501(c)(3) nonprofit · Founded 2026
Menendez
Institute
for Divergent Practice
Unrestricted grants for talented neurodivergent artists: singular ways of seeing, making and thinking, and the studio time to pursue them.
Justin Menendez, Momentum, 2026
- Inaugural Studio Award
- Applications open Summer 2027
- Grants awarded Fall 2027
- No application fee
Mission
Support becomes time.Time becomes work.
The Menendez Institute for Divergent Practice was founded in January 2026 on a simple conviction: material support gives artists the time and stability to make consequential work.
We give direct, unrestricted money to artists, with no strings on how it is spent, and we keep a lasting public record of every artist we support.
Why we exist
Paying it forward
Justin Menendez began painting in early 2021 while living with schizoaffective disorder. Federal disability benefits covered his daily needs and gave him what most artists never get: sustained, protected time in the studio. That time became a practice, with exhibitions in Paris, Mumbai and New York.
Not every artist qualifies for that support, and many who need it fall through the gaps. The Institute exists to close some of that distance, one grant at a time.
Justin Menendez
Founder and Director
Divergent practice
Work shaped by a neurodivergent mind: singular ways of seeing, making and thinking. Not one medium, one diagnosis or one aesthetic.
What we look for
01
Talent and potential
Strong work, and a practice we believe is going somewhere.
02
A neurodivergent mind
Tell us about your neurodivergence, in your own words.
03
Real impact
How a grant would change your studio practice.
Our first program
The Studio Award
A recurring grant for independent, divergent practices.
$500+
in unrestricted support. At least one grant in the inaugural cycle, with more as funding allows.
Applications open
Grants awarded
Application fee
Where we're going
Built to grow
The Studio Award is the beginning. As funding and partnerships grow, the Institute plans to build toward:
Larger grants, more artists
Expanding the number and size of awards with every cycle.
A major annual award
An award of real cultural significance for divergent practice.
A residency by the sea
Studio space, housing and time on the Florida coast.
These are long-term goals, not current programs.
Support
Fund the work
Individual and institutional giving opens in 2027. To be notified, or to talk about a partnership, join the list or write to info@menendezinstitute.org.
Stay close
News on grant cycles, recipients and the residency. A few emails a year.