Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts

Founded in 1956, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts fosters the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. The Graham realizes this vision through making project-based grants to individuals and organizations and producing exhibitions, events, and publications.

Grantmaking Focus

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.

Priorities and Criteria

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.
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 and 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

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 becomes available on our website with each grant cycle and must be submitted online.

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 notification at this stage. 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 grant, such as annual reporting.

Grant Types

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

Production and Presentation:

These grants assist individuals with the production-related expenses that are necessary to take a project from conceptualization to realization and public presentation. These projects include, but are not limited to, exhibitions, installations; film/video/new media web initiatives; public programs; and publications.

Projects must have clearly defined goals, work plans, budgets, and production and dissemination plans.

Committed Producers: Individuals applying for Production and Presentation grants must have an agreement in place with a committed producer for the project, that is, an entity committed to producing and/or presenting an individual’s project. Examples of committed producers include museums, publishers, and other entities.

Grant amount: Production and Presentation grants to individuals do not exceed $20,000 and are likely to be less. The average grant amount range for Production and Presentation grants is $5,000 to $15,000. Given the demand for funding, the Graham Foundation is rarely able to fund projects at the full request amount.

Grant period: Production and Presentation grants must be completed within two years of the project start date. Upon completion, grant recipients must complete a grant report. If funded, grantees should allow sufficient time to meet the grant requirements and acknowledge Graham Foundation support in all published media.

Research and Development:

Though the majority of the grantmaking program focuses on Production and Presentation grants, the Graham Foundation recognizes that projects may require support at early stages of formation. Research and Development grants support research-related expenses such as travel, documentation, materials, supplies, and other development costs. Projects must have clearly defined goals, work plans, and budgets.

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 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.

Grant period: Research and Development Grants must be completed within one year. Upon completion, grant recipients must complete a grant report. If funded, grantees should allow sufficient time to meet the grant requirements and acknowledge Graham Foundation support in all published media.