Tax Tips for Freelancers 2025

Tax season doesn’t have to be overwhelming! This guide breaks down essential tax tips for freelancers, small business owners, and creative professionals. It covers everything—from managing 1099s and balancing W-2 income with freelance work to handling business taxes, maximizing deductions, and staying on top of estimated taxes and filing strategies.

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Funding Opportunities for Female Artists

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Empowering women creatives is crucial for fostering innovation, diversity, and representation across artistic disciplines. From visual arts and photography to filmmaking and technology, these grants, scholarships, and funding opportunities provide financial support, professional development, and resources to help women artists break barriers and bring their creative visions to life. Whether you're an emerging talent or an established artist, these opportunities are designed to uplift and amplify the voices of women in the creative industries.

Tamara Merino | Courtesy of National Geographic

US-based Grants:

Anonymous Was A Woman Foundation Grant

The Anonymous Was A Woman Foundation awards an annual $25,000 grant to women artists over 40 with no restrictions on how funds are used. This grant supports artists across all disciplines, recognizing those who have been overlooked due to systemic barriers.  (Source: https://www.anonymouswasawoman.org/).

The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant

The Pollock-Krasner Foundation offers grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to support women visual artists, including painters, sculptors, and mixed-media artists. These grants are available through annual application cycles. (Source: https://pkf.org/apply/).

United States Artists Fellowship

The United States Artists Fellowship provides $50,000 in unrestricted funding to innovative and groundbreaking artists across multiple disciplines, with specific opportunities for women artists. (Source: https://www.unitedstatesartists.org/programs/usa-fellowship).

New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fellowship

The NYFA Fellowship awards annual grants ranging from $7,000 to $30,000 to New York-based artists across multiple disciplines, supporting individual creative projects. (Source: https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/nysca-nyfa-artist-fellowship/).

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Grants

The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council provides project-based and workspace grants to support artists in Lower Manhattan, with a focus on fostering local artistic community development. (Source: https://lmcc.net/resources/manhattan-arts-grants/).

Brooklyn Arts Council Grants

The Brooklyn Arts Council offers borough-specific funding that supports both individual artist projects and community-based initiatives, emphasizing local cultural preservation. (Source: https://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/what-we-do/grants).

Ifeoma Ebo | Courtesy of UNITED STATES ARTISTS FELLOWSHIP

Grants for Women of Color and Diverse Artists:

Google Arts & Culture Black Histories, Black Futures Fund

The Google Arts & Culture Black Histories, Black Futures Fund provides grants and increased visibility for women artists of color, focusing on historically marginalized artists. (Source: https://artsandculture.google.com/event/g11ft447k81).

Indigenous Women Artists Collective Grant

The Indigenous Women Artists Collective Grant offers financial support and cultural mentorship to Indigenous women artists, helping preserve and celebrate cultural artistic traditions. (Source: https://indigenousartscollective.org/grants-for-artists/).

International Grants:

Berlin Senate Department for Culture Grants

The Berlin Senate Department for Culture offers grants that provide project funding and artist residencies to both local and international artists in Berlin. (Source: https://www.berlin.de/sen/kultur/en/funding/funding-programmes/visual-arts/).

Künstlerhaus Bethanien Residency Program

The Künstlerhaus Bethanien Residency Program provides international artists with studio space and funding, focusing on contemporary and experimental art projects. (Source: https://www.bethanien.de/en/programme/).

DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program

The DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program is a prestigious international artist fellowship offering a one-year residency with substantial financial support for visual artists, literature, music, and film creators. (Source: https://www.daad.de/en/studying-in-germany/scholarships/music-art/daad-artists-in-berlin/).

Prince Claus Fund

The Prince Claus Fund provides project grants and cultural exchange opportunities for African artists, supporting creative projects without geographical restrictions within Africa. (Source: https://princeclausfund.nl/).

Ford Foundation International Fellowships

The Ford Foundation International Fellowships support artists from developing countries, including many African artists, by providing substantial funding and professional development opportunities. (Source: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/investing-in-individuals/international-fellowships-program/).

Technology and Arts Grants:

Adobe Creative Residency for Women in Technology and Arts

The Adobe Creative Residency program supports women at the intersection of art and technology by providing software access, funding, and networking opportunities, with a focus on digital art, design, and creative technologies. (Source: https://www.adobe.com/corporate-responsibility/creativity/scholarship-programs.html).

Women in Tech Arts Grant

The Women in Tech Arts Grant funds digital art projects and interactive installations that involve AI, virtual reality, and emerging technologies, often in collaboration with tech companies. (Source: https://www.womenarts.org/funding-resources/sourcesforindividualartists/).

Grants for Artists with Disabilities:

Disability Visibility Project Grants

The Disability Visibility Project Grants support women artists with disabilities, offering financial and professional support to promote inclusive artistic representation. (Source: https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/).

Sindha Agha, Elizabeth Woodward | Courtesy of ITVS

Film and Video Grants:

Independent Television Service (ITVS) Funding

The ITVS offers multiple funding initiatives for public television programs, including the Open Call for non-fiction programs, the International Initiative for documentaries, and the Diversity Development Fund. (Source: https://www.itvs.org/funding/).

Roy W. Dean Grants

The Roy W. Dean Grants provide funding three times per year to support unique films that benefit society, offering cash awards, services, and discounts. (Source: https://www.fromtheheartproductions.com/).

Photography-Specific Grants:

The Puffin Foundation

The Puffin Foundation awards grants of up to $2,500 to support photographers and artists, with an annual grant cycle open to emerging and mid-career creatives. (Source: https://www.puffinfoundation.org/).

National Geographic Photography Grants

National Geographic Photography Grants fund long-term documentary photography projects with awards ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. (Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/grants/).

Sony World Photography Awards

The Sony World Photography Awards offer cash prizes and professional equipment to emerging and established photographers through professional and open competition categories. (Source: https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/).