Funding to Support Human Artists

Artist Ally is a monthly program that provides financial support and visibility to artists navigating today’s challenges. Grantees can receive up to $500 with additional donations from our charity streams helping to fund even more artists.

Our Mission

In a world that undervalues creative work, we created Artist Ally to give artists the breathing room they deserve.
Built by creatives for creatives, this project provides monthly grants and charity streams to help artists thrive and keep human art recognized and respected.

Get support

Grant for Artists

Each month, grantees - selected based on urgency, impact, and artistic skill - will be awarded up to $500. The grant can go toward materials, living expenses, or anything else that supports your ability to make art.
We encourage you to apply if this support could make a difference for your art journey.

Give Support

Become an Artist Ally

Your donation helps fund grants that give artists the breathing room to create.
100% of donations go straight to artists in need. No amount is too small.

Charity Stream

Join us on Twitch for our monthly charity streams to raise additional funds and support more artists in need!Streams are held near the end of each month, check our Instagram for schedule.

Stay in the Loop

Get monthly updates when applications open and charity streams go live.

Artist Showcase

Meet the talented artists that applied to Artist Ally! Each piece is linked to their website. If something catches your eye, consider supporting them directly.

What Brought Us Here

Momo and Dark met on DeviantArt as teens and stayed in touch throughout their different paths in life. Momo became a designer and reached financial stability after a decade of working, while Dark built a community and streaming career, creating a space where artists can grow and support each other.Now with AI threatening creative jobs more than ever, it felt like the right time to team up and do something. One brainstorming session later, Artist Ally was born. Momo provides the base funding and Dark raises additional support through charity streams. Together, they hope to help many artists to keep creating.

Dark

Dark is a freelance artist with a background in concept art. Obsessed with art as a teen, he applied for a scholarship for art school in Japan, which led to becoming a concept artist. Covid brought him to realise that life is less about work and more about one's personal dreams.

Momo

Momo is a creative director in gaming with a background in art, brand design, and UI/UX. She values slow living, human connection, and supporting artists in finding balance and creative growth.

Grant Details

No Strings Attached

Every month, we give at least one artist up to $500 with no expectations or obligations in return. These funds can be used for anything that helps you keep going, whether it’s paying rent, buying supplies, or finally starting a personal project.More artists may be funded each month through donations raised during Dark’s charity streams. Our goal is to offer support with trust and belief in your work, not conditions.Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions.

Apply for Artist Ally Grant

This program offers monthly grants of up to $500 to artists facing hardship. Grants are awarded based on urgency, impact, and artistic dedication. If you're still creating despite challenges, we encourage you to apply. We're here to help ease the pressure and amplify your art. Applicants must be 18+ and able to show active engagement with their art (e.g., social media, events, shop, or streams).

New Applicants

You’ll be asked to share your portfolio, a brief overview of your art journey, and how the funds would support your creative work. Artists of all skill levels are welcome. We’re here to support growth, not perfection.

Returning Applicants

If you’ve applied before, you're welcome to re-apply each month. Just give us a quick update on any changes since your last submission. We know things can shift quickly and we want to keep the door open for ongoing support.

FAQ

We've put together answers to the most common things artists and supporters want to know below. If your question is not answered, feel free to email us or message us on Instagram @artistally.fund.

General

What is Artist Ally?

Artist Ally is a monthly grant program that provides financial support and encouragement to artists facing challenges in today’s creative landscape.

How much is the grant?

Each month, one selected artist will receive $500. Additional artists will be supported through funds raised through donations.

How are grantees chosen?

Selections are based on the urgency of need, the potential impact of the support, and artistic skill, ensuring funds reach artists who will benefit most.

Application

How do I apply?

Visit the Apply page for most up to date links. You will be asked to provide a link to your portfolio and provide some information about your current situation and how you plan to use the money. We’ll review submissions based on urgency, impact, and artistic skill.

Who is eligible to apply?

Applicants must be 18 or older. We welcome artists at all skill levels who could benefit from support. You must also be able to prove your commitment and passion for art with proof of activity (social media presence, convention events, active shop, streaming, etc).

Does my portfolio need to be up to date?

We recommend that you update your portfolio (whether it is a social media website or your own). Show us that you are actively pursuing your career in art.

Is the application confidential?

Yes. We handle all applications respectfully and discreetly. Your personal information won’t be shared outside the selection team.

Can I apply more than once?

You may reapply in future cycles if your circumstances remain the same and you still need support. Visit the Apply page and go to the simplified update form for repeat applicants.

Will my art be shared?

If you are comfortable with the exposure, we will be showcasing artwork from your portfolios during the Charity Streams and in the Artist Showcase.

Grant

What can I use the grant for?

Funds can be used for anything that helps your creative journey such as art supplies, convention/merch costs, PC parts, living expenses, personal projects, commission work, or related needs.

When will grantees receive their money?

As applications will close on the last day of each month, grantees will be carefully selected at the beginning of the month. Please expect to wait up to 1 week.
If you are in dire need of funds sooner, please look into other means! There is no guarantee you will be selected, so please be understanding. As much as we would love to support everyone, we must be as fair as possible with our selection process.

Will I have to repay the grant?

No. This is not a loan but an investment in your creativity. We encourage a spirit of paying it forward in the future, but there is 0 obligation and no strings attached.

Donation

How do I become an Artist Ally?

Anyone who helps spread word of the programme or donates for the cause is by default an Artist Ally. You, who supports human art and artists worldwide!

When will the charity streams happen?

Charity streams happen during the final weekend of every month, announced in advance on Dark's Discord and the homepage. You may also sign up for email notifications. These events raise additional funds to support more artists.

How can I donate to support artists?

You can attend our Charity Streams and donate live, or donate directly to our Ko-fi page.

Grantee Stories

This space is for the artists we’ve supported to share their journey. These stories offer a glimpse into the real-life impact of Artist Ally and the power of showing up for one another.

July 2025

As an artist who's graduating from a course that wasn't focused on art, I found myself aspiring to and becoming more able to do more art-related things, whether it be making stories or making and selling fanmerch. I realized that I found my happiness there. I've been going through some tough times with unexpected bills and needing to pay for future cons. I was caught in the middle of a bad time mentally.

The grant has immensely helped me with being able to pay for cons at which I'll be selling my work, paying for an unexpected emergency situation, and helped me pay off this month's bills. It sounds so little but being chosen for the grant has helped me pull through this weird month. Thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️

I've personally been struggling financially over the past year and have recently fallen on hard times again due to housing issues, so this grant had lifted an unspeakable weight off my shoulders. It allowed me to continue to create art and do what I love the most in this world, despite all the hardships I constantly face, I wouldn't want to do anything else. I hope people keep supporting small art businesses like ours, because culture shouldn't only be for those who can afford it. Thank you to the creators of this fund and everyone who donates, I hope your pillows forever remain the perfect cool temperature forever🩵🌷🫶

August 2025

Hello everyone, I’m Milacchi an artist from Germany! I mostly draw in Manga like style and hope I can make a lot of people happy with my art >o<)/

First of all I want to thank this project so, so, so much for supporting artists in financial need!

I was so lucky to get funded and It really helped me out lots! Thanks to the money I could focus on my work as freelancer more since it payed half of my monthly living expenses. This way I had more budget to pay back different things like the dept I have which is one of the reasons for my financial struggles. Since taxes for last year also needs to get paid this month, the extra money was really just like a blessing.

A lot of people might not know how expensive it can be to work as a freelance artist, pre-paying con booths months in advance, ordering new merch while working on more new stuff or commissions. All of that can be a lot for our mental health as well, so not having to worry too much about money really helps us out. (Especially with AI trying to steal our jobs now as well).

I hope that more artist and also supporters will join this great project and that they all get the help they deserve in times like this.

It took me a long time to find the words, I still don't think I have fully articulated my gratitude but I want to express my biggest thank yous.These last five years I've been fully relying on a laptop that, whilst significantly better than an average Chromebook, was overall unremarkable to begin with on top of being put through the ringer throughout my university studies and projects. It began showing minor slowing down issue some couple of years ago, but this last year its functionality began to nose dive to the point of crashing with errors I had never seen before, having me lose tons of progress on work I was doing as a result, and hitting 90C* whilst idling. Before these issues I was already having trouble in my endeavours, like not being able to stream or art application crashing because the tasks were too resource intensive. Most recently though I began to stress about the risk of losing these last five years of work and important files entirely.I had already been saving for a new computer, but this help allowed me to buy myself a much nicer, more reliable build so much sooner than I could have ever hoped for, soon I won't be held back by my machines fits and short comings. It could not have come at a better time either, considering the latest slew of issues, including a disappearing GPU, I doubt this laptop would survive being my main work machine much longer.Beyond the material help, to know that there are people that believed in me and my work enough to think that I’m worth helping in this way fills me with determination to keep working on what I love. I will not squander this opportunity. I want to keep making things.

What's up fellow artists!
I'm Cheri, or Adam as some know me, and I've been a freelance artist for a majority of my life now.Through various ups and downs, art has always been my rock. The thing that keeps me going, the thing I wake up for every day. It truly is the thing that's kept me on this earth for so many years.
However, with the trying times we find ourselves in, it can sometimes be very discouraging to keep going.Artist Ally really put that spark back in my heart for the creative community. To not only see a group of amazing people enjoy art so much, but to also see them come together and help me reach a goal I had only DREAMED of for so long gives me so much hope.
Thanks to the astounding effort of this fundraiser, I have the opportunity to chase my dream of living and working in Japan as an artist and work towards creating my own published pieces one day!I really can not say 'thank you' enough to Artist Ally for giving me the jump start I needed!!
But I'll say it again anyway!
Thank you!

September 2025

First of all, thank you, Artist Ally. To every team member and donors/supporters of the program, THANK YOU!I was so shocked and surprised, my hands were shaking when I got the news, and it's still hard for me to believe that I got so lucky to get selected. Sometime ago, I was saving for a new monitor/tablet, and with this fund it's definitely a dream come true! But recently something had happened to my family, so I'm hoping the fund can somehow help out a bit. It's definitely a big help and relief for both my family and me. I wholeheartedly want to say THANK YOU, Artist Ally, again, and it will never be enough.May more artists get support from the program, and more love and support from clients and art lovers to help us grow, improve, and have more opportunities to create more amazing artworks!Again and again, thank you, thank YOU, THANK YOU!

For a long time, I felt alone in my struggles and I have always found it hard to ask for help. Especially as an artist struggling financially, I was afraid of losing my spark and having to give up my creative dreams. I was nervous while applying, to say the least, because it felt like a huge step. But I’m glad that I did it and that I was encouraged to.Receiving the grant lifted a huge weight off my shoulders that I didn’t know got that heavy. I couldn’t contain my tears when I finally felt that sense of relief I hadn’t known for a while. That’s why it was such a big deal to me to have experienced and witnessed the immense support and passion from other artists and art enjoyers. It inspired me even more to continue being a creative and pursuing what I love most.There’s so much I want to thank Artist Ally for that it feels near impossible to put all my positive feelings into words. Every bit of donation and support coming from people of all parts of the world is a huge reminder of the love that circulates in our lifetime. Thank you for the loving community that art has built for us. I believe with Artist Ally, we can help many more artists in their growth and improvement of both their art journeys and their lives.Thank you, Artist Ally, for the difference you have made and for the hearts you have touched. I hope this encourages more artists to keep going and to keep their spark shining bright!

New Applicant Form

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