Adobe is offering $1 million in support of creative projects over the coming year

For many creatives, knowing what you want to make or what you’re interested in is not the problem. The problem, sadly, is money… It’s all well and good dreaming up grand ideas for personal projects but if you haven’t got the means to fund them, you’re essentially stuck. For the past five years, Adobe has been counteracting this issue, offering creatives the chance to experiment and pursue a creative project for an entire year through its Adobe Creative Residency.

The residency began as a programme that could support two creatives per year but has since grown massively, and in 2019 nine creatives took part based in countries including Germany, England and Japan. In turn, the residency has facilitated the practice of a wide range of creatives across the world, through financial support and access to Adobe technologies.

2020 has been a difficult year though. And as the creative world has changed and adapted to new circumstances with several countries in lockdown, Adobe too has decided to take a different approach. In response to the Covid-19 crisis and the increasing need for support across the creative community, the Creative Residency will support two creatives and will run alongside the launch of a new initiative: the Creative Residency Community Fund.

It’s a mammoth fund, offering a staggering $1 million to support myriad creatives in their mission to produce personal projects. It will also go towards hiring creatives for Adobe-commissioned projects over the coming year. Kicking off in May, the fund will be available for 12 months and, each month, a range of selected applicants will receive between $500 and $5,000 to complete a brief from Adobe or a self-initiated idea. You can apply to the fund at any time during the 12 months it is available. In addition to the financial support, each successful applicant will get further support from Adobe through a Creative Cloud membership and career guidance workshops.

In terms of who’s eligible, in short, it’s anyone and everyone. The fund will be open worldwide but you must be proficient in English (or Japanese for Japanese candidates), 18 years old or over, and have a Paypal account or bank account in your name. Other than that, the only requirement is that you are a creator of visual work – whether that’s graphic design, photography, video, illustration, 3D, motion design, or anything else in between, is up to you.

You can find out all the details about how to apply here.