USA Projects is a program created by United States Artists (USA), a nonprofit grantmaking and artist advocacy organization that has awarded over $17 million to America’s finest artists in the last six years. USA Projects hosts an online community where artists can post projects for funding and connect with those who love and support artists.  

At USA Projects, our goal is to help artists successfully navigate the challenging world of online fundraising for their projects. Our expert team provides educational services, from fundraising 101 to case studies and best practices to project development and outreach support. A total of 75% of all artists who have turned to USA Projects have succeeded in funding their projects. USA Projects offers a patent-pending matching fund program, the only one of its kind, which encourages and leverages contributions to help artists succeed faster. All donations are tax deductible because they simultaneously support artists’ projects and the nonprofit mission of United States Artists: to invest in America's finest artists and to illuminate the value of artists to society.

USA Projects is a charitable organization that hosts an online creative community focused on outstanding artists in America. We collaborate with artists throughout their fundraising campaigns. An artist is likely to raise more money for their project here than on similar sites.

• USA Projects is open to artists who have been recognized for the caliber and impact of their work by receiving an award, grant, fellowship or residency. Participating artists have been vetted by United States Artists and other esteemed organizations across the country.

• A total of 75% of all projects successfully fund. This compares to success rates of 45% at similar sites. Our experts help artists succeed with project development, fundraising and outreach training, and personal support.

• Match Funds help artists succeed faster. Fundraisers at USA actively seek donations for these funds. Every project receives Match Funds, which encourage and leverage new contributions. In fact, on average, 16% of a project’s goal is supported by matches.

• All donations are tax deductible. Supporters get an immediate tax deduction, which creates an incentive for giving.   

Match Funds are a direct contribution to an artist’s fundraising project. We created this gift program because matching funds encourage and maximize contributions by offering direct and matching grant challenges from individuals, groups, corporations, and foundations.

All Match Funds are unique depending on the donor’s intent. There are different types, such as geographic- or discipline-specific funds. For example, the California Community Foundation Fund benefits any artist living in Los Angeles County. The Artist2Artist Fund supports all participating artists who have reached 25% of their fundraising goal. When the match guidelines are met, these funds become automatically available to an artist’s project in real time. This helps artists succeed and reach their goal faster. Over the past year, on average, 16% of a project’s goal is supported with Match Funds. It is USA Projects’ goal to see that at least 5% of any project’s goal be funded by Match Funds.

More than 500 artists have posted projects that have raised over $3.7 million from more than 24,000 individual donors. A total of 75% of all projects were fully funded (compared to similar platforms that only have a 45% project success rate). United States Artists continues to add projects by nationally recognized artists to the site daily.

We believe that you should hear about the impact of USA Projects directly from artists. You can find their stories here.

Yes! We welcome everyone to become a member of our community. All visitors are invited to sign up, create profile pages, and find and follow projects and artists of interest to them. Members can also link to their own pages on Facebook and share projects and artist profiles with friends to help spread the word.

Explore projects. Meet artists. Get inspired. If you're here, chances are you sense the incredible contributions that art makes to our lives. USA celebrates the fearless impulse that compels every great artist to create and inspire us to think; we hope that they will inspire you too.

USA Projects grew out of two years of research and development by United States Artists to create a sustainable way to use the Internet to fulfill its mission. In May 2010, USA launched an alpha site with limited access under the name “Project Site” to pilot-test the initiative and gain feedback from the community. A newly designed and expanded public beta site for USA Projects debuted in December 2010.

Our partners are premiere arts organizations throughout the nation that recognize, support, and award outstanding artistic achievements. Among our list of partner organizations are: Creative Capital, Austin Film Society, National Performance Network (NPN), National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC), Penland School of Crafts, California Community Foundation, and Film Independent. A complete list can be found here.

The artists seeking funding on USA Projects are all nationally recognized for the caliber and impact of their work. Featured artists have been screened and are either USA Fellows or recipients of awards from a growing list of distinguished arts organizations across the country. Official partner organizations include: Creative Capital; National Performance Network (NPN); National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC); Penland School of Crafts; Pollack-Krasner Foundation; and California Community Foundation. A complete list of qualifying organizations, along with artist eligibility requirements and a brief application, are posted online.

USA Projects spotlights new creative efforts by accomplished artists across the country in the visual arts, architecture and design, media, music, dance, literature, theater arts, and crafts and traditional arts. Among funded projects, Philadelphia photographer Zoe Strauss raised over $5,000 for On the Beach, a photo series documenting the people and places affected by the Gulf Oil Spill. Los Angeles furniture designer Tanya Aguiñiga raised more than $8,000 to launch Artists Helping Artisans, a collaboration with artisans in Chiapas, Mexico, whose craft traditions are at risk. New York filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris raised $11,500 to complete his documentary connecting the Black civil rights movement with the gay and lesbian marriage equality movement.

An initiative of United States Artists, USA Projects has received generous underwriting support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Chaired by Samuel Hoi, president of Otis College of Art & Design, the USA Board of Directors includes artists, arts leaders, and philanthropists from across the country. USA is led by Executive Director Katharine DeShaw, a national arts leader with a track record of fundraising and executive experience with cultural and health organizations nationwide. Amada Cruz, program director, brings more than twenty years of experience as a museum director, curator, and arts administrator to her work at USA.

The USA Fellows program was initiated by United States Artists in 2005 and annually awards 50 unrestricted grants of $50,000 each to outstanding performing, visual, media, and literary artists across the country. USA has invested a total of $15 million in direct grants to artists through the program in the last six years.

USA Fellows hail from 42 states and the US territory of Puerto Rico and range in age from 26 to 87 at the time of their award. Past recipients include visual artists Kara Walker and Catherine Opie, cartoonist Chris Ware, designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy (of Rodarte), performing artist Meredith Monk, ballet dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, choreographer Bill T. Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, jazz musician Jason Moran, and the writer Sapphire. A complete list of all USA Fellows, along with brief bios and images of their work, can be found here.

USA Fellows are selected from among the more than 2.2 million artists living in the United States through a highly competitive nomination, application, and peer review process. USA Fellowships are awarded in eight disciplines: architecture and design, crafts and traditional arts, dance, literature, media, music, theater, and visual arts.

To become a USA Fellow, one must be nominated. Each year, United States Artists invites nominators to submit names of artists they believe show extraordinary talent and commitment to their craft. Nominators are an anonymous group of arts leaders, critics, scholars, and artists who live in every state throughout the country, from small communities to major metropolises. They work in diverse practices across virtually every artistic discipline. Nominators also change every year; this ensures that USA has a diverse pool of nominees from year to year. Nominees are invited to apply, and applications are reviewed by panels of experts in each field. Each panel makes recommendations to the USA Board of Directors, which approves the final selections of USA Fellows.

The USA Fellows program is a separate program from USA Projects. The USA Fellows program follows a nomination-based process and therefore does not accept open applications for the awards. United States Artists is a creative community comprised of outstanding artists, arts leaders, premiere arts organizations, and arts supporters. USA Projects helps artists increase their visibility by showcasing their work.

The artists seeking funding on USA Projects are recognized for the caliber and impact of their work. Featured artists are recipients of awards from a growing list of more than 200 distinguished local, regional and national arts organizations across the country. A complete list of qualifying organizations, along with artist eligibility requirements and a brief application, is posted here. 

USA Projects spotlights new creative efforts by accomplished artists across the country in the architecture and design, crafts and traditional arts, dance, literature, media, music, theater, and visual arts.

Among recently funded projects, Philadelphia photographer Zoe Strauss raised over $5,000 for On the Beach, a photo series documenting the people and places affected by the Gulf Oil Spill. Los Angeles furniture designer Tanya Aguiñiga raised more than $8,000 to launch Artists Helping Artisans, a collaboration with artisans in Chiapas, Mexico, whose craft traditions are at risk. Austin filmmaker Andrew Bujalski raised over $50,000 for Computer Chess, a feature film about chess players and computer programmers in the 1980s. Cartoonist Jim Woodring created a giant seven-foot ink pen and penholder—the world’s largest—that he used for public display and demonstration.

All artist projects are vetted and approved by United States Artists programming staff. Projects are reviewed for viability and appropriateness of the scale of the project.

Every user has a profile on USA Projects.  It's the place where other users, artists, organizations and the like can learn a little bit more about you. Your profile can include as much or as little information about you as you'd like.

1. Login (or Sign up).

2. Click on "Sign In" located at the top right of every page.  If you're already signed in, you'll see "Sign Out" instead.

3. Complete and submit the form as appropriate, either signing in directly or using Facebook Connect. (If you haven't created an account yet, click "Sign Up" and follow the on-screen instructions.)

4. Once you're signed in, the "My Dashboard" link will appear at the top of every page.

To edit your profile:
1. Click on "My Dashboard."

2. Click "Profile."

To add your photo:
1. Under "Primary Image", click "Select From Media Library."

2. Select a photo to upload, then click "Upload."

3. Select the photo you just uploaded from your Media Library.

4. Click "Submit" at the bottom of the page.

To access your bio:
There are two places here where you can share information about yourself:

1. Short description:
This will appear in search results and when browsing the community.  Maximum of 140 characters allowed.

2. Full bio:
Enter your full bio, or anything else you'd like to add about yourself. This is the text that appears on your Profile.

Click "Submit" at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

Discipline(s).
Select as many disciplines as you'd like to so we and other users can better know what you're interested in. We'll try to keep you posted with updates that match your interests.

Feel free to enter links to other online efforts that you're involved in.  Link to your blog or website, your Facebook profile, etc.

1. Enter a title for the link, i.e. "My Website."

2. Enter the full web address, i.e. "http://www.mywebsite.com"

3. Click "Add."

When you're done, make sure to click "Submit" to save your changes.

Every user has a profile on USA Projects.  It's the place where other users, artists, organizations and the like can learn a little bit more about you. Your profile can include as much or as little information about you as you'd like.

You can easily determine when and how you get email notifications from USA Projects.

Sign in, and go to "Your Dashboard."

Go to "Preferences" on the left hand menu.

The first option - "Email Notifications Enabled" - is the big switch which turns on or off all email notices (except stuff we have to send, like receipts for your donations).

Make sure to click "Submit" when you're done making changes so your preferences are saved.

We invite all artists, who have been recognized for the caliber and impact of their work by receiving an award, grant, fellowship or residency, to enroll here. There's a short form to fill out that let's us know how you qualify. It's easy and quick.

1. Click the "Donate" button on the project page you'd like to support

2. Login to your account or if you are a new user click Sign Up (Optional)

3. Type in your Donation Amount and select your Perks

4. Enter your Billing Information

5. Your donation will be confirmed in 30-60 seconds. 

Yes! All transactions are processed securely through SSL and our payment partner, Wells Fargo.

Your card will immediately be charged for the donation amount you specified.

Donations to USA Projects represent irrevocable gifts subject to the legal and fiduciary control of the organization's Board of Directors. Subsequently, the donation will support all artists on USA Projects through an established Match Fund.

* Less than 5% of all donations are made to unsuccessful projects.

Donations support originality, imagination, and discovery at the moment of its creation. All donations to USA Projects are tax deductible because they simultaneously support artists’ projects and the nonprofit mission of United States Artists: to invest in America’s finest artists and to illuminate the value of artists to society.

USA Projects is free for artists. To uphold this model, 5% is added to each donation to go towards supporting USA Projects. Donors may also choose to donate a larger percentage if they wish. A 3% fee is added to credit card donations to cover the cost of processing. Every dollar of these donations is tax-deductible. 

Every donation is an invaluable contribution. If you are thinking of donating, or have already done so, we thank you for your support and we applaud your commitment to artists.

Yes! All donations to USA Projects and United States Artists are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Donors receive an immediate email receipt acknowledging their donation.

USA Projects and United States Artists are charitable organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) tax exemption status. Donations simultaneously support artists’ projects and the nonprofit mission of United States Artists: to invest in America’s finest artists and to illuminate the value of artists to society.

If you're interested in contributing via check or wire, or don't want to donate online, please email us at donations@usaprojects.org. We will send you a form to fill out. It includes instructions and all the details you'll need.

Congress and merchant banks alike have been expressing concerns about the potential for fraud with crowd funding websites that have become popular within the last few years. The risk of fraud is highest when the intermediary (the crowd funding host) does not screen and track the projects presented on their sites.

In contrast, USA Projects operates with the fiscal accountability and transparency required to comply with IRS regulations for charitable status. We actively screen and track the projects presented.

Throughout an artist’s funding process, USA Projects staff provides an oversight role. Only accomplished artists are eligible to post projects for funding. This helps meet the requirements for tax deductibility and it also increases donor confidence that funds donated will be used for the artistic purpose intended. USA Projects also reviews every project proposal for completeness, appropriateness, and viability before being posted. Then, before USA Projects provides grant funds for a successful artist project, it formally confirms with the artist their readiness and capacity to perform the work as described in their project description. During the course of the project, artists are required to provide periodic progress updates on the website to their donors that the USA Projects team monitors. Finally, artists must submit a final report with detailed information about how their funds were used and the status of the project’s execution. These reports are monitored and reviewed to ensure that the grant agreement is appropriately completed.

The artist will send any perks to you directly after the project is funded, and will reach out if they need any details from you. Make sure you supply your address when prompted if there is something that needs to be shipped to you.