Spencer Museum, Charlotte Street announce Rocket Grants 2025 call for artists

LAWRENCE — The Spencer Museum of Art and Charlotte Street have announced the 2025 open call for Rocket Grants, with applications accepted through June 25. An information session will be held May 15 at the Spencer Museum for artists interested in applying.

With support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Rocket Grants provide direct funding to artists in the Lawrence and Kansas City area who are creating exceptional, under-the-radar and artist-centered projects in public spaces. Artists, curators, collectives and collaborative groups residing within an 80-mile radius of the Kansas City metropolitan area are eligible to apply.

The Rocket Grants program awards grants of $6,000 to individuals or artist groups for projects that exist outside established venues such as museums, galleries, theaters or arts districts. Artists are encouraged to address the community at large or choose a smaller targeted audience. The long-term goals of the Rocket Grants program are to encourage emerging and nontraditional artistic practices in the Lawrence and Kansas City area, to contribute to a thriving arts community and to build bridges between geographic and cultural communities.

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to continue this regranting program thanks to funding from the Warhol Foundation,” said Spencer Museum Director Saralyn Reece Hardy. “As part of the University of Kansas, we are proud to support the connection of artists from Lawrence to Kansas City. It is inspiring to witness how the impact of these funds ripples out through our communities, reaching not only the artists who receive funding but also all those who experience the joy and creativity of their projects.”

Rocket Grants projects are selected by a jury of four arts professionals working both locally and nationally. Proposals are evaluated on criteria including innovation, thoughtful context, feasibility and meaningful impact.

To apply, artists must submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) online by June 25. The LOI should include a project summary, the artists involved, the intended audience, the specific context of the work, budget needs and relevance of the project. The jury will assess the LOIs and invite selected projects to complete a full application in July 2025. Rocket Grants recipients will be announced in September 2025.

For any questions regarding the application process, please contact Kimberly Kitada at kimberly@charlottestreet.org.

Related Programming

The public is invited to attend in-person information sessions that will answer questions about the application and jury process.

May 15, 6-7 p.m.
Spencer Museum of Art, 1301 Mississippi Street, Lawrence

June 11, 6–7 p.m.
Charlotte Street, 3333 Wyoming St., Kansas City, Missouri.