-
Artists, writers, collectives and cultural organisations can receive up to ₦500,000 in grant funding.
-
Applicants can live anywhere in Nigeria, but their projects must benefit Northern Nigeria’s creative ecosystem.
-
Both new and existing projects are eligible, with funded work to be completed within six months.
-
Applications close November 10, 2026, and the official call lists no application fee.
October 23, (THEWILL) – Nigerian creatives can apply for ₦500,000 to develop new or existing projects connected to Northern Nigeria under the 2026 Open Arts Fund.
The grant is open to individual artists and cultural practitioners, duos, creative collectives, arts organisations and practitioners working across different disciplines.
Applicants must be based in Nigeria, but they do not have to live in Northern Nigeria. What Open Arts requires is that the proposed work meaningfully contributes to the region’s creative ecosystem or creates opportunities for talent connected to it.
What ₦500,000 Can Fund
Open Arts describes the award as unrestricted funding, giving successful applicants flexibility in how the money supports their approved projects.
Eligible activities include visual arts, literature, photography, film, performance, craft, research, production, community initiatives and professional-development projects.
Existing projects that need additional support can apply alongside entirely new ideas. Funded projects must be completed within six months of receiving the grant.
The fund is now in its third year and has previously supported 10 recipients.
Past projects listed by Open Arts include a mentorship and publishing programme for Northern Nigerian writers, a storytelling festival at Bayero University and a research project documenting the Northern Nigerian head tie known as dankwali.
How To Apply
Applicants need a two-page proposal containing:
- A brief description of the project or initiative
- What the project hopes to achieve
- A project timeline
- A budget
The proposal must be submitted as one PDF to [email protected] with “Open Arts Fund” as the email subject.
The deadline is November 10, 2026. Open Arts does not state a closing hour or time zone on the official call, so applicants would be safer submitting before the final day.
READ ALSO:
Do Not Confuse It With Community Fund
Open Arts is running two funding streams under the same 2026 call.
The broader Open Arts Fund described above does not require applicants to be members of the Open Arts Community.
A separate Open Arts Community Fund also offers up to ₦500,000 but is restricted to community members and requires a membership code with the application.
For creatives outside Northern Nigeria, the main eligibility test is therefore not where they live, but what their proposed project will contribute to artists, writers or creative communities connected to the region.
Joy Onuorah is a business journalist and brand communications specialist covering financial markets, artificial intelligence, digital economy, and the ideas reshaping business across Africa and the global market. Beyond her reporting for TheWill, Joy uses brand strategy, storytelling, copywriting, and high-value SEO to help brands build lasting market authority.
