Artist Residency Grants

Who is eligible to apply?

University of Pennsylvania departments, programs, and centers are eligible to apply for Sachs Program Artist Residency Grants.

What do the grants support?

Artist Residency Grants are intended to bring artists, curators, and collectives (formal or informal) to Penn as Artists in Residence or Curators in Residence within a department, program, or center. Collaborations between Penn departments, programs, or centers are also supported.
Proposed responsibilities for the residency may be determined by the applicant and their collaborating partner(s) but can include the following: courses, workshops, studios or seminars, advising, mentoring, independent study, presentations to the Penn community, exhibitions, performances, programming, and other forms of public engagement.
The timeline for use of grant funds can be flexible, but 2022–2023 grant cycle awards will not be disbursed until early summer 2023. Therefore, grant awards are intended to support activities taking place during or after summer 2023.
Examples of previously supported projects can be reviewed on our website.

How much can I apply for?

Artist Residency Grant applicants can request up to $25,000. The applying department, program, or center must agree to manage any grant funds awarded if an application is successful.

What do I need to know to apply?

Applicants must submit the Grants Inquiry Form below no later than December 2, 2022.
A link to the full online application (via SlideRoom) will be shared by email once an inquiry form has been submitted.
Completed applications will be due at midnight on February 1, 2023.
Application review meetings are required for Artist Residency Grant applications. Appointments will be available between October 11 and December 13, 2022, with meetings scheduled on Tuesdays from 12 noon–4pm. If Tuesday afternoons do not work for your schedule, we will do our best to find a more suitable time.

Can I submit a draft application for review?

If you would like to submit a draft of your application for review, you may send a copy as a Microsoft Word or simple text document to Sachs Program associate Tamara Suber at suber@upenn.edu.
Draft applications submitted for review must be received before midnight on January 6, 2023.
Draft applications should respond directly to the questions contained in the full online application. A link to the online application (via SlideRoom) will be sent to the email address provided with submission of the Grants Inquiry Form.

Grants Inquiry Form

You must submit a Grants Inquiry Form to receive a link to the full online application. A link to the online application (via SlideRoom) will be sent to the email address provided with submission of the Grants Inquiry Form.

The last day to submit a Grants Inquiry Form is December 2, 2022.

Please note: You will need to submit the Grants Inquiry Form well enough in advance to allow time for scheduling an application review meeting with Sachs Program staff before the December 13, 2022, cutoff date for appointments. (See dates available for scheduled appointments above).

Eligibility and Criteria for Applications

Applicants must seek approval by their department, program, or center, to apply for a Sachs Program Artist Residency Grant. The department, program, or center must agree to manage any grant funds awarded if an application is successful.
The budget for an Artist Residency Grant should include salary support for the artist or curator in residence. If programming is also planned as part of the residency, support for these activities should also be accounted for. The budget should align with and support your end-goals for the proposal.
All Penn partners mentioned in the application, should be informed of the project ahead of time.
A clearly defined plan should be proposed for how the artist/curator in residence will engage with students and other members of Penn and Philadelphia communities, via curriculum, workshops, or programming.
Sachs Program grants are not intended for ongoing support. Priority may be given to applicants or projects that have not been supported by The Sachs Program previously. If a project has been supported by The Sachs Program or another Penn entity previously, the applicant must make a compelling case for why there remains a need for support.
Sachs Program funding is competitive and is not guaranteed.
Applicants with an open Sachs Program grant may apply for support for another project, but only if they have clear plans to finish the first project before the second one begins.
To be eligible for consideration, an application must be an appropriate fit for the category in which it’s submitted. If an application is not an appropriate fit for its category or does not align with Sachs Program priorities for grantmaking, The Sachs Program reserves the right to withdraw submitted applications.
If you are applying for support for equipment or software or other resources that may already be available to you through the University of Pennsylvania, a strong case must be made for why these purchases are necessary for the success of your project.
If you have any questions about the eligibility of your proposal, please contact Sachs Program associate Tamara Suber at suber@upenn.edu.

Evaluation Process

Artist Residency Grant applications are evaluated by a group of committee members, which may include former grantees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members. All deliberations will be guided by Sachs Program grantmaking priorities and criteria.

Award decisions for the 2022–2023 grants cycle will be made in April 2023.

Important Information

A Sachs Program review of an application does not guarantee funding.
The Sachs Program has limited resources and will therefore not be able to fund all requests.
The Sachs Program aims to support projects that meet criteria established for each grant category and align with our priorities for grantmaking. Should a proposal or application not meet the criteria and/or not align with our priorities, Sachs Program staff may recommend that a previously submitted application is withdrawn.
The Sachs Program supports a creative, culturally diverse, and pluralistic Penn community. We are committed to supporting individuals and groups from all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, disabilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.