rise & shine emerging artist grant

RISE & SHINE
Emerging Artist Grant

If you are an artist on the rise, the Gulfport Merchants Chamber would like to help you shine !

Purpose

The purpose of the Gulfport Merchants Chamber’s “Rise and Shine” Artist Grants is to support Gulfport’s and Pinellas County’s creative community and to promote Gulfport as an art destination. The grants include funding, marketing and advertising support, and exhibition space. To be eligible to apply for the grant, an applicant must be:

A current resident of Pinellas County.
Current residents of the City of Gulfport will be given preferential treatment during the approval process.
The applicant must be at least 18 years old.

Overview

Two grants will be issued with a value of $1,000 each. Requirements for the grant must be completed within a one-year period. The grant includes:

• $250 upon award. Exclusively for displays, materials and supplies, and other art-related expenses.
• 5 booth reservations at Gulfport Tuesday Market with social media marketing support. ($200 value)• Jury Exempt & Free booth for Gulfport Fine Arts Festival ($350 Value). Signage indicating Emerging Artist.
• Quarterly FREE ‘Business of Art’ consultations with professional artist mentor.
• Free 1 year GMC Artist Membership. (value $50)
• Solo Art Exhibition at Gulfport’s Welcome Center
• $150 after completing 7 events and the Post Grant Report

Important Dates

Applications Open: January 2, 2026
Deadline to Apply: March 31, 2026
Grant Recipient Announced: April 2026
Grant Period: May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027

Requirements

All grant monies are expected to go directly into the artist’s creating work and creating a professional display that can be used for future festivals and shows.

Artist must participate in at least one event per quarter.

Grant recipients will be required to complete a Post Grant Report, which provides an accounting of expenditures and outlines the experiences theartist has had throughout the length of the grant period ― as it relates totheir creative process and their time in Gulfport.

If an artist fails to complete the report or the 5 booth reservations in a one-year period, the final payment of $150 of the grant will be forfeited. Invoicesfor the initial $250 and final $150 are required.

Application Requirements

• Proof of Pinellas County residency and if applicable City of Gulfport
residency. Proof of residency includes valid Florida driver’s license, Florida I.D., Voter I.D. card or utility payment bill. Use .pdf or .jpg format to capture the image.
• Resume: No more than 2 pages. Include address, telephone, email and 3
art/professional references. Save in .pdf format.
• Artist Statement. What is your artistic vision and direction for the work you are presenting? Submit your file in a pdf format.
• Digital images of four (4) pieces of work (.jpg format) with a description of each image. Please include title, size, date and value of the work. Please name each file with your lastname_medium_number image (ie: Smith_painting_1.jpg)
• Statement of Purpose: Why do you want this grant? In your own words, describe your art and artistic process. Include why you think this grant will help you in your artistic career.
• Social Media Links – Instagram, Facebook and website links.
• Submissions – E-mail all documents in one e-mail with title “Rise & Shine Submission” to [email protected].

Selection Process

The members of the Gulfport Merchants Chamber Art Committee will review and make funding decisions on all submitted requests. Applications are typically reviewed as they are received, and artists will be notified of decisions via e-mail. All funding decisions are final.

rise & shine emerging artist grant