The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation supports individual artists in Oregon as a valuable investment in both the artists themselves and the communities enriched by their work.
Donor Name: James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation
State: Oregon
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes
Deadline: 07/02/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
This program is intended to sustain Oregon working artists who are entering or are at a midcareer stage: applicants should be 30 years or older and able to demonstrate at least seven years (not including schooling) of a sustained art practice in their chosen discipline(s), with likely future contributions to the field. This funding is intended to be catalytic—to support artists during a crucial phase of their creative development and help address a range of barriers that might get in the way of sustaining and advancing their practice beyond its current stage.
Focus Areas
Individual midcareer artists creating original work in the fields of media and literary arts:
- Media: animation, experimental, narrative, and documentary media;
- Literary: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels; and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes the media or literary arts as the primary form of expression.
Funding Information
Over the pilot’s three years, the Foundation will support 60 individual artists (20 artists per year) across artistic disciplines with grants of $25,000 each.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this grant program, applicants should be individual literary or media artists who meet the following criteria:
- Age: 30 years or older (as of 12/31/2025, no exceptions).
- Residency: a resident in the state of Oregon for the last five years (since 2020 or earlier) and at the time of application, and anticipate staying in residence in Oregon for the next year. This includes enrolled members of tribal communities situated in the state. A “resident of Oregon” is defined here as a person who would be required to file a resident Oregon income tax return.
- Practice: 7+ years of active artistic practice in their primary discipline (not including schooling). Miller Foundation defines “active artistic practice” as presenting their work to the public on a regular basis. This could be via readings, distribution, public screenings, exhibitions, residencies, talks, etc.
- Career stage: at a midcareer stage of their professional practice. “Midcareer” is defined here as an artist able to demonstrate a sustained artistic practice of 7+ years in their discipline, with likely future contributions to the field. This program is not focused on supporting artists who are in an emerging stage nor those who are in an advanced stage of their careers.
- Originality: ongoing practice involves creating new original work (rather than interpreting, translating, arranging, reviving, remounting or copying the work of others/ previously existing material).
- Not currently enrolled in a creative degree program (Associate, low residency, undergraduate or graduate)
- Not a former recipient of a Spark Award from the Miller Foundation.
- Not be a family member of an employee or board member of the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, or the Foundation’s namesakes (Family member is defined as a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child or sibling.)
- For Media Applicants:
- This award is intended for midcareer media artists, defined as artists who have presented multiple completed media projects over the last 7 years or more through screening and/or distribution on platforms or establishments with a competitive selection process. This includes one or more of the following:
- For Literary Applicants:
- This award is intended for midcareer literary artists, defined as writers who have published multiple completed works over the last 7 years or more in publications with a competitive selection and editorial process. This includes one or more of the following:
- A novel or novella, or
- At least five different short stories, excerpts from novels or memoirs, or creative essays (or any combination thereof) in two or more publications, or
- A volume of short fiction or a collection of short stories, or
- A volume of creative nonfiction, or
- A volume of poetry, or
- Twenty or more different poems or pages of poetry in two or more publications.
- This award is intended for midcareer literary artists, defined as writers who have published multiple completed works over the last 7 years or more in publications with a competitive selection and editorial process. This includes one or more of the following:
For more information, visit Miller Foundation.
