Monthly Roundup For October: Opportunities for Artists

Artist grants are vital to the sustainability of Miami’s thriving cultural community. (Digital collage by Jean Blackwell Font)

Each month, Artburst highlights grant and fellowship opportunities for artists in Miami-Dade County, across South Florida and beyond. We’ve included key eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and links to learn more. New opportunities and carryover ones from last month with fast approaching deadlines are listed first. The remainder listed are from previous roundups because applications are accepted on a rolling basis or deadlines have not yet passed.

Note that all applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline date.

Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational
Choirs of all sizes and backgrounds are eligible to submit a video performance for a chance to compete in the Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 7. Participating choirs will perform live before a panel of judges, with one choir selected as the winner of a $5,000 grand prize and the opportunity to perform with gospel greats during Gospel Fest Miami Saturday, June 19 and Sunday, June 20, 2027.

Click here for details. Deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2026.

Live Arts Miami Call for Artists
Open to South Florida-based artists to propose new works for Miami’s inaugural public space performance festival, taking place in Downtown Miami in spring 2027. Rooted in the season’s theme “The Art of Together,” the call invites artists to imagine how performance can transform the way people gather, move through and experience the city. Selected artists will receive development support, rehearsal and workshopping opportunities, production and marketing support, and project funding based on the scope and needs of the work.

Click here for details. Deadline is Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026.

City of Hialeah Pop Art Exhibition Call for Submissions
The City of Hialeah is seeking submissions for its Pop Art Exhibition. Artists age 21 and older may submit one work measuring between 18 × 24 inches and 36 × 48 inches. The theme is open, but works should evoke elements of Pop Art. Larger works will be evaluated accordingly.

Click here for details. Deadline is Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. 

Miami Film Festival – The Louies Submissions Open

Miami documentary filmmakers are invited to submit their local stories to The Louies competition where six Miami-based filmmakers will be chosen to bring local stories to the screen at a future Miami Film Festival. Selected filmmakers will also receive unlimited access to the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College. Prizes include one for feature-length documentary where the selected filmmaker will receive $50,000 to create a documentary of 50 minutes or more. Three filmmakers will receive $10,000 each to create a short film of eight to 12 minutes and two filmmakers will receive finishing funds of $10,000 each to complete a feature-length documentary in the post-production phase.

Click here for details. Deadline is Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.

Roy W. Dean Film Grant
The Roy W. Dean Film Grant, which supports independent films that the Oxnard, Calif., grant describes as works that are “distinctive and make a contribution to society,” has an open call for student filmmakers, independent producers, documentarians and independent production companies with new or in-progress film, digital or video projects. Projects of any length are eligible. Applicants must submit a cover letter, a proposal or synopsis, a marketing, distribution and social media plan, crew information, an estimated budget, and a link to a sample of previous work or a trailer for a project in progress.

Click here for details. Deadline is Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens Arts Residency and Commission
As part of Vizcaya’s effort to expand the contemporary arts program, the museum is   hosting an open call for its first dedicated artist residency and studio. One South Florida-based artist will receive a $12,500 stipend, production budget up to $25,000, exclusive use of the on-site studio from May through November 2027 and an exhibition of their work in the museum’s Main House from November 2027 through May 2028.

Click here for submission. Deadline is Monday, Nov. 2, 2026.

Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs

Introduction to Miami-Dade County Arts Grants Workshop Series
This virtual workshop is tailored to arts groups, individual artists, artist collectives, and nonprofit community organizations producing cultural arts projects. It provides an overview of the department’s funding programs and the opportunity to learn which grants are the best fit for each cultural arts project. An interactive Q&A session will follow the workshop presentation.

Click here to RSVP for the virtual workshop at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2026.

Community Grants Program
The Community Grants Program provides quarterly support to nonprofit organizations developing small- to medium-scale, community-based cultural programs, projects and events, including fairs, parades, neighborhood festivals, conferences and publications.

Workshop: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, click here to RSVP.

Courtesy Review Deadline: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026

Application Deadline: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026

Rauschenberg Emergency Grants – Financial Assistance for Artists
The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), in partnership with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, is offering emergency financial assistance to visual artists, digital/electronic artists, video/film artists and choreographers. The Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants provide up to $5,000 for unexpected medical, dental, and mental health expenses. To be eligible to apply, average adjusted gross income for the last two years of tax returns must be no greater than $80,000 ($160,000 for joint filers).

Click here for details. Deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026.

Miami Beach Youth Music Festival
Auditions are open for musicians 18 and younger for the Miami Beach Youth Music Festival. . The event is open to bands or individuals who perform live music of any genre — rock, jazz, Latin, electronic, folk, classical, funk or spoken word. At least one member of each band must be a resident of Miami-Dade County with the average age of the group being under 18 at the time of the Youth Music Festival on March 6, 2027. To apply, musicians 18 and under must complete an online form and submit audition links.

Click here for audition submission link. Deadline is Friday, Dec. 11, 2026.

Southern Artist Spotlight Grants
The Southern Artist pilot grant program provides grant opportunities to documentary filmmakers, musicians and dancers, fiction and poetry writers and all forms of visual arts. Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and require a dollar-for-dollar cash match. Maximum request is $8,000 for dance and $5,000 for all other disciplines. Projects must take place between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027, and applications must be submitted 60 days before the project start date.

Click here for details; applications are accepted throughout the year.

Arts in Rural Places Grants
Organizations in rural, isolated, or small communities are eligible for up to $3,000 in support for community engagement projects. Opportunities are open to the same groups and applications, and project windows are all the same as the Artist Spotlight Grants mentioned above.

Click here for details; applications are accepted throughout the year..

Professional Development for Arts Organizations
Arts organizations with operating budgets of $500,000 or more are eligible for up to $1,000 for professional development support. Open to artist ensembles, producing and presenting organizations, visual and performing arts centers, museums, film festivals, arts service organizations, community arts organizations, and art councils. Projects must take place between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027, and applications must be submitted 60 days before the project start date.

Click here for details; applications are accepted throughout the year.

Film Florida
Emerging filmmakers are invited to apply for the Film Florida’s Emerging Filmmakers Fund. Open to Film Florida members for free, non-members must pay a $50 fee. Awards of $1,000 to $2,000 in cash to filmmakers as well as mentorship with an industry professional throughout a project. Short and long formats and all genres are eligible, demonstrate advanced and innovative skills in filmmaking and support the organization’s mission of creating jobs in Florida’s film and entertainment production industry. Projects must be filmed entirely in Florida by a Florida crew with post-production done in Florida.

Click here for details, no deadline.

Additional Links

A listing of where to check periodically for available grants, workshops, resources, and application assistance.

Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs: https://miamidadearts.org/

Florida Division of Arts & Culture: dos.fl.gov/cultural/grants/grant-programs/specific-cultural-projects/

Knight Foundation: https://knightfoundation.org/

The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation: https://jmperezfamilyfoundation.org/grant-opportunities/

Film Miami https://www.filmiami.org/grants.asp

Green Space Miami: https://greenspacemiami.org/

AIRIE (Artists in Residence in Everglades): https://www.airie.org/

Funding Arts Network: https://fundingartsnetwork.org/home/grants/

Broward County Cultural Division: https://www.broward.org/Arts/Funding/Pages/artistsupport.aspx

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com