EMPOWERMENT MICROGRANT PROGRAM
QUEER CREATIVES FUND
EMPOWERING QUEER & TRANS CREATIVES
QLN’s Empowerment Microgrant Program offers direct-aid style financial support to queer and trans creatives facing economic obstacles and hardship. Through our Queer Creatives Fund, individuals can apply for funding to support their creative passion of choice — photography supplies, the costs of a first zine run, self-publishing expenses, art supplies & more.
Our work changes lives. By easing financial burdens for queer & trans creatives, we help our community move toward greater security, independence, and empowerment. When queer and trans people achieve financial liberation, our community can thrive.
QUEER CREATIVES FUND
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The Fund
Our Queer Creatives Fund offers direct financial support to fuel queer & trans folks in their creative passions. Four times per year, queer and trans creatives can apply for funding to support their work.
We’re not the experts here — creatives are. For that reason, we’re removing a lot of the guardrails. We encourage you to convince us why your creative project, passion, or supply needs should be funded, and how your microgrant will be used to put more queer art into the community.
We’re here to have the backs of queer and trans creatives. You shouldn’t have to choose between paying rent and creating art, and while this won’t solve all the obstacles you face, we hope it lets you breathe a little easier.
Long live queer art. ♥
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The Guidelines
→ Applicants must reside in the United States or its territories. Funding rounds may be limited to specific regions based on available grant funding.
→ Finalists may be required to meet with a QLN’s staff member in person before grant disbursement.
→ Only new needs or projects will be considered.
→ Applicants must identify as LGBTQIA2+.
→ The use of AI is prohibited.
→ No racism or hate will be tolerated.
→ QLN believes in trans rights, reproductive rights, & a free Palestine. Please do not participate if you do not align with these values.
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The Process
The Queer Creatives Fund will four microgrant cycles per calendar year:
January—March | April—June | July—September | October—December
Timeline:
→ Applications will open one month before the next grant term begins.
→ Applications will be reviewed by QLN’s Executive Director and Board of Directors within 5 days of the application window’s closure.
→ Non-awarded applicants will be notified by the end of the first week of the grant period and encouraged to reapply in the next grant cycle.
→ Grantees will be notified and disbursements will be made by the end of the first week of the grant period (e.g., January grant start = January 7 disbursement).
→ Grantees will be required to meet with QLN’s Executive Director twice per month during their grant term (6 meetings) for status reports.
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The Application
Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received and scored on a rubric by QLN’s Executive Director and Board of Directors.
Applicants will have the opportunity to pitch a creative project, concept, or need at four funding levels — allowing QLN to empower greater and more diverse cohorts of creatives.
Funding Levels:
→ Accessibility ($150) | Removes barriers and keeps tools, spaces, and opportunities accessible.
→ Micro-Project ($250) | Helps turn an idea into a finished, physical product (zines, exhibits, etc.)
→ Creative Community Events ($500) | Brings the community together through queer artist-led events.
→ Public Art & Cultural Infrastructure ($1000) | Shapes the public landscape with visible, lasting queer art.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Applications will be reviewed by QLN’s Executive Director and Board of Directors within 5 days of the application window’s closure.
Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received and narrowed down by the following criteria on a scale of 1—5:
Grant Tier Alignment & Feasibility
→ Is the proposal realistic for the amount requested? Does the applicant have a clear idea of where the money goes, and can they complete their proposed project or expense within the grant term?
Community Impact & Connection
→ Does this project engage, support, represent, or bring joy to the local queer community? **For $150 and $250 tiers, this can mean personal/professional growth or representation, but $500 and $1000 tiers should involve direct public participation or access.
Identity & Equity
→ Has the applicant considered how to make their project, workshop, or artwork accessible, welcoming, and representative of a diverse queer community? Does this individual artist represent a historically excluded demographic within the queer community?
Impact on Artist’s Career
→ Will this funding make a tangible difference right now? Does it remove a major barrier, unlock a new skill, or help the artist take a step forward in their creative journey/career?
Clarity of Creative Vision
→ Is the artist’s core idea, voice, and excitement clearly communicated?
[1=Poor/Unclear; 2=Fair/Weak; 3=Good; 4=Very Good/Strong; 5=Exceptional]
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→ Project Pitch (what are you creating, building, or learning & how does it advance your creative journey?)
→ Proof of Work/Portfolio (images, files, portfolio samples)
→ Itemized Budget (basic list breakdown showing how the requested funds would be used)
→ Demographics Survey (required - helps us secure more grant funding!)
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You’re the expert in what your creative needs are. This list is not exhaustive, but here are some funding examples:
Accessibility ($150 Funding Level)
→ Software & Digital Tools: Covers a few months of Adobe Creative Cloud or annual subscriptions for lighter creative tools, domain hosting, or portfolio sites
→ Studio Time & Supplies: Pays rental costs for rehearsal rooms, recording studios, ceramics kilns, and camera supplies, or supply costs for respirators, safety goggles, and ventilation filters for painters & welders
→ Application & Entry Fees: Covers submission for juried gallery shows, film festivals, or artist residency applications
→ Admin & Business Expenses: Offsets costs for state LLC filing fees, a few months of a PO Box for queer & trans artists’ safety, or portfolio printing
Micro-Project ($250 Funding Level)
→ Print Runs & Publications: Covers printing, binding, and distribution for 50-75 copies of a zine, poetry chapbook, or community guide
→ Exhibition Preparation: Pays for archival printing, custom matting, and framing for 3-5 pieces for an upcoming gallery show or exhibition
→ Affirming Community Photo Sessions: Covers studio & lighting rentals for a photographer to offer free, gender-affirming headshots for trans community members
→ Skill Workshops: Funds supplies and venue space for free community workshops (e.g., linocut printing, cocktail making, crocheting) for a small group
Creative Community Events ($500 Funding Level)
→ Community Art Classes: Pays for venue rental, materials, resources, and an instructor fee for pottery workshops, paint & sips, or other creative skill and community building events
→ Pop-up Exhibits: Covers promotional flyers, lighting, refreshments, and production costs for a multi-artist weekend exhibit
→ Film Screenings: Covers public screening rights/licenses, AV equipment rentals (projector/screen/speakers), and production costs for indie short film nights & filmmaker Q&As
→ Education & Skill-Building: Offsets tuition for multi-week graphic design, culinary, photography, or other skill-based creative courses
Public Art & Cultural Infrastructure ($1000 Funding Level)
→ Public Murals & Installations: Covers materials, weatherproofing, equipment rentals, city permits, and artist fees for exterior storefront murals, public sculptures, or pop-up outdoor installations
→ Community Art Books & Zine Collections: Funds the professional printing and distribution for a multi-artist book or anthology, ensuring local creatives are published and compensated
→ Queer Oral History & Documentary Projects: Covers travel, recording equipment, transcription services, and editing for a completed documentary series (via film, recording, or writing) capturing local LGBTQIA2+ elders or community histories
→ Film & Animation Projects: Funds final production or animation costs for a short film, paired with hosting a free public screening and Q&A for the local community
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No. If you have any questions that aren’t answered here, please feel free to get in touch by emailing contact@queerliberationnetwork.org or via Instagram DM.
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Each grant cycle cohort of the Queer Creatives Fund features approximately sixteen (16) grantees, with an emphasis on empowering those in the LGBTQIA2+ facing the greatest obstacles: transgender and gender nonconforming, non-white, disabled, and immigrants and first-gen queer and trans folks, among other marginalized identities.
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All grantees of the Queer Creatives Fund will be required to meet with QLN’s Executive Director twice per month during their grant term (6 meetings). These meetings will primarily serve as status reports on the efficacy of funding on the creative’s journey, updates on funded projects, and QLN-facilitated connections to improve creative project results and networking opportunities for funded creatives.
By the end of each microgrant cycle, Queer Creatives Fund grantees will have a completed, funded creative project OR proof of grant use, including, but not limited to:
→ First print of a zine, self-published book, or other visual or literary product
→ Completed gallery show, mural, or exhibit
→ Photography equipment, clips from studio time, graphic design software receipts and work samples
→ Receipt of payment toward bartending classes, culinary school tuition, or other creative trade skill training
→ Practical tools to navigate opportunities, networks, and resources within their discipline
→ A certificate of completion as a QLN Queer Creatives Fund Recipient
→ Opportunities to platform creative work through QLN’s events and network
Queer Liberation Network grant recipients will be required to provide photos, receipts, and testimonials for QLN to display on our website, social media, and in grant reports and applications to funders.