How to Apply

Sachs Program grantmaking supports innovative arts activities throughout the University of Pennsylvania 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.

The Sachs Program 2022–2023 grants cycle is now closed. Award decisions for Annual Grants applications submitted in the 2022–2023 grants cycle will be made in April 2023. Student Grant award decisions will be made in February 2023.

2022–2023 Grant Opportunities

Student Grants

The Sachs Program offers grant opportunities specifically for University of Pennsylvania students once a year, following a different timeline than our annual grant cycle. Sachs Program Student Grants are offered annually in the fall, and Ben Art Bucks are awarded on a rolling basis.

Ben Art Bucks Grants are quick, accessible grants of up to $250 for students and student groups to support creating or experiencing the arts.
Student Grants provide up to $4,000 to undergraduate and graduate students and student groups for ambitious student-developed and student-driven projects.

Annual Grants

The Sachs Program 2023 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 with student groups.

Alumni Art Awards provide funds to alumni in the arts to further develop their work. Alumni Art Awards are paused for the 2022–2023 grant cycle as we work with alumni to reassess the opportunity for future cycles.
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 in Residence or Curators in Residence.
Community Partnerships Grants provide up $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-profits and organizers.
Curricular Support Grants provide up to $8,000 for pedagogical research for non-standing faculty to develop innovative approaches to teaching that embrace the arts and humanities. This opportunity is not intended to support new courses, but rather research related to courses the faculty member is currently teaching/expected to teach.
Independent Creative Production Grants provide up to $8,000 to faculty and staff to support (partially or fully) the production of their own artistic work.
Project Support Grants provide up to $8,000 to faculty and staff, departments, programs, centers to support performances, exhibitions, visiting artists, programming, and other forms of public engagement. Student groups may also apply in this category in collaboration with a department, program, or center—with the department, program, or center serving as the lead applicant.

Additional Grants

These grant opportunities fall outside of the Sachs Program annual grant cycle and are offered on different timelines. Please visit specific grant opportunity pages to learn how to apply.

Responsive Grant Opportunities provide funding for specific priorities as identified by Sachs staff, board, and other advisors. We are not accepting applications at this time. Details will be shared when a new opportunity is announced.
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. The Sachs Program is briefly pausing its Rolling Grants program as we reassess our process and criteria. Please check back for updates.

First-Year Seminar Grants will resume in spring 2023.

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.

For more information

If you have questions about which Sachs Program grant opportunity most closely aligns with your idea(s), please email us at sachsgrants@gmail.com.

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