2026 Mental Health Grant Application ($500)
About This Grant:
The IndieSpace Mental Health Grant Program awards New York City-based indie performing artists $500 Grants to use toward therapy, medication, meditation classes, and any other mental health-related costs. It is our hope that by providing this financial resource, we can help remove barriers that prevent artists from seeking and receiving the care, support, and information they need to care for their mental health.
Who is Eligible?:
This application is open to any New York City-based indie performing artist in need of mental health funds, even if you have previously been awarded this grant. In order to be eligible, applicants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
1. Applicant must live within NYC's five boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island)
2. Applicant must be a theater, dance or multi disciplinary artist whose works is primarily presented by NYC-based indie performing arts companies or venues - theaters or performance venues with 99 seats or less
3. Applicant must be requesting funds to support a mental health need
Please note that funds will be prioritized to Global Majority (BIPOC), transgender/gender non-conforming/non-binary/Intersex/Two Spirit, disabled, d/Deaf, and immigrant artists AND applicants who HAVEN'T already received this grant before using a weighted lottery system.
After receiving a Mental Health Grant, applicants are asked to wait a period of 3 months before reapplying. This allows us to make space for others who are still waiting to receive support. Applicants will be able to receive the Mental Health Grant no more than twice in a calendar year. Once you have received it twice, any subsequent applications will be declined.
Application Process
To apply for funds, please complete the application below. This application should take you 10 minutes or less to complete. If you have any questions about the application or need assistance completing the application via phone, please reach out to the IndieSpace team at hello@indiespace.org.
Lottery Process
Each month, IndieSpace runs a digital lottery and awards at least $10,000 (20 grants).
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through 3:00 PM (ET) on the fourth Friday of each month. All eligible applications received by that deadline will be included in that month’s lottery, along with any applications rolling over from previous months.
On that Friday, all eligible applicants will receive an email with their assigned lottery number. This number will remain the same for the entire calendar year, even if you receive a grant and apply again later in the year.
The lottery drawing will take place on the following Monday using the Random Picker lottery tool. Screen recordings of each lottery will be made and are available to review by request.
If your number is not selected, your application will automatically roll over into the next month’s lottery. This process will continue each month until all eligible applicants have received a grant.
Reapplication
Anyone whose number was not pulled in that month's lottery will roll over into our next lottery. Applicants will receive a 1 point increase in their lottery weight for each month their application rolls over. This means that if your application has rolled over across multiple months, your chances of being selected will be higher than folks who have only rolled over one month. Our goal is to make sure that no one is left waiting indefinitely or going long periods without critical mental health needs being met.
You do not need to reapply to receive this benefit, your application will automatically remain active and carry forward each month until you are selected. To help us keep the process fair for all applicants, we ask that you maintain only ONE active application at a time.
The IndieSpace team is actively working to grow and expand this Mental Health Program. Our goal is to support every artist in need of this funding, and while it may take time, we are committed to continuing to raise and allocate resources to make that possible.
Payment Process
IndieSpace is excited to introduce a new, more streamlined approach to grant payments with even more options! To give recipients the most flexibility when choosing payment methods, we offer ACH payments, free PayPal payouts, or paper checks.
Once your lottery number is pulled for the grant, you'll receive an email containing a link to choose a payment method. To ensure speedy delivery, please verify that your contact email address is correct in your application, as this will be how you will receive payment instructions. Once you submit the payment form, you will be paid out in the manner you’ve indicated, on the timeline specified for each payment method in the form.
IndieSpace is constantly working to make the granting process as simple and quick as possible, and we hope that this new process will be helpful to you!
Please note that if you are an individual who has already received funding from us in 2026, you will be required to submit a W-9. If you need a blank copy of a W-9, you can download one here.