The Manhattan Arts Grants 2026 Applications are now Live!
Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 5 PM ET
Review the guidelines for eligibility and the instructions to apply.
LMCC welcomes Manhattan-based artists, collectives, and organizations across artistic disciplines, practices, and backgrounds to apply to the 2026 Manhattan Arts Grants. Only eligible applicants will be reviewed. Check our guidelines for eligibility requirements.
For more information about each grant program, including Program Guidelines, visit: Creative Engagement, Creative Learning, and UMEZ Arts Engagement.
Follow the steps below to apply.
Step 1. Determine which grant program(s) you are eligible for and would like to apply.
Eligible applicants may work in any artistic discipline for each of the following grant programs.
Creative Engagement
For arts events and programming in any Manhattan neighborhood.
Creative Learning
For community arts education and participatory art-making projects for older adults in any Manhattan neighborhood. Applicants must identify the venue for their proposed project in the application.
UMEZ Arts Engagement
For arts presentations and programming in Upper Manhattan. Proposed activity must occur anywhere within Upper Manhattan, defined as:
- North of 98th Street on the east side of Fifth Avenue
- North of 110th Street on the west side of Fifth Avenue
The recorded Information Session will be available mid-August. The recording will be in English with the option to caption in additional languages.
Step 2. Attend or Watch an Information Session
First-time applicants are required to attend an Information Session or watch a recorded session before applying.
All Information Sessions will cover the three grant programs. Virtual Information Sessions are offered in English and Spanish. Attendance and participation over the phone is also available. An in-person Information Session will be offered in Mandarin Chinese. ASL and captions will be provided in the English Information Session.
Schedule
Information Session in English—Virtual with ASL
Thursday, July 31, 2025
5:00–7:00 PM ET
Hosted in partnership with Community Word Project (CWP), Harlem Arts Alliance (HAA), Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA), NYC Arts in Education Roundtable (NYAIER), West Harlem Arts Alliance (WHAA)
Information Session in Spanish—Virtual
Esta sesión será presentada en español.
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
5:00–7:00 PM ET
Hosted in partnership with Afro Latin Jazz Alliance - Belongó, The Clemente Cultural Center, El Museo del Barrio, Loisaida
Information Session in Mandarin Chinese—In Person
點此報名
Thursday, August 14, 2025
3:00–4:30 PM ET
Chatham Square Library, 33 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Hosted in partnership with Asian American Arts Alliance (A4), Chinese American Arts Council – 美华艺术协会, and Think! Chinatown.
本次說明會全程以中文進行。
RSVP - not yet available
Recorded Information Session
The recorded Information Session will be available mid-August. The recording will be in English with the option to caption in additional languages.
Step 3. Complete your application and submit by the deadline.
For more information about each grant program, including Program Guidelines, visit Creative Engagement, Creative Learning, and UMEZ Arts Engagement.
Support and Questions
Be sure to read through our guidelines, attend or watch an Information Session, and review our FAQs. Once you’ve done these and if you have any further questions, you may register for additional support that LMCC offers to prepare your 2026 Manhattan Arts Grants application.
FAQs
After you have read the guidelines, review the FAQs if you have additional questions.
The resource opportunities below are not informational. They are for applicants who have already begun working on their application and are familiar with the guidelines.
Application Lab
Join your fellow applicants in person and work on your application at the same time. You may use this time to work independently on your 2026 Manhattan Arts Grant proposal and meet fellow applicants in your community. LMCC staff will be available on site to offer assistance, answer questions, and provide guidance.
Drop in anytime during the Application Lab. Be sure to bring your own laptop computer or printed materials you’ve already worked on.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
3:00–6:00 PM ET
Hosted in partnership with El Barrio’s Artspace
215 East 99th Street, New York, NY 10029
RSVP will be available after all Information Sessions have been completed.
Virtual Open Office Hours
Join your fellow applicants via Zoom with LMCC staff. Once you’ve registered, pop in any time during open office hours online to ask questions related to the proposal you’re developing. You can also come to hear other people’s questions and LMCC’s responses. Virtual Open Office Hours are an informal way to ask for advice and clarify questions you have beyond the guidelines and FAQs.
Registration for Virtual Open Office Hours will be available after all Information Sessions have been completed.
Schedule
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
3:00–5:00 PM ET
Thursday, September 4, 2025
11:00 AM–1:00 PM ET
Monday, September 8, 2025
5:00–7:00 PM ET
Questions? Contact us at CreativeEngagement@LMCC.net or at (212)-219-3071
Para comunicaciones en español, por favor contáctenos por correo electrónico a CreativeEngagement@LMCC.net o por teléfono al (212)-219-3071.
歡迎您以中文與我們聯繫！請寄發電子郵件至 CreativeEngagement@LMCC.net，或致電 (212) 219-3139