Anonymous Was A Woman: $20,000 Funding for Women Artists’ Environmental Projects

Grant Overview

Empowering Women Artists to Create Impactful Environmental Art Projects with Substantial Funding

Donor: Anonymous Was A Woman with additional funding from individual donors

About: The Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants (AWAW EAG) program represents a significant opportunity for women-identifying artists who are passionate about environmental issues and seeking to make a tangible impact through their artistic practice. For the 2025 grant cycle, the program has more than doubled its annual funding to over $520,000, enabling more artists to receive support for their environmentally-focused creative projects.

This grant goes beyond simply funding art that highlights environmental problems – it specifically seeks to support artists who are actively engaging with environmental issues and working toward solutions. The program provides grants of up to $20,000 per recipient, creating meaningful financial support that allows artists to fully realize projects that might otherwise remain conceptual or underdeveloped due to funding constraints.

What sets this grant apart is its focus on supporting projects that have already begun development, rather than new concepts. This approach ensures that the funding goes to artists who have demonstrated commitment to their environmental art practice and have proven the viability of their concepts. The grant aims to help artists complete full projects or significant phases of larger ongoing works, providing the financial resources needed to bring these important creative visions to fruition.

The AWAW EAG program values projects that demonstrate thoughtful consideration of both ecological and social ethics. This dual focus acknowledges that environmental issues are inherently connected to social concerns, and that effective environmental art engages with both dimensions. Projects that explore relationships, interdependence, and systems through Indigenous and ancestral practices are particularly encouraged, recognizing the valuable perspectives these traditions offer on environmental stewardship.

A key requirement of the grant is that funded projects must include a public engagement component that is free to attend, ensuring that the environmental art reaches beyond gallery walls to engage directly with communities. This requirement reflects the program’s commitment to using art as a tool for education, awareness, and social change around environmental issues.

The grant’s evaluation process is thorough and competitive, with applications undergoing a three-round review by expert panelists who assess project clarity, feasibility, environmental impact, community engagement strategies, and artistic merit. This rigorous selection process ensures that funding goes to projects with the greatest potential for meaningful environmental impact and artistic excellence.

Navigating the grant application process can be challenging, especially for artists who may have limited experience with grant writing or project planning. At Grantaura, we offer specialized services to help artists develop compelling grant applications, including assistance with research, document preparation, project planning, and application submission. Our team has helped over 300 clients successfully secure funding, with an impressive track record reflected in our 4.9/5 rating from 180+ reviews. Partnering with Grantaura can significantly increase your chances of receiving this prestigious grant funding.

Focus: Regeneration, Eco-social engagement, Decarbonization as decolonization, Ecofeminism, Climate change, Climate collapse, Systems-restoration, Interspecies relationships, Natural systems, Built systems, Recycling, Repurposing, Clean energy production, Bioplastics

Region: United States, Tribal Nations, U.S. Territories, District of Columbia

Eligibility:
-Must identify as a woman and/or female, including trans women and people of variable gender identities who were designated female at birth
-Must be 18 years or older on or before the grant deadline (April 15, 2025)
-Must be an individual artist who is the project lead
–Collaborative projects are eligible and encouraged
–Partnerships with organizations are allowed, but organizations cannot apply directly
-Must have residence in one of the 50 states, a Tribal Nation, a U.S. Territory, or the District of Columbia
-Must not be enrolled in any degree-seeking program during the grant term (August 2025 to August 2026)
-Must not have received an AWAW EAG previously as the lead applicant
–Past recipients of other NYFA and AWAW grant programs remain eligible
-Must not be a NYFA or AWAW employee, member of the NYFA Board of Trustees or Artists’ Advisory Committee, or an immediate family member of any of the above
-Project must be an existing environmental art project already in development (new projects are not eligible)
-Project must include a public engagement component that is free to attend during the grant term

Benefits:
-Grants of up to $20,000 per recipient
-Total funding pool of over $520,000 for the 2025 cycle
-Professional recognition from a prestigious grant program
-Opportunity to complete an existing environmental art project or project phase
-Support for public engagement activities

Deadline: April 15, 2025

Terms:
-Anonymous Was A Woman: A foundation established to recognize women artists of extraordinary quality who have continued to create art for over 40 years, often without recognition
-Environmental Art: Art that addresses social and political issues related to the natural and urban environment
-Decarbonization as Decolonization: A concept linking the reduction of carbon emissions to the dismantling of colonial power structures and environmental injustice
-Ecofeminism: A philosophy and movement that combines ecological concerns with feminist perspectives
-Systems-Restoration: The process of repairing damaged ecological systems and returning them to health
-Public Engagement Component: An aspect of the project that directly involves the public and is free to attend
-Tribal Nation: A self-governing Indigenous political entity recognized by the federal government
-U.S. Territory: A partially self-governing piece of land under United States sovereignty (includes Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands)