Applicant Resources

We encourage projects that:

• collectively reflect the full breadth and complexity of American art and its histories through the artists represented, voices included, and stories told
• engage artists, scholars, and communities who present a plurality of perspectives and methods, including intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches
• catalyze inclusive and expansive practices in the field of American art

We have a two-part process for our open application grant programs–Collections, Exhibitions, Convenings.

(1) Grant Inquiry Form

Submit an inquiry form using the link on each program page. After internal review, the foundation may invite you to submit a grant proposal.

(2) Grant Proposal

If invited, prospective applicants submit a grant proposal. Formal proposals and all attachments should be submitted in English. Grant proposals are reviewed by an external panel made up of curators and other arts professionals who reflect a diverse range of backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches.

Staff utilize the feedback of external panels to make grant recommendations to the Board of Directors, which finalizes grants at meetings three times each year.

Those invited to submit formal proposals will be notified within 3–4 weeks of the Inquiry Form due date.

To ensure you receive foundation communications about grant inquiry and proposal status, please add mail (at) grantapplication.com and system (at) fluxx.io to your email server safe sender list.

Grant award timelines vary by program. Generally, grants are awarded within two to five months of the proposal due date.

All inquiry forms and proposals are submitted through our grant portal. Links to apply for our three open application grant programs–Collections, Exhibitions, Convenings–are found on each page. If you would like assistance during the application process, please contact [email protected].

Strategic Initiatives are by invitation only. After conversations with staff about your project, you may be invited to submit a grant proposal, which then follows a process of internal and external review with grant recommendations made to the Board of Directors.

Grant programs are competitive and an invitation to submit a proposal does not guarantee funding at any level.

We do not accept applications for Exhibition Grants from the same institution in two consecutive years.

For example, if you were awarded an Exhibitions Grant in 2023, you can apply for another Exhibitions Grant to be awarded in 2025. However, if you received a research and planning grant only, you may apply for an implementation grant for the same project the following year.

For convenings and education programs connected to temporary exhibitions or permanent collection reinstallations, please apply through the Exhibition Grant program or the Collections Grant program, respectively.

Applying for or receiving a grant in one program area does not disqualify your organization from applying for or receiving a grant in another program area. However, the foundation aims to reach a range of organizations and geographic regions.

If you are seeking support for research and planning, please apply through the applicable grant programs.

• For research and planning support (e.g. convenings, travel, research fellows or assistants, advisory groups) for permanent collection reinstallations or temporary exhibitions drawn primarily from an institution’s permanent collection, apply through Collections.
• For research and planning support (e.g. convenings, travel, research fellows or assistants, advisory groups) for temporary exhibitions not drawn primarily from an institution’s permanent collection, apply through Exhibitions.

Upon receipt of a signed agreement, the first grant payment is typically sent within 8 weeks following grant approval (in accordance with the payment schedule in the grant agreement). Subsequent payments will be sent within 6 weeks of receipt and approval of any scheduled reports. Grant payments are typically made at the end of the month in which payment is scheduled.

For US grants, the foundation works with an external payment vendor to determine the best method to receive grant funding (check, EFT, credit card, etc.). Grantees may receive an email or phone call from our external payment vendor to determine the best form of payment.

International grantees receive payment directly from the Terra Foundation. Foundation staff work with grantees to determine the best form of payment (check, wire transfer, or EFT).

The Terra Foundation currently allows applicants to request that up to 15% of a grant be used for indirect costs. The foundation defines “indirect cost” as a cost incurred for a common or joint purpose that benefits more than one institutional department and is not readily assignable to the funded program(s) without considerable effort.

Examples include:

• General management salaries
• Fundraising
• Organization’s finance function and audit costs
• Human resource administration
• Legal and regulatory compliance
• Utilities, rent, and office supplies

While an applicant organization may request up to 15% of a grant for overhead, the foundation considers project budgets on a case-by-case basis and may not grant the full request.

The grant awarded amount varies based on each project’s scale and scope. Please review our grants and collection loans database or each program page for average grant sizes.

When applying for a proposal from a university museum, please submit administrative documentation applicable to your museum whenever possible. Financial Statements, IRS 990s, and Governing Documents (international applicants only) may come from the university at-large.

The foundation’s grant programs are competitive. The foundation has limited resources and cannot fund every request we receive. While we do not consider the same project more than once, we welcome applications for different projects.

The foundation does not require matching funds.