Unseen Iran Artist Grants

The Unseen Iran Artist Grant Program is a collaboration between Waterwell and Nimruz - born from our work creating the Unseen Iran Festival together in support of Blind Runner at St. Ann’s Warehouse in 2025.

The program is dedicated to supporting emerging and established Iranian diaspora artists who use their work to explore identity, connection, and cultural healing.

In our inaugural year, five winners received financial support ranging from $7,500 to $20,000, along with mentorship support throughout the creative process. Five additional finalists were also welcomed into this cohort, being awarded $2,500 and provided with mentorship and guidance.

These grants are designed to support artists in completing fully-formed projects in film, theater, and other creative disciplines, that will be ready to engage audiences and find avenues for distribution, presentation, and production within a 6 to 12-month timeframe.

Read More on the Launch in The Hollywood Reporter

Our vision is rooted in the belief that art has the power to transform and heal.

Our theory of change reflects this: by funding and nurturing projects that tell authentic Iranian stories, we seek to inspire new connections, challenge stereotypes, and foster nuanced understanding of a wide range of experiences to create lasting impact on both artists and audiences. 

Our goal is to cultivate the next generation of Iranian artists, helping them to hone and amplify their voices in order to facilitate dialogue, understanding, and inspiration. We are committed to a pluralistic vision, amplifying diverse voices who are telling Iranian stories that resonate both within and beyond our communities. Through this program, we aim to build bridges within our community and to other global communities, fostering deeper understanding and solidarity with the people and culture of contemporary Iran.

  • The official timeline for the 2027 Cohort has not yet been released, but we expect to follow a similar timeline to last year:

    Applications Accepted: July-Sept 2026

    Decision Notification: Dec 2026

    Project Support: Jan-July 2027

    Project Delivery: July 2027

    Check back here or follow us on Instagram for updates!

  • We welcome submissions from emerging artists across all disciplines who are dedicated to telling Iranian stories and connecting with the English-speaking world. This could include projects with English as the spoken language, English subtitles, or universally understood pieces that are language-agnostic. We will prioritize narrative works of art that can speak to general audiences rather than more esoteric and experimental pieces. However, we welcome you to apply and will review each submission with care.

    We are seeking narrative works of art that:

    1. Explore Identity: Works that investigate Iranian identity in all its complexity.

    2. Build Solidarity and Unity: Projects that create connections within and beyond the Iranian community.

    3. Promote Cultural Healing: Art that helps to heal cultural divides and fosters reconciliation.

    4. Amplify Underrepresented Voices: We encourage applications for projects exploring underrepresented narratives, such as ethnic or religious minorities, LGBTQ+, or other marginalized groups.

    5. Build Bridges to Iran: We are looking for projects that educate audiences about contemporary Iran and foster greater cross-cultural understanding.

    6. Educational Components (Optional): Projects with potential for educational impact are encouraged.

2026 WINNERS & FINALISTS