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# NYC to Provide Free Art Supplies to Grantees
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/nyc-to-provide-free-art-supplies-to-grantees/
- Published: 2026-10-12T20:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-13T15:20:30.000Z
- Description: Winners of the city's recently doubled grant for artists can also enjoy unlimited supplies from Materials for the Arts.
- Author: Anna Lee
- Tags: News, Materials for the Arts, New York, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

Materials for the Arts (MFTA) is launching a new free shopping program for artists who receive city-funded grants on October 19, nearly three weeks after Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Department for Cultural Affairs (DCLA) announced that they are [doubling grants](https://hyperallergic.com/mamdani-doubles-grants-for-nyc-artists/) for individual artists and small nonprofits in New York City. 

The new MFTA program functions as a free supply base for the selected artists, who can now receive up to $10,000 in city-funded grants, which had remained at a $5,000 cap for the last 20 years. The organization will open its 35,000-square-foot warehouse to artist grantees on the second Monday of every month (apart from federal holidays) from 3 pm to 6 pm, offering materials such as leather spools originally used to make airplane seats, tomes dedicated to the visual arts, and dinosaur masks. The first iteration of the program will take place on Monday, October 19.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/10/IMG_4720.jpeg)

Teachers wait in line at the MFTA's warehouse.

“By broadening our operations to offer shopping days directly targeting these art grantees, we can ensure that more artists, more changemakers, and more New Yorkers have access to our city program,” Tara Sansone, the executive director of MFTA, told *Hyperallergi*c. 

“I’ve been hearing over and over again — how hard it is for artists to make a living here, and to make work through this affordability crisis,” added DCLA Commissioner Diya Vij in an [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeEvNR9RaOy/?ref=hyperallergic.com) announcement filmed at the MFTA warehouse. “If you’ve ever gotten a grant from one of these local arts councils, you’ll be invited to come here and shop for free.” 

Founded in 1978 by the DCLA, which received a record [$323.8 million](https://hyperallergic.com/nyc-mayor-mamdani-approves-record-323m-funding-for-culture/) under Mamdani and the City Council in July, MFTA distributes [free art supplies](https://hyperallergic.com/what-if-every-city-provided-artists-with-free-supplies/) to teachers, cultural organizations, artists, and social justice groups throughout the city. In its partnership with the Department of Education, the organization has become the city’s largest reuse center, collecting [millions of pounds](https://www.materialsforthearts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2023-Annual-Report-Friends-of-Materials-for-the-Arts.pdf?ref=hyperallergic.com) in free materials each year. Donors have included local businesses, defunct organizations, and high-end brands like Kate Spade and Burberry, an MFTA spokesperson told *Hyperallergic*.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/10/IMG_4693.jpg)

A teacher tries on a Tyrannosaurus Rex mask.

While Staten Island opens applications in November, all other boroughs are [currently accepting applications](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dcla/cultural-funding/funding-for-artists.page?ref=hyperallergic.com) for artist and nonprofit grants through local partner organizations. The Bronx Council on the Arts accepts grants until October 30; the Brooklyn Arts Council until October 11; the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council until November 12; and the New York Foundation for the Arts in Queens until November 17\. If artists are awarded a grant, they can schedule an appointment to shop at the MFTA warehouse under their respective borough-based organization, as outlined on the [DCLA website](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dcla/cultural-funding/funding-for-artists.page?ref=hyperallergic.com). 

The warehouse is typically open twice a week to registered organizations, members, and teachers, though it has introduced other programs to extend hours past normal operating times. Last month marked the return of the "[Back to School Shopping Spree](https://hyperallergic.com/nyc-art-teachers-can-drop-by-this-warehouse-for-free-supplies/)" program, which ran afternoon warehouse hours throughout September to prepare teachers for the school year. In its third annual effort to connect more New York City teachers with free arts supplies, MFTA also welcomed the first installment of the monthly "[After Hours: Late Night Teacher Shopping](https://ma.to/event/mfta-after-hours-shopping-01-oct-2026?ref=hyperallergic.com)" program for the 2026–27 academic year on Thursday, October 1\. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/2026/10/IMG_4679.jpg)

Part of the book selection at MFTA

"We normally can't come to MFTA because we’re busy teaching," Donald Osborne, an arts and special education educator at P.S. 12, told *Hyperallergic*. "This program is really helpful since it means we can get here after school hours, and I collaborate with other teachers to make sure we get the things we need."

To aid in projects from school plays to installations by artist grantees, the warehouse is full of labels, directions, and suggestions on how donated materials can be transformed into upcycled creations. Volunteers and staff show shoppers how to turn scraps into garlands, transform bra straps into elastic wristbands, and turn large tubes of fabric into play sets.

"It's not enough to just supply materials," John Cloud Kaiser, gallery director and director of education at MFTA, told *Hyperallergic*. "We want to make sure they know how they can use them to create something entirely new.”