G R A N T   G U I D E L I N E S

The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts offers two types of grants: Production and Presentation Grants to individuals and organizations and Research and Development Grants to individuals.

Grants to organizations: The next grant application deadline for organizations is February 25, 2010. After reviewing the grant guidelines below, go to the Inquiry Form section.

Grants to individuals:
The next application deadline for individuals is September 15, 2010. The Inquiry Form for this deadline will be available online by July 15, 2010.

MISSION
The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts makes project-based grants to individuals and organizations and produces public programs to foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society.

OUR FOCUS AND PRIORITIES
Architecture and related spatial practices engage a wide range of cultural, social, political, technological, environmental, and aesthetic issues. We are interested in projects that investigate the contemporary condition, expand historical perspectives, or explore the future of architecture and the designed environment.

We support innovative, thought-provoking investigations in architecture; architectural history, theory, and criticism; design; engineering; landscape architecture; urban planning; urban studies; visual arts; and related fields of inquiry. Our interest also extends to work being done in the fine arts, humanities, and sciences that expands the boundaries of thinking about architecture and space. In an effort to bridge communities and different fields of knowledge, we support a wide range of practitioners (such as architects, scholars, critics, writers, artists, curators, and educators) and organizations (such as non-profit galleries, colleges and universities, publishers, and museums).

Open discourse is essential to advance study and understanding, therefore our grantmaking focuses on the public dissemination of ideas. With our support, the work of individuals and organizations reaches new audiences, from specialized to general, and creates opportunities for critical dialogue between various publics.

The Graham Foundation’s Production and Presentation Grants support individuals and organizations in the conceptualization and implementation of projects for the public realm. These may include, but are not limited to, publications, exhibitions, installations, conferences, films, new media projects, and other public programs. We also offer Research and Development Grants to individuals.

For individuals, our priorities are to:

• Provide opportunities to create, develop, and communicate a project about architecture and the designed environment that will contribute to their creative, intellectual, and professional growth at crucial or potentially transformative stages in their careers.
• Support their efforts to take positions, develop new forms of expression, and engage debate.
• Help them communicate their work in the public realm and reach new and wider audiences.
• Support new voices by giving priority to first-time applicants.

For organizations, our priorities are to:

• Assist with the production and presentation of significant programs about architecture and the designed environment in order to promote dialogue, raise awareness, and develop new and wider audiences.
• Support them in their effort to take risks in programming and create opportunities for experimentation.
• Recognize the vital role they play in providing individuals with a public forum in which to present their work.
• Help them to realize projects that would otherwise not be possible without our support.

Overall we are most interested in opportunities which enable us to provide critical support at key points in the development of a project or career.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
Given our priorities, we believe projects of the greatest potential should fulfill the following criteria:

• Originality: the project demonstrates an innovative, challenging idea; critical, independent thinking; advanced scholarship; a new or experimental approach
• Potential for impact: the project makes a meaningful contribution to discourse and/or to the field; expands knowledge; is a catalyst for future inquiry; raises awareness of an understudied issue; promotes diversity in subject matter, participants, and audience
• Feasibility: the project has clear and realistic goals, timeframe, work plan, and budget
• Capacity: applicant possesses strong qualifications and/or knowledge; demonstrates ability to carry out the project successfully; has access to necessary resources outside of the grant request

GRANT TYPES
The Graham Foundation offers two types of grants: Production and Presentation Grants to individuals and organizations and Research and Development Grants to individuals.

Production and Presentation Grants to Individuals and Organizations

These grants assist individuals and organizations with the production-related expenses that are necessary to take a project from conceptualization to realization and public presentation. These projects may include, but are not limited to, publications, exhibitions, installations, conferences/lectures, films, new media projects, and other public programs. Projects must have clearly defined goals, work plans, budgets, and production and dissemination plans. 

Committed Producers: Individuals applying for Production and Presentation Grants should have a Committed Producer(s) for the project, that is, an entity committed to producing and/or presenting the project with the individual, such as a publisher, exhibition venue, etc.  Individuals advanced to the Stage Two/Proposal Form will be asked to provide a letter from their Committed Producer.  Individuals who do not have a Committed Producer at the time of application will have the opportunity to explain plans to produce and present the project.

Grant amount: Production and Presentation Grants to individuals do not exceed $20,000 and are likely to be less; Production and Presentation Grants to organizations do not exceed $30,000 and are likely to be less. Given the demand for funding, the Graham Foundation is not always able to fund grantees at the full request amount.

Grant period: Production and Presentation Grants must be completed within two years. Applicants should allow sufficient time to plan, implement, close out their project, and, if funded, acknowledge Graham Foundation support in all printed media.

Research and Development Grants to Individuals

Though the majority of our grantmaking focuses on Production and Presentation Grants, we recognize that projects may require support at early stages of formation. Research and Development Grants assist individuals with seed money for research-related expenses such as travel, documentation, materials, supplies, and other development costs. Projects must have clearly defined goals, work plans and budgets.

Upon completion of research projects, recipients of Research and Development Grants must complete a research report and provide documentation that can be archived at the Graham Foundation and/or presented on our Web site.

A recipient of a Research and Development Grant is eligible to apply for a Production and Presentation Grant for the same project once the first grant has been satisfied, however, future funding is not guaranteed.

Grant amount: Research and Development Grants to individuals do not exceed $10,000 and are likely to be less. Given the demand for funding, the Graham Foundation is not always able to fund grantees at the full request amount.

ELIGIBILITY
Our grantmaking focuses on individuals and organizations in the United States, however, we do make a small percentage of international grants. Please note we require that final projects be disseminated in English.

Grants to Individuals:

• Individuals are eligible to apply for Production and Presentation Grants and Research and Development Grants.
• Collaborative projects by individuals are eligible for funding. Go to Collaborative Projects by Individuals for more information.
• Individuals may only apply for one grant per year.
• Applicants who have received prior Graham Foundation support must have satisfied all grant requirements before applying again.
• Individuals working on independent projects who are required by their organizations to apply for and receive funding under the aegis of the organization (e.g., a faculty member of an academic institution) should go to Fiscal Sponsorship.

Grants to Organizations:

• Organizations are eligible to apply for Production and Presentation Grants.
• 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations are eligible for funding. Under some circumstances we will make grants to other entities when there is clear evidence that the public interest will be served, for example, in the case of a publisher or an emerging organization that does not yet have tax exempt status.
• An organization or academic department/unit may only apply for one grant per year. (In the case of large institutions with multiple departments, a subsidiary department/unit may apply for one grant per year. For example, an academic department/unit at a university may apply for one grant per year.)
• Applicants who have received prior Graham Foundation support must have satisfied all grant requirements before applying again.

Collaborative Projects by Individuals
Collaborative projects by individuals are eligible for funding. A collaborator is defined as a co-author of the project. A collaborator is not a participant who is providing contracted services for the project.

If you are a collaborative of individuals applying for a grant, you should submit an Inquiry Form for Collaborative Projects by Individuals.

Fiscal Sponsorship
The Graham Foundation does not require fiscal sponsorship. However, in the event that an organization requires an individual employee working on an independent project to apply for and receive funding under the aegis of the organization (e.g., a faculty member of an academic institution), the organization may serve as a fiscal sponsor.

For individuals: Individuals that require fiscal sponsorship must follow all guidelines, eligibility requirements, and deadlines for Grants to Individuals. Applicants must indicate on the Inquiry Form that they have a fiscal sponsor.
For organizations: There is no limit to the number of individuals an organization may sponsor. Sponsored applications do not count as an organization’s one annual application. Please note that we do not pay overhead for fiscal sponsorship.

Ineligible Costs:

• Endowment
• General operating expenses
• Capital projects
• Scholarship aid or work in pursuit of an academic degree (advanced doctoral candidates are eligible to apply for the Carter Manny Award)
• Debt or expenses incurred prior to the date of grant request

HOW TO APPLY

The Graham Foundation’s application is a two-stage process and is open submission. The review is a very competitive process as we receive many more applications than we are able to fund. Funding decisions at all stages of the review are based on:

• Priority of the proposed project as related to our mission and interests
• The project’s fulfillment of our criteria for evaluation
• Availability of Graham Foundation funds

Stage One/Inquiry Form: Eligible candidates interested in applying for a grant from the Graham Foundation must first submit an Inquiry Form. The Inquiry Form is available on our web site and must be submitted electronically.

Stage Two/Proposal Form: After Inquiry Forms are reviewed, applicants whose projects best match our priorities and interests are invited to submit a Proposal Form and supplementary materials. Applicants who are not invited to submit a Proposal Form are sent a decline letter at this stage.

The Proposal Form is made available to invited applicants and must be submitted electronically. Graham Foundation staff may contact applicants with questions or to request additional information during the review. An invitation to submit a Proposal Form does not guarantee eventual funding. Please note that we cannot accept proposals other than those invited.

Award Decision: Funding recommendations are presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration. If a grant is awarded to you, you will be asked to sign a Grant Agreement that outlines the conditions of the award, such as annual reporting.

DEADLINES

For Individuals (fall 2009 grant cycle, in progress)
Grant decision: March 2010

For Organizations (spring 2010 grant cycle)
Inquiry Form available online beginning: January 7, 2010
Inquiry Form deadline: February 25, 2010

For Individuals (fall 2010 grant cycle)
Inquiry Form available online beginning: July 15, 2010
Inquiry Form deadline: September 15, 2010

INQUIRY FORM

Eligible organizations interested in applying for a grant from the Graham Foundation must submit an Inquiry Form. Applicants whose projects best match our priorities and interests are invited to advance to the second stage of review and submit a Proposal Form and supplementary materials.

• To start a new Inquiry Form for Organizations, you will need to create a grant application account with an email address and a password. To begin, go to the Inquiry Form for Organizations.
• If you have already created a grant application account, go to My Account.

The online Inquiry Form for Organizations will request the following information:

• Organization's name and contact information
• Organization's mission
• Organization's Graham Foundation grant history (past five grants)
• Organization's annual budget
• Project title and project abstract
• Project start and end dates (Any work to be funded by the Graham Foundation must start after August 31, 2010. Production and Presentation Grants must be completed within two years.)
• Project budget, request amount, and list of additional funding sources
• Project statement (500 words)
• Biographical narratives for project lead and project collaborators that identify the project role and outline relevant background and qualifications
• Work plan and project timeline
• Project production specifications
• Names of two people from whom letters of reference will be requested if applicant is advanced to the second stage review (note that letters will only be required at the second stage review)

Attachments (The maximum size for attachments combined is 2MB):

• One-page project budget that includes income and expenses (no more than 30% of total project request may be directed to compensation of organizational staff)
• Organizational budget for the current fiscal year
• Curriculum vitae/resume for project lead
• Work samples, such as writing samples and images