Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) has announced the fifth season of its ‘Hyundai Art for Hope’ initiative to mark World Art Day 2025. Applications for the new season will open from 1 May 2025 through the programme’s official website. The foundation, which is the CSR arm of Hyundai Motor India Limited, will offer a fresh round of financial grants and mentorship to 50 artists and collectives across India, extending its ongoing commitment to cultural engagement and artistic development.
Since the programme’s launch in 2021, over INR 1.65 crore has been awarded in direct grants to more than 150 artists, while an estimated 25,000 practitioners have benefitted through associated workshops and exhibitions. In this latest season, HMIF will distribute 40 individual grants of INR 1 lakh each and 10 institutional grants of INR 2 lakh each. These grants are open to a wide variety of disciplines, including visual, performing, digital and folk arts. Applications are also encouraged from persons with disabilities and artist collectives, reflecting an effort to expand inclusivity.
Hyundai’s art initiative operates within a broader context where public funding for the arts in India remains limited and unevenly distributed. However, while the financial support and visibility offered by HMIF are notable, questions remain around the long-term sustainability of such programmes and whether they can truly help build lasting institutional infrastructure for the creative sector.
Puneet Anand, AVP and Head of Corporate Affairs, Hyundai Motor India, stated that the initiative helps uplift communities by giving voice to underrepresented traditions and contemporary practices alike. Yet, while the sentiment is commendable, it is still unclear how far the support reaches in terms of geographic diversity and income-level representation among beneficiaries.
The categories for application this year include six segments: Visual Art, Digital Art, Performing Art, Traditional Art and Culture, Functional Innovative Art and Craft, and Multidisciplinary Art. These broad categories suggest that the programme is trying to accommodate both conventional and emerging forms of artistic practice.
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