Academic funding is available for symposia, colloquia, and scholarly convenings on American art (pre-1980) that take place:
- In Chicago or outside the United States, or
- In the United States that examine American art within an international context and/or include a significant number of international participants.
| Letter of Inquiry | Proposal | Awards announced |
| March 14, 2013 | June 14, 2013 | Fall 2013 |
| December 16, 2013 | March 5, 2014 | Summer 2014 |
| March 14, 2014 | June 16, 2014 | Fall 2014 |
| December 15, 2014 | March 2, 2015 | Summer 2015 |
Eligibility
The foundation only accepts proposals from institutions with United States 501(c)(3) status or the international equivalent. Grants are not made to individuals.
Other Terra Foundation Academic Initiatives include the following American art residencies and fellowships:
- Terra Summer Residency
- Doctoral and Postdoctoral Research Travel Grants to the United States
- Terra Foundation Fellowships in American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Terra Foundation for American Art Teaching Fellowships and Visiting Professorships at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London; the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art in Paris; John F. Kennedy Institut, Freie Universität in Berlin.
- Terra Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in American Art 1600–1950 at Northwestern University
- Terra Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in pre–1945 American Art at the University of Chicago
- Fellowship programs
- Research databases
- Programs primarily designed for non-academic audiences
- Capital expenditures
- Programs focused on architecture, conservation, or film