Madlener House
4 West Burton Place
Chicago, Illinois 60610
Telephone: 312.787.4071
info@grahamfoundation.org
Criteria for Evaluation
Given the Graham Foundation’s interest in identifying the most promising dissertation projects, the following criteria are taken into consideration during the application review.
The Graham Foundaiton is primarily interested in projects that are original and have the potential to impact the field of architecture:
- Originality: the dissertation demonstrates an innovative, challenging idea; critical, independent thinking; advanced scholarship; a new approach or methodology
- Potential for impact: the dissertation 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
The Foundation also looks for the project’s feasibility and the applicant’s capacity:
- Feasibility: the dissertation project has a sound methodology and clear, realistic goals; a reasonable timeframe for research or writing; available and accessible sources
- Capacity: applicant possesses strong qualifications and/or knowledge and demonstrates ability to complete the dissertation successfully
Eligibility
PhD candidates—students who have completed all required coursework and exams and have had their dissertation proposal formally approved by their academic department—are eligible for nomination by their academic department to apply for the Carter Manny Award.
To apply:
- A PhD candidate must be nominated by their academic department for the Carter Manny Award.
- A department may nominate up to two candidates per cycle: one for the Research Award and one for the Writing Award. To nominate a candidate, an academic department must provide a nomination letter that confirms the candidate’s eligibility for the award, including that the candidate has completed all coursework; advanced to PhD candidacy; and that the proposed dissertation has been formally approved by the department. This letter must be submitted as part of the application.
- A PhD candidate may be renominated for the Carter Manny Award if a previous application was not successful. However, a PhD candidate who received a Research Award or a Writing Award is not eligible to be nominated for another Carter Manny Award.
- The award is open to PhD candidates officially enrolled in schools in the United States and Canada, regardless of citizenship.
Award Types
The Graham Foundation offers two Carter Manny Awards: one for a a PhD candidate at the research stage of the doctoral dissertation and one for a PhD candidate at the writing stage of the doctoral dissertation.
Research Award
The Research Award assists PhD candidates with research that is essential to the doctoral project. The Research Award can be used for travel, documentation, materials, supplies, and other research and development costs. Applicants for a Research Award must articulate research goals through a clearly defined work plan that outlines travel, archival visits, and research methods, among other requirements.
The Research Award is acknowledged with up to $20,000.
Writing Award
The Writing Award supports the timely completion of the PhD by assisting advanced doctoral candidates during the final stages of dissertation writing. While some of the award funds may be used to conclude research, the award is primarily intended to support and facilitate a period of uninterrupted writing. Applicants for a Writing Award must submit a writing sample (excerpt from a dissertation chapter), a dissertation table of contents, and a writing schedule, among other requirements.
The Writing Award is acknowledged with up to $25,000.
Citations of Special Recognition
A limited number of Citations of Special Recognition may be determined in some years in recognition of outstanding projects.
How to Apply
Once a PhD candidate is nominated by their department, an application must be submitted. The annual award cycle is completed per the below calendar.
Calendar for the 2025 Carter Manny Award Cycle
Application available online: September 15, 2024
Application deadline: November 15, 2024, 5 p.m. Central Time
Award decision notification: June 2025
Award period: The one-year award period begins September 1, 2025 for the 2025–26 academic year
Award winners are asked to sign an award agreement that outlines the conditions of the award, such as annual reporting requirements.
Application
Nominated PhD candidates are eligible to submit an application for Carter Manny Award consideration.
- To create an account or to start a new application, click here
- To resume work on your existing application, go to My Account
The Carter Manny Award application requests the following information:
- Applicant nomination letter (from the academic department or program administrator confirming nomination and verifying all coursework is completed; that applicant has advanced to PhD candidacy; and that the proposed dissertation has been formally approved by the department)
- Applicant name, contact information, school affiliation, and program status
- Dissertation title
- One sentence describing the dissertation
- Dissertation abstract (150 word maximum)
- Work plan for research or writing
- Dissertation proposal (750-1,000 word maximum)
- Bibliographic essay (500 word maximum)
- Writing sample (20 page maximum; applicants for the Writing Award must submit a writing sample from the dissertation; applicants for the Research Award are encouraged to submit a writing sample that is related to the dissertation topic)
- Table of contents (1 page maximum. For Writing Award applicants, this is a requirement distinct from the annotated table of contents requested in the Work Plan section of the application. Research applicants may submit a draft of the table of contents, if available.)
- Visuals
- Curriculum vitae (3 page maximum)
- Applicant’s Graham Foundation grant history
Reference Letters: Two letters of reference are required as part of the application.
- A letter of support from the applicant’s thesis advisor
- A letter of support from a reference that can address the dissertation project's scholarly contribution to the field. Ideally, the reference is outside the applicant's institution and is a specialist in the research area
Attachments: Attachments will be uploaded with the application. The maximum size for all attachments combined is 20MB.
Carter Manny Award
Established in 1996 by the Graham Foundation, the Carter Manny Award supports the completion of outstanding doctoral dissertations on architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. As a predoctoral award program dedicated exclusively to architectural scholarship, the Carter Manny Award recognizes emerging scholars whose work promises to challenge and reshape contemporary discourse and impact the field at large. Eligible dissertation projects must focus on architecture, though scholarly investigations may be grounded in a range of academic disciplines and fields of inquiry that align with the mission of the Graham Foundation. These include: architecture and architectural history; art and art history; design; engineering; landscape architecture; urbanism; and other related fields. (See the Overview of Graham Foundation grant programs). The award assists PhD candidates enrolled in graduate programs in architecture, art history, the fine arts, humanities, and the social sciences working on architecture topics.
Each year, the Graham Foundation offers two Carter Manny Awards: one Research Award for a PhD candidate at the research stage of the doctoral dissertation and one Writing Award for a PhD candidate at writing stage of the doctoral dissertation. The Research Award is acknowledged with up to $20,000 and the Writing Award is acknowledged with up to $25,000.
The Carter Manny Awards are selected by a diverse panel of scholars in the fields of inquiry represented by the award.
The Graham Foundation offers this prestigious annual award in honor of Carter H. Manny (1918–2017) and his long and distinguished service to the Graham Foundation. Manny served the Foundation since its inception in 1956, first as a trustee, then as the director from 1971–93, and after his retirement, as director emeritus.
Award Recipients
-
Contagious Places, Curative Spaces: Disease in the Making of Modern Chinese Architecture, 1894–1949
Y. L. Lucy WangDepartment of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University2024 -
Swimming Pools, Civil Rights, and the American City in the 1960s
Arièle Dionne-KrosnickPeter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, McGill University2024 -
Drawing Management: Corporate Organization, International Practice, and the Making of Computer Aided Design
Aaron TobeySchool of Architecture, Doctoral Program in the History and Theory of Architecture, Yale University2023 -
Environmental Conduits in China: Pipe Politics, Fluid Management, and the Rise of the Global Airscape
Jia WengSchool of Architecture, Doctoral Program in the History and Theory of Architecture, Yale University2023 -
The Pan-American Highway Project: Imageries, Infrastructures, and Landscapes of Hemispheric (Dis)Integration, 1923–70
Dicle TaskinA. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan2022 -
Building Commodities: Environments of the Colonial Plantation in East Sumatra, 1869–1942
Robin Hartanto HonggareGraduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University2022 -
Waters and Welfare: Rivers, Infrastructure, and the Territorial Imagination in Grand Ducal Tuscany, 1549–1609
Caroline E. MurphyHistory, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art, Massachusetts Institute of Technology2021 -
Archival Ruins: Dennis Numkena and Hopi Art History
Danya EpsteinMeadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University2021 -
Crafting Expertise: Art and Design Pedagogy and Professional Values at the National Institute of Design in India, 1955–1985
Vishal KhandelwalHistory of Art, University of Michigan2020 -
Tectonics of Development: Mineral Extraction and the Architecture of the University-City in South America, 1945–1975
Giovanna M. Bassi CendraDepartment of Art History, Rice University2020 -
Speaking, Gesturing, Drawing, Building: Relational Techniques of a Kreyòl Architecture
Irene BrissonA. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan2019 -
Kultur of Empire: The Production of Land, the Spirit of Capital, and the German Orient, 1871–1919
Eva SchreinerGraduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University2019 -
Housing Identities: Displaying Race and Environment in Paris, 1870–1892
Kylie R. J. SeltzerDepartment of History of Art and Architecture, University of Pittsburgh2018 -
Stasi as Architectural Producer: Surveillance and Scientific Management in the East German Built Environment, 1961–1989
Emine Seda KayimA. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan2018 -
The Psychotechnical Architect: Perception, Vocation, and the Laboratory Cultures of Modernism, 1914–1945
James GrahamGraduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University2017 -
An Architecture of Uncertainty: Narratives of the Built Environment Under Economic Sanctions in Tehran
Razieh GhorbaniDepartment of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley2017 -
Modernism’s Politics of Land: Settlement Colonialism and Migrant Mobility In the German Empire, from Prussian Poland to German Namibia, 1884–1918
Hollyamber KennedyGraduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University2016 -
Rearing the Royals: Architecture and the Spatialization of Royal Childhood in France, 1499–1610
Elisabeth NarkinDepartment of Art, Art History and Visual Studies , Duke University2016 -
A City Is Not A Picture: Yona Friedman, 1945–2015
Jesse LockardDepartment of Art History, University of Chicago2015 -
A Concrete Alliance: Modernism, Communism, and the Design of Urban France, 1958–1981
Vanessa GrossmanSchool of Architecture, Princeton University2015 -
Citizen Architects: Ethics, Education, and the Construction of a Profession, 1933-2013
Anna GoodmanDepartment of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley2014 -
Embedded Remnants in Modern Architecture: Karl Friedrich Schinkel and the Historiography of Remains
Steven LauritanoDepartment of the History of Art, Yale University2014 -
Modern by Nature: Labor, Provisioning, and Leisure in Viennese Settlements and Allotment Gardens, 1904–1954
Sophie HochhäuslCollege of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Cornell University2013 -
Savage Mind to Savage Machine: Techniques and Disciplines of Creativity, ca. 1880–1985
Ginger NolanGraduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University2013 -
Recombinant Indigeneities: Maori Environmental Design and the Architecture of Biculturalism
Jacob CulbertsonDepartment of Anthropology , University of California, Davis2012 -
German Architecture and Modern Acoustical Science
Joseph L. ClarkeSchool of Architecture, Yale University2012 -
Expert, Artifact, Fact: The Techno-Politics of Architectural Production in French Black Africa, 1945-1975
Yetunde OlaiyaSchool of Architecture, Princeton University2012 -
Ownership, Entrepreneurship, and Identity: The Gens de Couleur Libres and the Architecture of Antebellum New Orleans, 1830-1850
Tara DudleySchool of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin2011 -
Designing Destinations: Hotel Architecture, Urbanism, and American Tourism in Puerto Rico and Cuba since 1898
Erica MorawskiDepartment of Art History, University of Illinois at Chicago2011 -
Alvin Boyarsky's 'Well-Laid Table': Experiments in Architectural Pedagogy
Irene SunwooSchool of Architecture, Princeton University2010 -
The Shape of Utopia: Architectures of Radical Reform in Nineteenth-Century America
Irene ChengGraduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University2010 -
The Informal as a Project: Self-Help Housing in Peru, 1954–1986
Helen GygerColumbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation2009 -
Vision in Motion: Architectural Space Time Notation and the Ecological Perception of Space
Divya Rao HeffleyHistory of Art and Architecture, Brown University2008 -
Wasteland: American Landscapes in/and 1960s Art
Emily Eliza ScottDepartment of Art History, University of California, Los Angeles2007 -
The Modern Church in Rome: Architecture, Theology, and Community, 1945-80
Timothy ParkerSchool of Architecture , University of Texas at Austin2006 -
The Origins of the American School Building: Boston Public School Architecture, 1800-1860
Rachel RemmelDepartment of Art History, University of Chicago2005 -
Seizing the Means of Consumption: Kooperativa Forbundet and the Swedish Home, 1924-1957
Lucy CreaghGraduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University2004 -
Nature and the City: Class, Power, and the Creation of Metropolitan Boston, 1820-1920
Michael RawsonDepartment of History, University of Wisconsin at Madison2003 -
Entertainment for Men: Playboy and the Construction of Masculinity, 1953–1986
Elizabeth FraterrigoDepartment of History, Loyola University Chicago2002 -
The Politics of Food in Modern Morocco
Stacy E. HoldenDepartment of History, Boston University2001 -
The Transformation of the Schoolhouse: American Secondary School Architecture and Educational Reform, 1880-1920
Dale Allen GyureDepartment of Architectural History, University of Virginia2000 -
Painting in Stone: The Symbolic Uses of Coloured Marbles in the Visual Arts from late Antiquity until the Age of Enlightenment
Fabio BarryDepartment of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University1999 -
The Road to Consumption: Outdoor Advertising and the American Cultural Landscape, 1917-1965
Catherine GudisAmerican Studies Program, Yale University1998 -
The Logic of the Bones: Architecture and the Anatomical Sciences at the Museum D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 1789-1889
Paula Young LeeDepartment of Art History, University of Chicago1997 -
Public/Private Geographies: Constructing Order in Chicago's City Streets, 1893-1922
Laura K. SwartzbaughProgram in American Studies, University of Minnesota1996
The Richard Solomon Award for Architectural Journalism
Richard Solomon, director of the Graham Foundation from 1993 to 2005, was a consummate professional whose thoughtful and careful consideration of informed and creative architectural discourse contributed immeasurably to a far-reaching architectural community.
Solomon had a particularly deep interest in architectural journalism. Whether through support of a student publication or an emerging or mature journal in the field, he sought to assure the highest standard and breadth of architectural journalism. This commitment is evident in Solomon's generous bequest of $50,000, in the form of a challenge grant, to the Graham Foundation in support of architectural journalism.
Owing to the generosity and kindness of friends and colleagues of the Graham Foundation, the Foundation is pleased to announce that the challenge was met and surpassed. The Graham Foundation is working to establish the Richard Solomon Award for Architectural Journalism.
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 2026 Grants to Individuals Cycle
FIRST STAGE
Inquiry Form Available: July 15, 2025
Inquiry Form Deadline: September 15, 2025, 5 p.m. (Central Time)
SECOND STAGE
Proposal Form Invitation: December 2025–January 2026
Proposal Form Submission: February 2026
AWARD STAGE
Grant Decision Notification: May 30, 2026
Earliest Project Start Date: June 15, 2026
Inquiry Form
Eligible individuals interested in applying for a grant from the Graham Foundation must first submit an Inquiry Form. Only one Inquiry Form may be submitted per year. 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.
To create a grant application account or to start a new Inquiry Form, click here
To resume work on your existing Inquiry Form, go to My Account
The deadline to submit an Inquiry Form is September 15, 2024, 5 p.m. Central Time.
Calendar for 2025 Grants to Individuals Cycle
FIRST STAGE
Inquiry Form Available: July 31, 2024
Inquiry Form Deadline: September 15, 2024, 5 p.m. (Central Time)
SECOND STAGE
Proposal Form Invitation: December 2024–January 2025
Proposal Form Submission: February 2025
AWARD STAGE
Grant Decision Notification: May 30, 2025
Earliest Project Start Date: June 15, 2025
Eligibility
The Graham Foundation grantmaking programs focus on supporting individuals and organizations in the United States, however, the Foundation also awards grants internationally. Note that regardless of where a supported grant project originates, all final products must 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; a collaborator is defined as a coauthor of the project, not a participant who is providing contracted services for the project
- 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 organization to apply for and receive funding under the aegis of the organization (e.g. a faculty member of an academic institution) may use a fiscal agent
Fiscal Agent:
The Graham Foundation does not require individuals to have a fiscal agent. However, individuals working on independent projects who are required by their organization to apply for and receive funding under the aegis of the organization (e.g., a faculty member of an academic institution) may use a fiscal agent. Individuals that require a fiscal agent must follow all guidelines, eligibility requirements, and deadlines for Grants to Individuals. If invited to the second stage of review, applicants must indicate the intention to use a fiscal agent on the Proposal Form.
Ineligible Costs:
- Endowment
- General operating expenses (e.g. indirect costs)
- Capital projects
- Scholarship aid or work in pursuit of an academic degree; note: advanced doctoral candidates may be eligible for nomination to the Graham Foundation Carter Manny Award program
- Work focused exclusively on secondary education audiences or younger (K–12)
- Debt or expenses incurred prior to the Graham Foundation grant funding period
Priorities and Criteria
For individuals, Graham Foundation grant priorities are to:
- Provide opportunities to create, develop, and communicate challenging ideas about architecture and the designed environment
- Support efforts to take positions, develop new forms of expression, engage debate around architecture and related fields, and reach new and broader audiences
- Contribute to an applicant’s creative, intellectual, and professional growth at a
crucial or potentially transformative career stage - Amplify emerging and underrecognized perspectives in architecture and design by giving priority to first-time applicants
Criteria for Evaluation
Projects with the greatest potential for funding directly connect to the Graham Foundation's mission to explore ideas in architecture and 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
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.
How to Apply
The Graham Foundation’s application for Grants to Organizations is an open submission, single-stage process. The review is very competitive, as many more applications are received than the Graham is able to fund. Funding decisions are based on eligibility; alignment of the proposed project to Graham Foundation grant priorities and criteria for evaluation; and availability of grant funds.
Application: Eligible organizations interested in applying for a grant from the Graham Foundation must submit an application. The application is available on the Foundation’s website for each annual open call period and must be submitted online.
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 2025 Grants to Organizations cycle
Application available online: January 15, 2025
Application deadline: February 25, 2025, 5 p.m. Central Time
Grant decision notification: by June 30, 2025
Earliest project start date: September 15, 2025
Application
The application deadline for the Graham Foundation’s 2025 Grants to Organizations is February 25, 2025, 5 p.m. Central Time. Organizations with eligible projects are invited to apply for funding consideration for projects that begin after September 15, 2025.
To start an application, applicants must establish an account with an email address and a password.
Please note the application is comprehensive and applicants are encouraged to review the requirements well ahead of the deadline. For convenience, a printer-friendly version of the form (including all fields, questions, and requirements) is available through a link on the form, accessible when an applicant is logged into the account.
When registering for a grant application account, applicants should use an email address at their organization that is frequently used and monitored. The email address will also be the primary form of correspondence throughout the application process. If a grant is awarded, grantees will continue to maintain and access the account throughout the duration of the award for functions such as grant reporting.
Application for 2025 Grants to Organizations
- To create a grant application account or to start a new application, click here
- To resume work on your existing application, go to My Account
The application requests the following information:
- Organizational information, including the organization's Graham Foundation grant history
- Project title
- One-sentence project description
- Project abstract (150 words)
- Project statement (350 words)
- Project start date and end date (Production and Presentation Grants must be completed within two years.
- Work plan and project timeline
- Biography for project author/artist and for project collaborators
- Project production and presentation specifications
- Names of two references
Attachments (Uploaded with the application.)
- Organizational budget (One page maximum)
- Organizational nonprofit documentation
- Project budget
- Work samples
- Images related to the project
Calendar for 2025 Grants to Organizations cycle
Application available online: January 15, 2025
Application deadline: February 25, 2025, 5 p.m. Central Time
Grant decision notification: by June 30, 2025
Earliest project start date: September 15, 2025
Eligibility
The Graham Foundation grantmaking programs focus on supporting individuals and organizations in the United States, however, the Foundation also awards grants internationally. Note that regardless of where a supported grant project originates, all final products must be disseminated in English.
Grants to Organizations:
- Organizations are eligible to apply for Production and Presentation Grants
- 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations are eligible for funding; uder some circumstances grants are made 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 may only apply for one grant per year; in the case of large institutions with multiple schools or departments, a subsidiary may apply for one grant per year, e.g. multiple departments within a university may apply within the same grant cycle, but only one application per department may be submitted
- Applicants who have received prior Graham Foundation support must have satisfied all grant requirements before applying again
Ineligible Costs:
- Endowment
- General operating expenses (e.g. indirect costs)
- Capital projects
- Scholarship aid or work in pursuit of an academic degree; note: advanced doctoral candidates may be eligible for nomination to the Graham Foundation Carter Manny Award program
- Work focused exclusively on secondary education audiences or younger (K–12)
- Debt or expenses incurred prior to the Graham Foundation grant funding period
Priorities and Criteria
For organizations, funding 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 efforts to take risks in programming and create opportunities for experimentation
- Recognize the vital role organizations play in providing individuals with a public forum in which to present their work
- Help organizations to realize projects that would otherwise not be possible without Graham Foundation support
Overall, the Graham Foundation is most interested in opportunities that align with the above priorities, further the mission of the Foundation, and enable critical support at key points in the development of a project or career.
Criteria for Evaluation
Projects with the greatest potential for funding directly connect to the Graham Foundation's mission to explore ideas in architecture and 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 the fields of architecture and design; 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 Production and Presentation grants to organizations.
These grants assist organizations 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.
Grant amount: Production and Presentation grants to organizations do not exceed $30,000 and are likely to be much less. 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.
Applications for Publication Support: Unless the applicant is a publisher, an organization applying for a publication grant must have a committed publisher for the work, confirmed by a signed publication agreement.
Carter H. Manny
Richard Solomon
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