period. **Ineligible:** * Full-time undergraduate or graduate students * 501(c)(3) organizations and for-profit organizations (LLC, corporations, partnerships, etc.) **Research** * Applicants must live within the greater Washington area either in DC, Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Montgomery, or Prince George’s counties. * Applicants must be artists with a history of presenting their work in visual arts contexts/venues. * If you are applying as a collective, one person must serve as the Lead Applicant and be responsible for the receipt, management, and distribution of the funds, handle all communications with WPA, and be responsible for grant reporting. * A minimum of $3,500 of the grant should be set aside as compensation for the time you will spend on research and development. * The remaining $1,500 can be used to pay other artists and thinkers for their time and contributions, and support other research-related expenses (travel, book, or journal purchases, workshops and classes, photocopying from archives, subscriptions, etc.). * Grants can be used to support new or ongoing research. * WPA asks that grantees prepare a 15 minute public-facing presentation of their in-process research to be given in early fall 2026, more information will be provided upon award. **Ineligible:** * Full-time undergraduate or graduate student * 501(c)(3) organizations and for-profit organizations (LLC, corporations, partnerships, etc.)

Wherewithal Grants 2026

About This Opportunity

What You'll Get

Application Requirements

Eligibility

Geographic Requirements

Other Requirements

Wherewithal Grants

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