2027 KRESGE ARTIST FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION CYCLE BEGINS

Artists residing in Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb county can apply for the $50,000 fellowships starting December 1, 2026. Updated application guidelines for the no strings attached award are available now.

“These fellowships prove that resources in the hands of independent artists who live, work, and build here strengthen our communities,” said Katie McGowan, director of Kresge Arts in Detroit. “Metro Detroit is unlike any other place in the country and protecting that character doesn’t happen by accident. It requires sustained creative work to cultivate regional identity and inspire civic imagination, and that is what unrestricted funding provides.”

In 2027, there will be 20 awards in total—10 Kresge Artist Fellowships at $50,000 each and 10 Gilda Awards at $5,000 each. Fellowships and Gilda Awards are divided between the two categories—Literary Arts and Visual Arts—based on the relative number of applications received in each category.

The $50,000 fellowships continue to include artist support and a commissioned short film highlighting the artist’s work.

Also on offer are 10 Gilda Awards of $5,000 each. These awards honor artist Gilda Snowden’s (1954–2014) legacy as a mentor and champion of emerging artists in metro Detroit. The Gilda Award recognizes early-career artists gaining momentum and demonstrating exceptional potential through creative risk-taking and boundary-pushing work.

“This award not only gave me financial capacity to pursue my writing more meaningfully but also the confidence to apply to other opportunities,” said 2025 Kresge Artist Fellow Beenish Ahmed.