50 to each receive $50,000: United States Artists announce 2026 Fellowships

United States Artists is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago, USA that raises money and redistributes it in the form of unrestricted awards to what it considers the country’s most compelling artists and cultural practitioners. Significantly, since its founding in 2005, USA has awarded over 1000 individuals with over $53 million of direct support.

USA’s work is made possible through the support of various philanthropic foundations and companies it partners with to conduct research, design programs, and administer funds in response to their mission and the needs of artists.

On January 14, United States Artists announced it 2026 Fellows alongside the Berresford Prize recipient as the organisation commemorates its 20th anniversary. Each of 50 Fellows receive an award of $50,000 and the freedom to allocate funds to their unique needs – whether towards expanding their practice or covering their living and other expenses. The Berresford Prize is a $50,000 annual award honouring a cultural practitioner for their significant contributions to the advancement of artists in society.

Recipients are practitioners in a diverse range of creative arts, ranging from architecture and design, media, craft, music, writing, dance, film, visual and traditional arts.

Shown above is 2026 USA Fellow Robell Awake from Atlanta, Georgia, artist, chairmaker and author of ‘A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects’. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, with a forthcoming commission for the Baltimore Museum of Art. Image supplied courtesy United States Artists.