Artist Residency Grants
Frequently Asked Questions
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 support bringing artists, curators, and collectives (formal or informal) to Penn as artists- 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.
- 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.
How and when do I receive the grant funds?
- Please refer to our general information page about grants disbursements for complete guidelines about receiving grant funds. Understanding these guidelines is important as we cannot guarantee support outside of university-approved options for receiving and managing grant funds.
- The earliest date grant funds may be available is May 2025, though in most cases, they will be available in June or July. This timeline depends on several factors, including response times from grantees and their designated Fiscal Conduit (when applicable).
- Any questions? Please email The Sachs Program Associate Director Chloe Reison at reison@upenn.edu.
What do I need to know to apply?
- The deadline to submit a Grants Inquiry Form for Artist Residency Grants is NOON on Friday, December 6, 2024.
- Applicants 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 when submitting the Grants Inquiry Form.
- Artist Residency Grant applicants must meet with Sachs Program staff before submitting an online application.
- Applicants who would like to receive optional feedback on a draft of their application must submit a Grants Inquiry Form at least one week before the general submission deadline of Friday, December 6, 2024. Draft applications should then be emailed to Elizabeth Shaw at elizshaw@upenn.edu by NOON on Friday, December 6, 2024 to receive feedback before the application deadline. All drafts should respond to the questions included in the SlideRoom application.
- The deadline for submitting completed applications online via SlideRoom is MIDNIGHT on Friday, January 10, 2025.
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 when submitting the Grants Inquiry Form.
The last day to submit a Grants Inquiry Form is December 6, 2024.
Eligibility and Criteria for Applications
- A complete list of general application criteria can be found on the Sachs Program website.
- Applicants must seek approval by their department, program, or center to apply for an Artist Residency Grant. The sponsoring department, program, or center must agree to manage any grant funds awarded if an application is successful.
- Proposed project partners, including artists, should be confirmed whenever possible.
- Sachs Program grants are not intended for ongoing support. Priority may be given to applicants or projects not previously supported by The Sachs Program. 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 must submit their final report before they apply for another Sachs Program grant.
- To be eligible for consideration, an application must be an appropriate fit for the category in which it is 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, 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 Director Chloe Reison at reison@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 2025 grant cycle will be made in March 2025.
Important Information
- A Sachs Program review of an application does not guarantee funding.
- The Sachs Program has limited resources and will, therefore, be unable to fund all requests.
- The Sachs Program aims to support projects that meet the criteria established for each grant category and align with our priorities for grantmaking. Should a proposal or application not meet the criteria 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.