Status
Open
Third Wave Fund’s Artist-in-Residence Program
About
The Artist-in-Residence program at Third Wave Fund is an annual, paid, and virtual residency supporting an emerging visual artist in strengthening their practice of creating art for social change. The artist will support Third Wave Fund’s visibility and engagement as a by-and-for community funder, amplifying our vision of gender justice and liberation, and mobilizing our network of activist donors. In 2026, the artist will collaborate with Third Wave Fund on two digital illustrations and one short-form, animated reel to bolster our storytelling and fundraising efforts.
Why an artist residency at Third Wave Fund?
We believe art is one of the most accessible tools our movements have to move people from emotion to action.
As a by-and-for community funder, we push traditional philanthropy to follow our lead with responsive and flexible funding where it's most effective: at the grassroots. We also organize individual donors of all class backgrounds—because to build the just, free, and fabulous world we all deserve, we know it’s going to take all of us.
For this approach, it is integral to cultivate deep-rooted and collaborative relationships with values-aligned visual artists to ensure that our calls to action are clear, far-reaching, and irresistible!
Program Structure & Accessibility
The artist will receive a $10,000 stipend for a five-month residency that will run from July 13, 2026 through December 10, 2026. Third Wave Fund is a remote organization with staff located across the U.S. working from home. With this reality, we cannot offer dedicated studio space at this time. Meetings between TWF and the artist will take place virtually on Zoom. TWF will primarily engage in communication about art drafts with the artist through email. TWF has proudly operated on a 4-day work week since 2015, so all virtual meetings and email correspondences will only take place between Mondays and Thursdays.
Program Eligibility
To be eligible for consideration, the artist must:
- Be at least eighteen years old or older
- Be able to provide a valid SSN or EIN
- Be currently residing in the U.S. or U.S. Territories
- Be an emerging* visual artist with an active practice
- Not be enrolled as a student in any degree-granting art program
- Have skills in digital illustration and light animation (see ‘FAQ’ for more information)
- Participate in the entirety of the residency, including attending several virtual meetings (see ‘Key Dates’ for more information)
*An emerging artist is someone who is in the early stages of their art career, often with more than a few years of experience but no more than 10 years. We do not consider age (with the exception of 18+) as a factor in the stage of your art career.
Program Benefits
Artist will receive a monetary stipend of $10,000 for their time and labor, as well as:
- Mentorship and guidance from long-time movement artists
- Feedback sessions
- Experience and portfolio building
- Opportunities to be spotlit and collaborative on posts of your artwork across TWF’s social media platforms
To Apply
Fill out this form by Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 5pm CST.
Please note: We are unable to accept late submissions. Only completed applications will be considered. One artist will be selected. All notifications will go out by email in the first week of June.
Have questions or need support with the form? For questions that are not answered on this page or in the FAQ below, please email us at comms[at]thirdwavefund[dot]org. Please keep in mind that while we strive to respond as soon as possible, our response time could be at least three business days (Monday through Thursday).
Past Artists
Chi Nwosu, 2025 — Our Pilot Program!
Chi is a Black, nonbinary, queer Nigerian artist. Their art invites viewers to imagine collective liberation, envisioning communities rooted in kindness, compassion, and care. Their practice moves with spirit and the wisdom of feeling, shaped by kinship with the more-than-human world and by our living histories of international resistance.
Key Dates