The DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award, offered annually and administered by the Indy Arts Council and funded entirely by a legacy gift from the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, is an artist grant/award program to provide project funding for professional artists in Indiana that promotes, celebrates, recognizes, and rewards innovation. The aim of the program is to recognize contemporary visual artists and support original projects.
The DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award Program will honor up to five contemporary artists each year with grants of $10,000 for aspirational visual arts projects. Each project must demonstrate a need for the requested funds and be completed within the stated deadline. It is intended to allow a high-tolerance for risk and exploration and will provide support for an artist’s creative practice that will help them push their work in dynamic ways. Each awarded artist will submit a final report at the end of the process and must participate in a final public exhibition of their work. Recipients will be required to document the project with images and reflections regarding the impact of the project on their artistic development and how the project brought something new to the field of visual art.
Applications are typically accepted twice annually, and must be submitted via indyarts.grantplatform.com.
Round 1 Application Deadline: May 3, 2026
Round 2 Application Deadline: October 18, 2026
Be sure to understand the eligibility requirements and review criteria by reading the guidelines.
A video overview of the DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award and application tips can be found here.
Reach out to grants@indyarts.org with questions.