The Power Plant Grant program provides project grants for artists living in Indiana to make and share experimental, unusual, and risk-taking visual arts projects in public spaces around the state. The program is implemented by 501(c)(3) nonprofit Big Car Collaborative — the organization behind the Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis (CAMi) — and funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts’ Regional Regranting Program.
For the 2026 round, there will be five $12,000 cash grants available, for a total of $60,000 awarded. Artists and artist groups from all stages of their careers are eligible to apply. Artists may propose a project in a different visual art medium than the one they typically work in, as long as the project represents a meaningful new direction in their practice. Please note: The Power Plant Grant program recently expanded eligibility to artists living and working across the State of Indiana, rather than just the Indianapolis area.
Eligible projects may include visual art, performance, film screenings, video, new media, writing, public programming, social practice and interdisciplinary projects. Performing artists and writers are eligible to apply, but all work should include a compelling visual component, and performers/authors are encouraged to form collaborations with visual artists to achieve this end.
Power Plant Grants fund projects that:
• happen in unexpected places
• are visually engaging, and involve any media or practices, singly or combined
• challenge mainstream methods of thinking, making or presenting
• add energy and diversity to the arts in our state
• encourage the development of new kinds of audiences
The proposed work may address and provide creative growth for either of two audiences:
• Other state artists, in venues appropriate for the work
• The general public – defined as specific communities, large or small. These projects MUST happen in carefully chosen public venues – ones that are designed to introduce new and surprising experiences to this chosen audience in a compelling and meaningful way.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Eligible applicants are visual and or multidisciplinary artists who create original work in painting, drawing, sculpture, book art, ceramics, fiber, printmaking, digital and media works, film, video, photography, performance art, sound art, social practice and or hybrid or interdisciplinary practice of any or all of the above. Awarded artists should remain Indiana residents for the entire period of their award. Previous Power Plant Grant recipients are eligible to apply only if it has been a minimum of two years since the date of their award, and the project and grant requirements have been completed successfully. Please note: Proposed projects must originate with the artist/s applying and not outside entities like developers or community development corporations.
APPLICATION PROCESS & TIMELINE:
Applications open on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026 at 8 a.m. EST and close on Friday, Nov. 20, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Late applications will not be accepted. The grant period is from Jan. - Dec. 2027
Jurors will select 10 finalists from the pool of applicants to move on to a final project presentation on Friday, Dec. 11, 2026. Presentations will be virtual, and ALL applicants in a proposed project must be present to be eligible for a grant. Selected finalists will be provided with additional information.
The full 2026 program timeline — including infosession dates — can be found at PowerPlantGrant.org.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
• Key artist demographics and biography
• Social media links
• Project summary, timeline, and budget
• Work samples (minimum of 5)
• Public access and potential venue(s) (please note that funded projects cannot be hosted on any property owned or operated by Big Car Collaborative)
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum: 5, Maximum: 10
Audio | Minimum: 0, Maximum: 2
Video | Minimum: 0, Maximum: 2
Total Samples | Minimum: 5, Maximum: 14
Refer to PowerPlantGrant.org for guidelines, tips, FAQs, and past awarded projects. Please direct any additional questions to grants@powerplantgrant.org.
Para Hispanohablantes: Por favor, escribe a grants@powerplantgrant.org para ayudar a solicitar en español