Participation Grants Application
Grant Application Details
Gen Con is pleased to continue offering Participation Grants in 2026.
To qualify for a Participation Grant, you should be part of a historically underrepresented community, be an active member of a tabletop gaming community, or engage with gamer-adjacent/geek-culture communities. Your participation in Gen Con should provide benefits or learning opportunities for these communities. All applications for Participation Grants will undergo a review process.
We strongly encourage Black, Indigenous, and other people of color to apply. Grant recipients are required to participate in Gen Con 2026, taking place from July 30 to August 2 in Indianapolis, IN.
Participation Grant applicants can belong to various gaming or gaming-adjacent communities, including but not limited to:
- Activities at your local game store
- Business interests as an aspiring game designer, publisher, game store owner, or other tabletop industry aspirations
- Social media reach as an active streamer on platforms like TikTok or Twitch
- Gaming group (online or offline) such as local groups, school clubs, place of worship, or community centers
- Other groups including cosplay, video games, LARPs, etc.
Grant Recipients Receive:
- One (1) complimentary 4-Day badge
- Stipend of $550. See rules & guidelines below for details.
Participation Grant Application Submissions Open on January 5, 2026.
Key Dates
- January 5–26, 2026: Application submission period
- February 9, 2026 (week of): Applicant notification of acceptance or decline
- February 18, 2026: Recipients' Confirmation deadline
- February 18–20, 2026: Badges added to recipients' accounts
- May 13, 2026: Stipend payment process begins
Rules and Guidelines
- Gen Con is a for-profit company. Therefore, grant recipients will need to complete a W-9 form and may be required to report grant earnings to the IRS.
- Payments will now be made through direct deposit through bill.com. You must have or create a bill.com account to receive funds.
- Grant eligibility includes individuals from Canada, the UK, the US, and the following 130 countries.
- Grant recipients will be expected to attend Gen Con and may be asked to complete a post-show survey.
- You must have a Gen Con account to be eligible apply.
- You must be at least 18 years old at the time of submitting your application to apply.
- Grants are non-transferable and must be used in the year they are awarded.
- Grant stipends are intended for expenses related to attending Gen Con.
- Grant recipients are responsible for making their own arrangements (i.e. travel and housing) to attend Gen Con.
- Gen Con will make all reasonable attempts to provide grant recipients with the grant stipends in a timely manner. If, after two attempts and/or by the end of the current year, the grant recipient does not sign up for direct deposit or cash the check, Gen Con will consider the stipends forfeited.
- Gen Con will not consider applications of those who have received grant awards for two (2) consecutive years.
- Grant eligibility excludes the following: organizations, businesses, companies, gaming groups, and/or individuals contracted in any capacity with Gen Con, LLC (i.e. Event Team members, contracted EOs, etc.)
