The Native Arts + Cultures Foundation (NACF) is pleased to announce the 2026 LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists program.
Donor Name: Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/19/2026
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
NACF’s LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists program supports emerging Native artists through one-year awards to develop and realize new projects. These awards are a crucial investment in cultivating fresh voices and envisioning the future of the respective Native practices.
Now in its fifth iteration, LIFT builds upon extensive research and strategic planning to expand opportunities for early-career Native artists. The program encourages artists to uplift communities, advance positive social change, point courageously toward environmental sustainability, and foster communal meaning-making. Through their projects, LIFT artists address critical issues such as cultural sovereignty, environmental and social justice, healing and well-being, and systemic change.
Funding Information
$15,000, with at least $5,000 for the artist’s benefit and well-being.
Grant Period
August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the LIFT program, applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Be a U.S.-based resident.
- Be an enrolled member or citizen of a U.S. federally-recognized or state-recognized American Indian tribe or Alaska Native corporation, or of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Applicants will be asked to provide documentation of their enrollment or membership in an American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, or of their Native Hawaiian ancestry.
- Be an individual practicing artist working in Traditional Arts, Visual Arts (2D and 3D), Music, Literature (Fiction and Poetry), Performance (Dance/Choreography, Theater, Playwrighting), Film (Documentary, Animation, and Fiction), Interdisciplinary Arts, and Multidisciplinary Arts.
- Be emerging artists or early in their artistic careers. NACF defines “emerging” as follows:
- Experience: Artists with less than ten years of experience in their artistic career.
- Note: Changing artistic disciplines does not “restart” a career. Artistic practice is considered in aggregate. For example, an artist who has been a musician for 12 years but has recently started working in film is not considered emerging simply because they are working in a different discipline.
- Age: There is no age restriction. Early career may refer to an artist who is 18–30 years old or someone over 30 who began their arts career later in life.
- Funding History: Artists must not have received a singular award of $15,000 or more in their artistic career.
- Other Definitions: An artist may also be considered “emerging” if they have yet to develop a substantial body of work or have limited to no experience exhibiting or presenting their work to the public.
- Experience: Artists with less than ten years of experience in their artistic career.
- NOT BE enrolled in a university or higher education institution during the 12-month award period (August 1, 2026-July 31, 2027).
- Propose a new project centered on their own artistic creation that can be developed and presented publicly within one year of the award, or before July 31, 2026.
Program Service
- Professional Development: Awardees will participate in culturally grounded training in key areas that address both the practical and visionary needs of Native artists and are focused on the long-term sustainability of their creative practices. Workshop topics include intellectual property and legal rights, artist agency and curatorial collaboration, financial literacy and tax preparation, artist legacy and stewardship, conservation practices, and guidance on grant writing and residency applications.
- Mentorship: They encourage artists to select a mentor of their choice—such as an established artist, elder, teacher, or community leader—who can provide guidance and act as a sounding board periodically throughout the planning and implementation of their projects. While mentorship is an optional program component, artists should ensure their mentors are compensated appropriately by allocating a portion of their budget to provide a fair stipend for the mentor’s time and expertise.
- Evaluation: NACF will help define project deliverables, track progress, and complete internal and external grant reports. Awardees will participate in regular check-ins and provide project documentation, a mid-year report, and a final report detailing their project’s development and outcomes.
- Communications and Marketing Support: NACF will amplify the project’s visibility through social media, storytelling, and e-communications. Additionally, they will help document the project through photography and videography when possible and appropriate.
- Advocacy: NACF will assist awardees in presenting their work at relevant conferences and public events, to provide a platform for conversation around the impacts of their projects and Native voices to effect change around vital issues.
For more information, visit NACF.
