What Is Artist Trust and Who Does It Serve?

Updated

Artist Trust is a Washington State nonprofit that supports individual artists across all disciplines through grants and professional development programs. It has invested more than $15 million in artists since 1986 and operates as a fundraising organization that relies on community support. If you are an individual artist based in Washington State, its grants, resources, and opportunities are built for you.

What Artist Trust does

The organization describes itself as being "here with artists," and its work centers on two main areas:

  • Grants — merit- and need-based funding for individual artists in Washington State. Artist Trust reports awarding more than $15 million total.
  • Professional development — application support that includes one-on-one consultations, how-to-apply webinars, study halls, and reference guides.

It also maintains a broader Resources section covering funding, healthcare, housing, and legal issues, plus articles, toolkits, and webinars.

Who it serves

The core eligibility signal on the site is location and discipline:

  • Individual artists — the funding and programs are directed at individuals, not organizations.
  • All disciplines — the site repeatedly refers to "artists of all disciplines."
  • Washington State — the site states that opportunities listed are eligible to Washington State artists, and grant funding is described as going to artists in Washington State.

If you are an artist outside Washington State, the grants and listed opportunities are not aimed at you based on the site's own framing.

How it is funded

Artist Trust is a fundraising organization that depends on community support to run its grant and professional development work. That matters for how you engage with it: donations and community backing are part of the model, not incidental to it.

What you can find on the site

Section What it offers
Grants Merit- and need-based funding plus application support
Opportunities Calls, grants, residencies, jobs, and other openings for Washington State artists
Resources Articles, how-tos, toolkits, and webinars on funding, healthcare, housing, and legal issues
Call for Art Current calls, such as the Artist Trust Benefit Art Auction call with a stated deadline of October 16
Featured Stories Announcements of award recipients and fellowships

The site also highlights specific programs and awards, including Grants for Artist Projects (GAP), the Marjorie Levy Fellowship, Twining Humber and SOLA Awards, and the Arts Innovator Award.

When to use Artist Trust

Turn to Artist Trust if you are an individual artist in Washington State and you want:

  • A grant for a specific project or based on need
  • Help strengthening a grant application
  • Leads on calls, residencies, and jobs open to Washington artists
  • Practical information on funding, healthcare, housing, or legal questions

If you are outside Washington State or applying as an organization rather than an individual, the site's stated focus does not match your situation.