The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation 2024 grant cycle opened in the fall of 2023 and culminates in an awards presentation event in the spring of 2024. Sachs Program grant awards support innovative arts activities throughout the University of Pennsylvania community. Cover design by Elaine Lopez.
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation is happy to announce the opening of our 2023–2024 annual grant cycle. This year’s grant cycle opens in fall 2023 and will culminate with award announcements and a presentation event in spring 2024.
We are offering six categories of grant opportunities this year.
- Artist Residency Grants
- Community Partnerships Grants
- Curricular Support Grants
- Independent Creative Production Grants
- Project Support Grants
- Student Grants
All Sachs Program grants support innovative arts activities throughout the University of Pennsylvania community, aligned with our mission to support and inspire creative practice and practitioners across the university and our broader community.
Complete information about all Sachs Program grant opportunities is available on our website and is outlined below.
Information Sessions
The Sachs Program will be hosting information sessions reviewing our grant opportunities and we encourage all interested applicants to attend for a chance to learn about each opportunity in discussions with Sachs Program staff.
- Tuesday, October 31, noon–1 PM
Student Grants Information Session - Thursday, November 16, noon–1 PM
Community Partnerships Grants Information Session - Tuesday, December 5, noon–1 PM
Annual Grants Virtual Information Session - Tuesday, December 12, 1– 3 PM
Annual Grants Information Session
Unless otherwise specified, all information sessions will be held in-person at The Arts Lounge in the Annenberg Center on the University of Pennsylvania campus. More details are forthcoming as they become available.
How to Apply
The first step in applying for any grant opportunity is to review the grant opportunities described on our website and fill out a short inquiry form for the grant that best fits your request.
If you’re interested in applying, even if you’re not sure what to apply for, we encourage you to reach out. The preferred way to do so is to submit an inquiry form through our website’s individual grant category pages. You can also easily access these from the links included below.
We are happy to meet with anyone interested in applying. Meetings are required to apply for an Artist Residency Grant or Community Partnerships Grant, but are optional for other categories. We also provide opportunities to review draft applications and are happy to discuss your ideas with you at any time throughout the application process.
Deadlines for Student Grants
- December 1, 2023, noon
Deadline to submit a grants inquiry form December 8December 13, 2023, midnight
Application submission deadline
Deadlines for Annual Grants
- January 15, 2024, noon
Deadline to submit a grants inquiry form for Community Partnership and Artist Residency Grants - January 22, 2024, noon
Deadline to submit a grants inquiry form for all other Annual Grants February 5February 9, 2024, midnight
Application submission deadline
Complete information about all grant opportunities and application guidelines can be found on the Sachs Program website and are summarized below.
Student Grants
Sachs Program Student Grants are offered annually in the fall.
- Student Grants provide up to $4,000 to undergraduate and graduate students and student groups to support creative practice, from independent projects to thesis and dissertation-related work to programs and initiatives intended to engage the student body or broader public.
Annual Grants
The Sachs Program 2024 Annual Grants include a range of opportunities to support University of Pennsylvania faculty and staff, departments, programs and centers, and collaborations with community partners and student groups.
- Artist Residency Grants provide up to $25,000 to departments, programs, and centers to bring artists, curators, and collectives (formal or informal) to Penn as artists- or curators-in-residence.
- Community Partnerships Grants provide up to $15,000 to support collaborations between Penn faculty (standing and non-standing), staff, departments, programs, and centers in collaboration with community arts and civic non-profit organizations and organizers.
- Curricular Support Grants provide up to $4,000 to non-standing faculty for the implementation of arts-based activities in a course that is currently running or expected to run.
- Independent Creative Production Grants provide up to $8,000 to faculty and staff to support (partially or fully) the production of their artistic work.
- Project Support Grants provide up to $8,000 to faculty and staff, departments, programs, centers to support engagement with the arts and humanities through projects directed towards the Penn community or broader public, including but not limited to public programming, performances, exhibitions, and non-curricular opportunities for learning and making.
Additional Support
Additional support for arts activities is provided through our Ben Art Bucks program, First-Year Seminar Grants, and Rolling Grants, which fall outside of our annual grant cycle and are offered on different timelines. Please visit specific grant opportunity pages to learn how to apply.
- Ben Art Bucks Grants are currently paused and will be resumed later this year.
- First-Year Seminar Grants provide up to $2500 to anyone teaching a first-year seminar, to support arts activities and arts-driven pedagogy within their course. Provided in partnership with the College of Arts & Sciences they are offered directly to faculty teaching first-year seminars.
- Rolling Grants provide up to $2,000 to faculty, staff, departments, programs, and centers, to support arts activities that fall outside of our annual grant cycle. Grants are offered on a rolling basis, as funds allow.
Thank You
Thank you for your interest in The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation and for all the important ways you contribute to Penn’s and Philadelphia’s creative communities. Please let us know if you have any questions, and please share this announcement with your students, colleagues, and peers.
John McInerney, Chloe Reison, and Tamara Suber
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation