The Boston Comic Arts Foundation Opens Applications for the Inaugural Lightning Grants
Lightning Grants offer $250 to Massachusetts Cartoonists for Professional Expenses
Boston, MA (July 6, 2026) — The Boston Comic Arts Foundation announced today that it is now accepting applications for the inaugural round of a new grant program: Lightning Grants. This is the first grant program of its kind for BCAF.Â
Lightning Grants are individual $250 grants designed to get money into creators’ hands quickly and without red tape. BCAF Executive Director Shelli Paroline says, “We created these grants because we know so many cartoonists are burdened by the costs of creating their comics. Let us pay for that software subscription, printing cost, or supplies for your next project, so you can focus on your work.”
These grants recognize the immediate monetary need for a comic artist’s business and professional expenses. The amounts are set to offer quick and frictionless support to skilled cartoonists and affirm the community’s value of their promise and their work. No lengthy review cycles, no complicated process—the Lightning Grants offer fast, direct support for the comic artists who make this community what it is. Applications open today and conclude July 20th, 2026.Â
Here’s the link to apply:Â http://www.bostoncomicarts.org/lightning
The Boston Comic Arts Foundation builds community through comics. We believe in the power of comics to inspire, educate, and bring people together. That’s why we help promote spaces for both creators and readers to find one another, exchange ideas, and grow as a community through our four annual festivals, our monthly Picture + Panel events series, author grants, and advocacy for the comics format.
