About this opportunity
Northern Nigeria has an audience, a memory and a set of artists who keep making work with very little behind them. The Open Arts Fund exists to put flexible money in front of that work, and it is now in its third year with 10 recipients supported so far. Each grant gives up to ₦500,000 in unrestricted funding for a new or existing project across visual arts, literature, photography, film, performance, craft, research or community led initiatives.
Unrestricted is the operative word. This is not a line item budget exercise. The fund supports artistic and literary practice, collective and community initiatives, and research, production and development, with a stated interest in work that expands professional development, widens access to the arts and creates opportunities for other artists in the region.
There are two doors, and you should pick the right one before you write. The Open Arts Fund open call is for individual artists and cultural practitioners, duos, creative collectives and arts organisations, and applicants must be based in Nigeria with work that meaningfully contributes to the creative ecosystem in Northern Nigeria or creates opportunities for talents connected to the region. The Open Arts Community Fund is exclusively for members of the Open Arts community, and it adds something the open call does not: the chance to create and host an event at Open Arts Space, plus access to the community and its wider network.
The application is short, which is a gift and a test. Two pages as a single PDF, covering your project description, what you hope to achieve, your timeline and your budget, plus your membership code on the community route. Email it to info@openartsworld.org with the subject line Open Arts Fund, or Open Arts Community Fund for the community route.
One date, and it is close. Both routes shut on 10 November 2026 and the page states plainly that applications received after 10 November 2026 will not be considered. Funded projects must be completed within six months of receiving the grant, and because the fund attracts a large number of applications each year, Open Arts cannot give individual feedback.
What you receive
- Up to ₦500,000 in unrestricted funding, so the money follows your judgement rather than a line item list
- Support to develop and deliver a new or existing creative project
- For the community route, the opportunity to create and host an event at Open Arts Space
- Access to the Open Arts community and its wider creative network
- A place in a fund that has already supported 10 recipients and is entering its third year
Who can apply
- You are an individual artist or cultural practitioner, a duo, a creative collective, or an arts and cultural organisation, and for the open call you must be based in Nigeria
- Your proposed work meaningfully contributes to the creative ecosystem in Northern Nigeria, or creates opportunities for talents connected to the region
- Your discipline can be visual arts, literature, photography, film, performance, craft, research or a community led initiative
- You can complete the funded project within six months of receiving the grant
- If you apply through the Open Arts Community Fund instead, you must be a member of the Open Arts community and you include your membership code
Who should not apply
- Applicants outside Nigeria on the open call route
- Work with no meaningful contribution to, or connection with, the creative ecosystem in Northern Nigeria
- Projects that cannot be delivered within six months of receiving the grant
- Applications received after the 10 November 2026 deadline, since the page states they will not be considered
Documents to prepare
- A two page proposal, submitted as a single PDF
- A brief description of your project or initiative
- What you hope to achieve
- A project timeline
- Your Open Arts Community membership code, for the community fund route only
How to apply
- Decide which of the two grants fits you, reading both on the Open Arts call page, https://www.openartsworld.org/blog/open-arts-fund-call-for-applications-2026. The open call is for anyone based in Nigeria, the community fund is exclusively for Open Arts community members.
- Write a two page proposal covering your project description, what you hope to achieve, your timeline and your budget. Add your Open Arts Community membership code if you are using the community route.
- Save it as a single PDF.
- Email it to info@openartsworld.org with the subject line Open Arts Fund, or Open Arts Community Fund if you are applying through the community route.
- Send it before the deadline on 10 November 2026, since applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
- For enquiries before you submit, write to info@openartsworld.org or call +234 701 398 3981.
Selection process
- The Open Arts team reviews each proposal against the eligibility criteria and application guidelines for the relevant grant
- Preference is given to initiatives that expand professional development, widen access to the arts, support creative development and create opportunities for artists and communities
- Because the fund receives a large number of applications each year, Open Arts states it is unable to provide individual feedback to applicants
- Funded projects must be completed within six months of receiving the grant
Sources and verification
Related opportunities
- Pro Helvetia Residency in Switzerland 2027 for Artists and Cultural Practitioners from Africa and Other Regions
Pro Helvetia funds residencies of up to three months at a partner institution in Switzerland for artists and cultural practitioners who live in one of its liaison office regions, which covers West, Central, East and Southern Africa among other areas. Accommodation, travel and daily allowances are covered, and applications open on 1 January each year with a deadline of 1 March at 23:59 Central European Time.
Questions applicants ask
What is the difference between the two grants?
The Open Arts Fund open call is for artists, practitioners, collectives and organisations based in Nigeria whose work contributes to the creative ecosystem in Northern Nigeria. The Open Arts Community Fund is open exclusively to members of the Open Arts community, and it adds the chance to create and host an event at Open Arts Space.
Can we spend the grant on anything?
The funding is described as unrestricted, which means it can follow the real costs of your project, whether that is production, research, development or the work of bringing it to an audience.
Is there an application form?
No. You submit a two page proposal as a single PDF by email, with the right subject line for the route you chose.
How long do we have to finish the project?
Funded projects must be completed within six months of receiving the grant.
Will we get feedback if we are not selected?
No. The call page says Open Arts receives a large number of applications each year and is therefore unable to provide individual feedback to applicants.
Important disclaimer
Nextali researches and curates useful opportunities to make discovery easier. Before applying, verify every timeline, requirement, fee and application link on the official provider website. Do your own research into the organisation, its background and the authenticity of the offer. Nextali does not guarantee selection, funding or the conduct of third party providers.
