grants for individuals
Grant Types
The Graham Foundation offers two types of grants to individuals: Production and Presentation grants and Research and Development grants.
Production and Presentation:
Production and Presentation grants support projects that advance critical discourse on architecture and related fields and engage public audiences. These grants assist with expenses necessary to realize and publicly present projects such as exhibitions, installations, films, videos, new media and web-based initiatives, publications, and other public programs.
Applicants must have a committed producer in place when the Inquiry Form is submitted. A committed producer is an entity that has agreed to produce and/or present the project. Applicants invited to submit a Proposal Form must provide written confirmation of this commitment.
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:
Research and Development grants support research and development activities that advance a project or idea. Eligible expenses may include travel, archival research, documentation, materials, supplies, and other development costs.
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.
For individuals, the Graham Foundation prioritizes projects that:
Create, develop, and communicate significant ideas about architecture and the designed environment
Support creative, intellectual, and professional growth at a crucial or potentially transformative moment
Take positions, develop forms of expression, and engage debate around architecture and related fields
Bring work into the public realm and reach new or wider audiences
Amplify emerging and underrecognized perspectives in architecture and design, with particular attention to first-time applicants
Overall, the Foundation is most interested in projects that align with these priorities, further its mission, and provide critical support at key moments in a project’s development.
Criteria for Evaluation
Applications are reviewed holistically, with attention to the project’s aims, context, and scale relative to the applicant’s experience and resources. In assessing proposals, reviewers consider 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 in architecture and related fields; expands knowledge; serves as a catalyst for future inquiry; raises awareness of an understudied issue; or broadens the range of subjects, participants, perspectives, and audiences represented.
Feasibility: The project has clear and realistic goals, timeframe, work plan, and budget.
Capacity:The applicant demonstrates the qualifications, knowledge, and ability to carry out the project successfully and has access to the necessary resources beyond the grant request.
How to Apply
The Graham Foundation Grants to Individuals application is an open submission, two-stage process. The review is very competitive and many more applications are received than is possible to fund. Funding decisions at all stages of the review are based on eligibility; alignment of the proposed project to Graham Foundation grant priorities and criteria for evaluation; and availability of grant funds.
Inquiry Form: Eligible individuals interested in applying for a grant from the Graham Foundation must first submit an Inquiry Form. The Inquiry Form is available on the Foundation's website for each annual open call application period and must be submitted online.
Proposal Form: After Inquiry Forms are reviewed, applicants whose projects best match the Graham Foundation grant priorities and criteria for evaluation are invited to submit a Proposal Form and supplementary materials. An invitation to submit a Proposal Form does not guarantee eventual funding. Applicants who are not invited to submit a Proposal Form are declined by email.
Award Decision: Funding recommendations are presented to the Graham Foundation Board of Trustees for consideration. If a grant is awarded, grantees are asked to sign a grant agreement outlining the conditions of the grant, such as annual reporting and acknowledgement of Graham Foundation support within the project.
Calendar for 2027 Grants to Individuals Cycle
FIRST STAGE
Inquiry Form Available: July 17, 2026
Inquiry Form Deadline: September 15, 2026, 5 p.m. (Central Time)
SECOND STAGE
Proposal Form Invitation: December 2026–January 2027
Proposal Form Submission: February 2027
AWARD STAGE
Grant Decision Notification: May 31, 2027
Earliest Project Start Date: June 15, 2027