The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA) has announced the recipients of its 2026 Grants to Artists, awarding a total of $1.08 million to 24 artists across various disciplines. Each artist will receive $45,000 in unrestricted funds to support their creative endeavors. Founded in 1963 by notable figures such as John Cage and Jasper Johns, the FCA aims to provide vital financial support to artists working in dance, music, performance art, poetry, and visual arts.
Established in 1993, the Grants to Artists program is designed to offer unrestricted assistance to practitioners. Each year, artists are chosen through a rigorous nomination and selection process. A panel, which includes FCA board members and guest panelists, evaluates submissions across five disciplines. This year’s awards include several named after influential artists associated with the FCA, such as the John Cage Award and the Merce Cunningham Award, which are presented biennially.
Jennie C. Jones, a member of the FCA board and a recipient of the 2016 Robert Rauschenberg Award, expressed enthusiasm for this year’s awardees. “We are thrilled to celebrate the twenty-four artists receiving the Grants to Artists Awards this year,” she stated. “Through these awards, artists actively encourage each other to experiment and help to create the conditions needed for artistic freedom.”
2026 Grant Recipients
The list of recipients reflects a diverse range of talent and backgrounds. In the category of dance, recipients include:
– Maggie Cloud, Brooklyn, NY (The Viola Farber Award)
– Benjamin Akio Kimitch, Brooklyn, NY
– jaamil olawale kosoko, Philadelphia, PA (The Robert Rauschenberg Award)
– Ogemdi Ude, Brooklyn, NY
– Anh Vo, Brooklyn, NY
In music and sound, the following artists received grants:
– Onyx Ashanti, Detroit, MI
– Olivia Block, Chicago, IL (The Alvin Lucier Award for Music)
– Maayan Tsadka, Haifa, Israel/Palestine
The performance art and theater category honored:
– Lukas Avendaño, Oaxaca, Mexico
– Paul Lazar, Brooklyn, NY (The John Cage Award)
In poetry, the awardees include:
– Brenda Coultas, New York, NY (The C.D. Wright Award for Poetry)
– Jennifer Elise Foerster, San Francisco, CA
– Edgar Garcia, Chicago, IL
– Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles, CA (The Cy Twombly Award for Poetry)
– Denise Newman, San Francisco, CA
– Timmy Straw, Brooklyn, NY
Visual arts recipients are:
– Teresa Baker, Livingston, MT (The Helen Frankenthaler Award for Painting)
– Nanette Carter, New York, NY
– Christopher Cozier, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (The Roy Lichtenstein Award)
– Kearra Amaya Gopee, Brooklyn, NY
– Janet Olivia Henry, Jamaica, NY (This award is supported by the FCA Friends)
– Nyeema Morgan, Chicago, IL
– Elle Pérez, New York, NY
– Shirley Tse, Lompoc, CA (The Dorothea Tanning Award)
The FCA’s support demonstrates a commitment to fostering creativity and innovation within the arts community. By providing substantial financial resources, the organization encourages artists to explore new avenues and develop their practices.
