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The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation believes that the arts connect us to each other in powerful and surprising ways and help us make sense of our world. By celebrating the vital role artists play in enriching the lives of all Oregonians, we recognize that artists are essential to our state’s vitality.
For over two decades, the Foundation has funded the arts throughout Oregon, primarily through supporting the work of arts organizations.
We are now pleased to introduce our new Spark Award for Oregon Artists, a pilot program that will provide direct support to 60 artists across artistic disciplines who are at a midpoint of their career.
photo credit: 谢 昊
The 2024 deadline has passed. Sign up for our newsletter for updates on the 2025 timeline.
The Miller Foundation will grant $25,000 to each artist selected. Recipients can receive the award in a lump sum shortly after being selected or in multiple payments. Awardees will receive a 1099 MISC form.
Funds can address any barriers to sustaining and advancing your artistic practice, offering time to explore, reflect, connect, or create work at a particularly important moment in your creative development.
2024
Individual artists creating original work in the performing arts: dance, music, theater, and other performance practices, traditional and folk performance, Culture Bearers and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes the performing arts as one of the primary forms of expression
2025
Individual artists creating original work in the fields of literary art and media arts: narrative film, video, or new media, graphic novelists, traditional and folk literary and media arts, Culture Bearers and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes the literary or media arts as one of the primary forms of expression
2026
Individual artists creating original work in the visual arts: 2- and 3-dimensional, non-commercial photography, non-narrative digital video or film, traditional and folk visual arts, Culture Bearers and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes the visual arts as one of the primary forms of expression
The 2024 application deadline has passed.
Sign up for our newsletter for updates on the 2025 timeline.
Not sure if your work is a fit for this year's funding? Read our full guidelines (PDF) or (Plain Text PDF).
Eligible applicants will be individual artists who meet these basic criteria (more eligibility details below):
photo credit: Vijesh Datt
The Miller Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
photo credit: Sara Sjol. Artists: ERAS and Never Satisfied| Portland Street Art Alliance
Tell us who you are and share your background, influences, and journey as an artist.
Please tell us a bit about yourself, such as where you grew up, what led you to become an artist, or any other information that might not be included in other parts of your application.
[2,000 characters maximum including spaces]
Please share your journey as an artist. Tell us about your practice and how it has developed over time: you may include information about your influences, process, values, emphasis, main interests, and more. What are your current investigations or curiosities?
[ 3,500 characters maximum, including spaces]
Tips and Resources on preparing your bio and artist statement available HERE.
Explain how this funding would provide momentum for your creative practice and/or remove barriers at this particular stage of your career. Tell us about your engagement with Oregon audiences/communities.
How would this funding provide momentum for your creative development at this particular stage in your artistic career? How would this funding help address barriers or enhance your ability to sustain and advance your practice in the future?
[3,500 characters maximum, including spaces)
Reminder: This funding is intended to support you as an artist. As such, the funding may be used to support any activities and aspects that sustain your practice, including - but not limited to - living costs such as rent, healthcare, childcare, and/or trainings, materials, equipment, research costs, etc. This funding does not need to be used in support of a specific project. However, the application should describe how the funding can advance your creative development and artistic career.
Who do you see as a primary audience(s) for your work? How do you connect with audiences and communities through your artistic practice? Can you share an instance of engaging Oregon audiences/community in the recent past?
[3,500 characters maximum, including spaces)
Provide details of training, background and experience related to your current artistic practice.
Upload a CV in a single document. The document should provide details of any training and/or background and experience related to your current artistic practice. This could include, depending on your discipline(s), a history of recent performances, presentations, exhibitions, grants/awards, residencies, community work or other relevant activities. Do not include general employment history or other information unless it is pertinent to your artistic practice.
[Five pages maximum in PDF format]
Tips and Resources on preparing a CV HERE.
Share samples created in the last 7 years that you consider the best examples of your creative work.
[Minimum 3, maximum 5]
The work samples you submit are the most important part of your application.
Please note that panelists will be reviewing a high volume of applications:
Upload instructions:
Tips and Resources on preparing your work samples for application available HERE.
To be eligible for funding through this program in 2024, you will:
* These grant funds are intended to support the work of individual artists rather than the work of arts organizations. Arts organizations are eligible to receive operating support through other Miller grant programs. We would like to ensure that organizations who are eligible to receive funding from the Miller Foundation to support their staff and operations are not potentially receiving duplicate support through this program (i.e. supporting the creation of a single work with Miller organizational support AND a Spark Award).
Review panelists will consider the following criteria when reviewing applications in the performing arts:
Originality: Artist’s work demonstrates a distinctive vision and voice, communicates unique perspective/s (Materials: Artist statement, Work samples)
Skill: Artist demonstrates strong technical skills and craft in the execution of their work and shows an ongoing commitment to working in this form (Materials: Work samples)
Community: Application demonstrates sustained audience/community engagement with applicant’s artistic work (Materials: Resume/CV, Work samples)
Timing and Potential: Application provides compelling evidence that funding will have a significant impact on the artist’s creative development at this juncture in their career and will support their artistic potential. This could be by removing barriers to sustaining and advancing the artist’s practice or serving as a catalyst to a new stage of artistic development (Materials: Narrative questions, Resume/CV)
Please note: The application materials noted above are the most relevant to the evaluation of that particular criteria.
We’re here to help! Please contact Yaelle Amir at artists@millerfound.org with questions or to request assistance or accommodations.
We are offering access to 1:1 Spark support and will host an Open Support Session. Details here.
Our program guidelines, including a preview of the eligibility and application questions, are available for download here (PDF) (or Plain Text PDF). A list of Frequently Asked Questions is available for download here (PDF).
To get started, create an account in our Artist Grants Portal here.
The 2024 application deadline has passed. Awards will be announced by early 2025.
photo credit: Jasmin Schreiber
