How to Apply

Sachs Program grantmaking supports innovative arts activities throughout the University of Pennsylvania community, providing funding to Penn faculty, staff, students, departments, programs, and centers.

Grant awards range in amount, with the largest being $25,000, and fund a wide variety of activities aligned with the funder’s vision to support teaching art, making art, and presenting art, as well as their aim to provide Penn students with increased access to the arts.

The 2025 Sachs Program grant cycle is now closed.

We are not accepting applications for Annual or Student Grants at this time. Award decisions for Annual Grants applications submitted in the 2025 grant cycle will be made in March 2025. Student Grant award decisions will be made in February 2025.

2025 Grant Opportunities

Student Grants

The Sachs Program offers grant opportunities specifically for University of Pennsylvania students, which follow slightly different schedules than our annual grant cycle. Sachs Program Student Grants are offered once annually, and Ben Art Bucks are awarded on a rolling basis when available.

Student Grants provide up to $3,500 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.
Ben Art Bucks Grants are currently paused.

Annual Grants

The Sachs Program 2025 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 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 partnerships with community arts and civic organizers and non-profit organizations.
Curricular Support Grants provide up to $3,500 to non-standing faculty for the implementation of arts-based activities in a course that is currently running or expected to run or for research and professional development related to a course they are teaching.
Independent Creative Production Grants provide up to $7,500 to faculty and staff to support (partially or fully) the production of their own artistic work.
Project Support Grants provide up to $7,500 to faculty and staff, departments, programs, and centers to support engagement with the arts and humanities through projects directed towards the Penn community or broader public.
Alumni Art Awards are currently paused.

Additional Grants

Additional grant opportunities are available on different schedules outside of the Sachs Program annual grant cycle.

First-Year Seminar Grants provide up to $2,500 to anyone teaching a first-year seminar to support arts activities and arts-driven pedagogy within their course and are administered in partnership with the College of Arts & Sciences.
Responsive Grant Opportunities provide funding for specific priorities identified by Sachs Program staff, board, and other advisors. We are not accepting applications for Responsive Grants at this time.
Rolling Grants are currently paused. Rolling Grants provide up to $1,500 to faculty, staff, departments, programs, and centers to support arts activities that fall outside the schedule of our annual grant cycle.

For More Information

If you have questions about which Sachs Program grant opportunity most closely aligns with your idea, please email Sachs Program Associate Director Chloe Reison at reison@upenn.edu.

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