How to Apply
The Sachs Program’s grantmaking supports innovative arts activities throughout the Penn community, providing funding to Penn faculty, staff, students, alumni, departments, programs, and centers.
Grants range from $250 to $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.
2020/2021 Grant Opportunities
Current funding opportunities are outlined below. Please sign up for our newsletter to stay informed of important deadlines and additional updates.
Student Grants
We are no longer accepting new inquiries for our spring 2021 Student Grants. If you have any questions, please email us. New Student Grant deadlines will be announced in the fall of 2021.
Our Ben Art Bucks program is back open!
- Student Grants support large, ambitious undergraduate and graduate student-driven projects and provide up to $4,000.
- Ben Art Bucks Grants are quick accessible grants of up to $250 for students and student groups to support creating or experiencing the arts.
Annual Grants
The 2021 Annual Grants cycle is now closed. If you have any questions, please email us. Our annual process will reopen this fall for the 2022 grant cycle. For information on additional support opportunities, please see the Additional Grants section below.
- Curricular Support Grants provide up to $8,000 for innovative approaches to teaching that embrace the arts and humanities.
- Project Grants provide up to $8,000 for visiting artists, performances, exhibitions, events, or projects that engage audiences within and beyond the Penn community.
- Independent Creative Production Grants provide up to $8,000 to faculty and staff for independent artistic projects.
- Artist Residency Grants provide up to $25,000 to departments, programs, and/or centers to support an emerging or mid-career artist as a Fellow, Artist in Residence, Curator in Residence or Professor of Practice.
Additional Grants
These grant opportunities fall outside our annual grant cycle and are offered either on a rolling or bi-annual basis. Visit specific grant opportunity pages to learn how to apply.
- First-Year Seminar Grants arts activities and arts-driven pedagogy within and related to freshman seminars, providing up to $2500. Provided in partnership with the College of Arts & Sciences.
- Responsive Grant Opportunities provide funding for specific priorities as identified by Sachs staff, board and other advisors. Generally open to all Penn community members including alumni and students. Opportunities are announced as they become available.
- Rolling Grants are available as funds allow; providing up to $3,000 to support faculty, staff, departments, programs, centers.
If you have questions about which grant opportunity most closely aligns with your idea(s), please feel free to email or call at sachsgrants@gmail.com or 215-573-0874.