Housing Stability Grant

In recognition of the increasing unaffordability of rental housing in New York City and the housing insecurity it crates for artists, the WOODMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION HOUSING STABILITY GRANT for ARTISTS (WFF HSG) was launched in 2025. It awards grants of $30,000 to five visual artists with the goal of improving their housing stability.

In partnership with New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), which will administer the grants, the WFF HSG will serve established visual artists living in, and planning to remain in, New York City. Recipients may use the funds for new housing that reduces their rent obligation, guarantees a stable rental obligation such as a lengthy lease in their existing or new housing, and/or provides greater access to live/work space. Through this grant, WFF and NYFA hope that recipients will be able to remain in, or find, reliable and stable housing for at least three years, thereby allowing them to focus on their creative practice and build more sustainable careers.

The 2025 application cycle will open Tuesday, February 11, 2025, with applications closing on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. There are three eligibility criteria in this program: Individual, Artistic, and Emergency. Applicants must meet all three areas, as of the cycle’s deadline, to apply. Please click here for full details.

In addition to being prolific artists themselves, Betty Woodman, Francesca Woodman, and George Woodman were deeply engaged with and supportive of other artists and their work. This grant is the Foundation’s way of carrying on their commitment to artists at a time when the financial realities of living in the city have become so prohibitive.

Each intimately understood that secure housing within the city’s active arts community is vital to artists, having lived and worked in New York City in a more affordable time and at different points in their careers. Francesca moved to New York in 1979 after graduating from RISD to pursue exhibition opportunities and actively build her career. Betty and George, more established artists and art professors in Boulder, arrived a year later. George continued to show in museums and galleries in New York as he had since the 1960s. The move was pivotal in Betty’s shift from potter to sculptor, beginning her long career in the contemporary art world. Their time in NYC was critical to their artistic development.

We know that the issue of affordable artist housing is of concern to many. If you are interested in contributing to this initiative, please donate here.