About
Appalachian Visionary Artist Fund
The Appalachian Visionary Artist Fund
The Appalachian Visionary Artist Fund is a Regional Regranting Program of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts administered by The Waymakers Collective. The Appalachian Visionary Artist Fund seeks to support visual artists and artist collectives in creating independent, non-traditional, collaborative, public-facing innovative and experimental projects that contribute to the rich dialogue within contemporary visual art scenes throughout the Central Appalachian Region. The Appalachian Visionary Artist Fund is meant to fund artistic activity outside of the studio, encourage collaboration, and foster new connections among artists in Central Appalachia. This will contribute to dynamic new exchanges in the region’s artistic community, build relationships, and allow for greater community conversations. Funded activities may include, but not limited to, a new exhibition or exhibition series, the ongoing work of an independent art space or collective, a public art project, a one-time event or performance, publications directly related to the visual arts, an online project, an artist residency, a series of performances or screenings and more. The project should be something special or new that wouldn’t happen without this grant. This grant is to engage future Appalachian visions and innovations.
The fund annually disburses twelve [12] grants totaling $60,000 to Central Appalachian artists in support of project expenses. Grantees will be selected by a three-person jury panel composed of internationally recognized artists, collectors, curators, administrators, gallerists, educators, and/ or arts professionals.
The service area includes the Central Appalachian regions of Kentucky, Virginia, and the entire state of West Virginia. The work of the project must take place in Central Appalachia. We will be using the ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) map to help prospective applicants understand the eligible region.
Kentucky
54 counties: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe
Virginia
25 counties: Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe. The following independent cities in Virginia are also within the Appalachian Region and are merged with an adjacent or surrounding county for the purposes of data analysis and grant management: Bristol (Washington County), Buena Vista (Rockbridge County), Covington (Alleghany County), Galax (Carroll County), Lexington (Rockbridge County), Martinsville (Henry County), Norton (Wise County), and Radford (Montgomery County)
West Virginia
55 counties: Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Braxton, Brooke, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt, Wood, and Wyoming
The Waymakers Collective
The Waymakers Collective is a radical grantmaker dedicated to supporting community arts and organizations and expanding access in the heart of Appalachia. Founded in 2020, they are a community-driven funding initiative dedicated to empowering artistic and cultural leadership. The Waymakers invest in artists, cultural organizations, and creative initiatives that bring new perspectives, strengthen regional identity, and expand access to resources. Their vision, embodied in Appalachian Futurism, champions creative collaboration, cultural resilience, and long-term investment in the arts. By eliminating traditional barriers to funding, the Waymakers Collective is committed to redefining philanthropic engagement to ensure that the creative voices shaping Appalachia's future have the support they need to thrive.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
In accordance with Andy Warhol’s will, the mission of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is the advancement of the visual arts. The Foundation manages an innovative and flexible grants program while also preserving Warhol’s legacy through creative and responsible licensing policies and extensive scholarly research for ongoing catalogue raisonné projects. To date, the foundation has given nearly $330 million in cash grants to over 1,000 arts organizations in 49 states and abroad and has donated 52,786 works of art to 322 institutions worldwide. The Regional Regranting Program was established in 2007 to recognize and support the movement of independently organized, public-facing, artist-centered activity that animates local and regional art scenes but that lies beyond the reach of traditional funding sources. The program is administered by non-profit visual art centers across the United States that work in partnership with the Foundation to fund artists’ experimental projects and collaborative undertakings. For more information, please visit https://warholfoundation.org
