Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant — €11,000 for young figurative artists from any country
A grant for young artists that you can receive three times over a career — that is how the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation programme works, supporting figurative art since 1955. The first grant is CAD 17,000 (about €11,000), the second and third are CAD 20,000 each. The programme is open to citizens of any country aged 18 to 41, and applications are taken in four cycles a year — so there is almost always a convenient window to apply.
About the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation
The foundation was set up in 1955 in Montreal (Canada) by Charles Glass Greenshields, a lawyer and amateur artist, in memory of his mother Elizabeth. It is one of the few organisations in the world devoted specifically to figurative and representational art: while most foundations have drifted toward conceptual practice, this one has spent decades systematically supporting painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking done from life.
Over its history the foundation has awarded more than C$19 million in grants to over 1,600 artists worldwide, and its contribution to figurative art has been recognised, among others, by the Portrait Society of America. The line “an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant” in a biography is a recognised mark of quality in this niche.
Who can apply
The grant is open to citizens of every country — and you can study or work anywhere in the world. Your age at the first application must be 18 to 41 (before your 42nd birthday); former recipients may apply beyond that. It is aimed at students and emerging artists who are only building a career — not amateurs or established masters. You apply as an individual only, not as a collective or organisation.
The discipline matters too: the grant supports figurative and representational art in four disciplines — painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing — made by hand with traditional techniques. It does not fund photography, digital art and 3D printing, abstraction, installation, illustration, graphic design, video or decorative and applied arts. You may only submit work from the last two years.
What the grant covers
The money is given for future costs along one of two tracks: developing your practice (studio work, a new body of work, an exhibition, a residency you have already been accepted to) or study in an art programme you are enrolled in. It can go toward tuition, studio rent, materials, models’ fees, travel and living costs while you work; equipment that stays with you after the project (cameras, laptops, printing presses) cannot be covered.
You need to apply in advance — before your studies or project begin. A single artist can receive the grant up to three times in a lifetime: after the first (CAD 17,000), a second and third of CAD 20,000 each open up. You can reapply a year after your previous grant.
Why it’s worth your attention
Programmes that have systematically backed figurative painting and sculpture for decades are almost gone. Here it is the opposite: if you work from life, with portraiture, the figure and traditional techniques — this is your programme. Four cycles a year take the pressure off deadlines, and no entry fee and no geographic limits make the grant open to an artist from any country.
The caveats are honest: the focus is narrow — it will not suit photographers, digital artists, or those working in abstraction and installation. And it is meant for future costs, not reimbursement of money already spent, and it calls for a clear plan: applications are judged above all on the strength of the portfolio and how convincing the project is.
What you need to apply
First, a short questionnaire that checks you meet the criteria; without it you cannot open the application form. Then you fill in seven mandatory sections:
— personal details and professional history;
— a description of your grant request;
— an artist statement;
— an artistic proposal;
— a budget;
— a portfolio of 6 works and an installation view of one of them;
— one letter of recommendation (uploaded by your referee).
Applications are taken through the foundation’s online portal only — email or postal submissions are not accepted; materials must be in English or French (other languages need an official translation).
The deadline in the current cycle is 28 August 2026. The next cycle is open from 1 October to 27 November 2026.
