Foundation for Contemporary Arts Awards 24 Unrestricted Grants for 2026
The New York nonprofit founded by John Cage and Jasper Johns will distribute twenty-four $45,000 awards across visual art, performance, poetry, dance, and music.
The Foundation for Contemporary Arts has named twenty-four recipients in its 2026 Grants to Artists cycle, with each artist receiving $45,000 in unrestricted support. The awards span dance, music and sound, performance and theater, poetry, and visual art.
Founded in 1963 by John Cage and Jasper Johns, the FCA has positioned this program as direct infrastructure for working artists rather than project branding. The grants are selected through nominations and a panel process that includes FCA board members and discipline-specific guests.
In a funding climate dominated by project restrictions, unrestricted money is still the most useful grant an artist can receive.
This year's recipients include Teresa Baker, Nanette Carter, Christopher Cozier, Elle Pérez, and Shirley Tse in visual art, alongside awardees in poetry and performance whose work typically receives less institutional funding visibility than museum-facing practices.
As public and private arts funding tightens, unrestricted support remains rare and disproportionately influential. FCA's 2026 list is not only a roster of names, it is a snapshot of where artists are still finding room to experiment without immediate market pressure.