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Announcing the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation 2022 Grant Cycle

October 4, 2021

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation is happy to announce the opening of our 2021–2022 grant cycle. We are offering six annual grant categories this year, including two new opportunities to support alumni and community partnerships. And like last year, we are offering student grants on a biannual basis – with one deadline in December 2021 and another in March 2022.

We are also happy to share the creation of a program mission statement. This mission statement and newly revised priorities reflect the values of the Sachs Program and its Advisory Board, as well as our goals for supporting Penn’s creative community now and into the future.


How to Apply

IMPORTANT: Please note the first step in applying for any grant opportunity is to schedule a meeting with Sachs Program staff.

Deadlines for Fall Student Grants

  • November 12, 2021 — deadline to schedule a meeting to discuss your application (required)
  • December 3, 2021 — application submission deadline

Deadlines for Annual Grants

  • December 8, 2021 — deadline to schedule a meeting to discuss your application (required)
  • February 4, 2022 — application submission deadline

Complete information on all grant opportunities and guidelines can be found on the Sachs Program website.

  • How to Apply
  • Important Deadlines
  • Eligibility
  • Priorities
  • Criteria

If you’re interested in applying, even if you’re not quite sure yet what to apply for, we encourage you to reach out. The best way to do so is to submit an inquiry through the individual grant pages on our website. You can easily access these by clicking through the links below.

We’re happy to talk through your ideas with you and guide you through the application process.


Student Grants

Student Grants are offered twice annually.

  • Student Grants provide up to $4,000 to individual undergraduate and graduate students and informal groups, for large, ambitious projects.

Annual Grants

The 2022 Annual Grants include a range of opportunities to support faculty and staff, formal student groups, alumni, departments, programs and centers, and collaborations with community partners. 

  • Alumni Art Awards provide up to $3,000 to alumni in the arts to further develop their work.
  • Artist Residency Grants provide up to $25,000 to departments, programs, and centers to support an emerging or mid-career artist as a Fellow, Artist in Residence, or Curator in Residence.
  • Community Partnership Grants provide up $15,000 to support collaborations between Penn programs, departments and centers, and community arts and civic organizations.
  • Curricular Support Grants provide up to $8,000 for innovative approaches to teaching that embrace the arts and humanities.
  • Independent Creative Production Grants provide up to $8,000 to faculty and staff for independent artistic projects.
  • Project Grants provide up to $8,000 to faculty and staff,  departments, programs, centers, and formal student groups to support visiting artists, performances, exhibitions, events, or other projects that engage audiences within and beyond the Penn community.

Additional Support

Additional support for arts activities is provided through our Ben Art Bucks program, First-Year Seminar Grants, and Rolling Grants, which fall outside of our annual grant cycle and are offered on different timelines. Please visit specific grant opportunity pages to learn how to apply.

  • Ben Art Bucks Grants are quick, accessible grants of up to $250 for students and student groups to support creating or experiencing the arts.
  • 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.
  • Rolling Grants provide up to $3,000 to faculty, staff, departments, programs, and centers, to support arts activities that fall outside of our annual grant cycle. Grants are offered on a rolling basis, as funds allow.

We are not offering a Responsive Grant Opportunity at this time. The Sachs Program is committed to responding to issues of priority for the community. In order to determine how to effectively do so moving forward, the Sachs Program is working to convene an advisory committee for our Responsive Grant Opportunities to identify priorities and determine the best approach for support. We will share updates when they become available.


Thank You

We thank you for your interest in the Sachs Program and for all the important ways that you contribute to Penn’s and to Philadelphia’s creative communities. Please let us know if you have any questions and please share this announcement with your students, colleagues, and peers.

Chloe Reison, Associate Director
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation

 

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation

John McInerney (he/him)
Executive Director
215-573-0874
mcinernj@upenn.edu

Chloe Reison (she/her)
Associate Director
215-573-2159
reison@upenn.edu

Elizabeth Shaw (she/her)
Administrative Assistant
215-898-5930
elizshaw@upenn.edu

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation offices are located at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania.

3680 Walnut Street
Philadelphia PA

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