Charlottesville SOUP is a public community dinner series to create crowdfunded grants for artists in the city of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson.

Since its founding in 2013, Charlottesville SOUP has awarded $47,262 in micro-grants to 21 local artists.

Charlottesville SOUP is part of a global network of community dinners. Sunday Soup was founded in 2007 by InCUBATE, a Chicago-based research institute and artist residency program dedicated to creating alternative approaches to infrastructures for arts administration and funding. Learn more about the history of Sunday Soup here.

Soup Dinners

47262

Project Funding Distributed

Artist Grantees

How SOUP Works

Founded in January 2013 by a group of three artists, Charlottesville SOUP was inspired by a global network of micro-grant crowdfunding dinners for the arts. These dinners were initiated in the Midwest by InCUBATE, a Chicago-based research institute and artist residency program dedicated to creating alternative approaches to infrastructures for arts administration and funding. SOUP dinners have received national positive press from The New York Times, Good, and Dwell, with the rise of Detroit SOUP, founded by former Charlottesville artist and co-founder of The Garage, Kate Daughdrill.

At each Charlottesville SOUP public dinner, attendees pay $10 for a meal and a vote. Prior to the event, artists pitch projects to an artist-led selection committee who choose a slate of up to 4 artists to present at SOUP. During the meal, these artists make short presentations about their projects in need of funding. Attendees participate in a thoughtful dialogue with the presenters and with one another about the proposed projects over a delicious meal, followed by a ballot vote, resulting in a crowd-funded award for the winner with the most votes. At its core as an arts event, SOUP is an opportunity for civic engagement; an opportunity to meet your neighbor to explore what projects should happen in the Charlottesville area.

Applications to pitch at the upcoming SOUP are open now and due January 17, 2025.

Learn More & Apply

Attend

Just $10 gets you in—and gets you dinner and dessert! The cost of the meal is covered by New City Arts and community sponsors, so your $10 is pooled to create an artist grant.
SOUP typically happens indoors at different Charlottesville venues. The February 2025 SOUP dinner will be held at The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.
We announce artist presenters a week or two before the event, after tickets close.
Yes. We provide vegan and gluten-free meal options for attendees!

Present

For SOUP, artists of all disciplines with a creative project in need of funding are welcome to apply. Applications are now open for the February 2025 SOUP event. Learn more and apply here.
Scroll down for SOUP Grantees & Projects
The average grant size is ~$3,000. Every artist finalist who presents at SOUP is guaranteed $250 to honor the time they invest in their proposal and pitch.

Support

Hurray! SOUP happens with the help of generous volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering for our next event, email Lindsey Leahy.
Yes! You can make an additional donation here with the memo “SOUP grant.” Anyone is welcome to give toward the grant, even if you can't make it to the event. 100% of those donations will go towards the artist grant.
Email Lindsey Leahy with questions about SOUP.