Mother Artists Grant 2025

The Mother Artist Fund is a program of The Vision of the Arts Fund, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to funding, cultivating, promoting, and sustaining the arts and the development of artists in the Latter-Day Saint community. The purpose of this fund is to promote the development of artists who are mothers and to cultivate art in the LDS community by providing scholarships to mothers who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our hope is that this grant will help facilitate the creation of a body of artwork in order to launch or significantly boost the mother artist's career.



  APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS:

  1. Applicants must be mothers of a child or children under the age of 18.

  2. Applicants must be current members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

  3. Applicants must be visual artists. “Visual art” is defined as hand-made objects, including painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, installation, or other processes which are not strictly digital or electronic; excluding  photography, digital painting/drawing, video, sound, performance art,  temporary or ephemeral art. Work that combines the hand-made with the digital may be considered. If a question arises about whether or not a  particular artist’s work qualifies as “Visual Art” for the purposes of  this scholarship, the determination will be made by the Board of  Directors.

  4. Applicants should be highly interested in an art career and well educated in art making.  The purpose of this grant is to facilitate the creation of a body of work to launch or significantly boost the artist's career.  Applicants should have a desire and a plan to continue their art career beyond the expiration of the awarded grant.


  REQUIRED MATERIALS:

  1. A  personal statement of financial need, describing the challenges you face as an artist with young children, and describing how this grant can help.  The statement should include a plan outlining the dollar amount requested (not to exceed $5500) and how the funds will be used to further your art career.  Example 1:  I'm applying for a grant of $2600.  I will use $1600 for an in-house babysitter to give me time in the studio, ten hours a week for twenty weeks--I estimate this will be enough time to finish a professional body of artwork to show.  I will use the remaining $1000 to pay for frames.  Example 2: I'm applying for a grant of $1000.  $500 will be used to buy oil paints, canvases, brushes, and other supplies.  Another $500 will be used to promote my artwork by paying for website fees and art show invitations and postage.  (450 words or less).

  2. An artist statement outlining the body of work you intend to create, why the work is important to you, and how you intend to share it with the public.  Your work need not be overtly religious to qualify for this grant. (350 words or less).

  3. High-resolution  .jpg images of five (5) of your artistic works. A written description of each work, including the name of  the work, the medium/media used, and any characteristics of the work  that are not easily represented using the digital images. Each  description is limited to 100 words, for a total of 500 words or less.



  DEADLINE & TIMELINE:

Applications are due Monday, May 12th, 2025 at 11:59PM. A juror or jurors will review applications. We estimate awards will be announced around June 2nd, 2025 and then disbursed by August 30, 2025. A final review of the use of these funds should be submitted by July 3, 2025 by the recipient.



  FAQS:

  Q: For purposes of this scholarship, what does it mean to be a current Latter-Day Saint?

  A: It means you should self-identify as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and be on the church's records as a baptized member.  





  Q: If I was awarded a VOTAF scholarship or grant, when am I eligible to apply again?

  A: You may apply again after skipping two years. For example, if you were awarded a scholarship or grant in 2023, you should wait to apply again until 2026 Those who have been awarded two scholarships or grants or a combination of each are no longer eligible for additional awards, as these awards are meant to facilitate movement toward self-sustainability.





  Q: If I participated in the fundraising auction, is it appropriate for me to apply for a scholarship or grant?

  A: Yes, it is appropriate. We hope our scholarships and grants will make a difference--giving artists opportunities to grow that might otherwise be out of reach. We rely on you the applicant and on our jurors to judge based on need and merit. Refrain from applying if you feel winning a scholarship or grant wouldn't make a significant difference for your art education or career. Note also that auction artists are allowed to vote for which finalists receive a peer award. As an auction artist, if you apply for a scholarship or grant, you forfeit your opportunity to vote.