Fellowships & Grants

• For the 2025 Grant Cycle, applicants must be citizens or legal permanent residents of the countries, territories, and regions below: 
  • China (Mainland)
  • Hong Kong SAR
  • Japan
  • Macau SAR
  • Philippines
  • Taiwan ROC
• Must be an arts or cultural organization or a scholar, practicing artist, or arts professional who can demonstrate at least five (5) years in an eligible field. The eligible fields are:
  • Architecture (Design, History, and Theory)
  • Archaeology
  • Art History
  • Arts Administration 
  • Arts Criticism
  • Conservation
  • Crafts
  • Curation
  • Dance
  • Ethnomusicology
  • Film/Video/Photography
  • Literature
  • Museum Studies
  • Music
  • Theater
  • Visual Art
• Grants should be aligned with ACC’s mission of advancing mutual respect and understanding through cultural exchange. 
• Applicants can only apply for one (1) grant type per cycle.
• Applicants must not have received an ACC grant in the past two (2) calendar years.
• Fellowship and grant activities and travel must begin and end within the grant period: August 1, 2025 – December 31, 2026.
• ACC funding supports only activities that take place during the travel period proposed in the application.
• Applicants who wish to travel to the U.S. for a New York Fellowship or Individual Fellowship  must obtain a J-1 visa (ACC will sponsor the J-1 visa) and thus, per Title 22 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, they must be able to demonstrate sufficient proficiency in the English language (i.e. the applicant can speak, read, and write in English at a level that enables them to navigate the U.S., communicate with others, and conduct their fellowship activities independently).
• Grantees are expected to be self-sufficient, independent, resourceful, curious, and eager to explore outside the boundaries of their artistic training and to engage with new cultures and communities. Grantees should conduct their activities in a respectful and open manner regarding the distinct cultures, communities, and histories that make up the countries, territories, or regions they visit.

• Activities
  • Activities taking place outside the applicable grant periods (see above) 
  • Promotional activities and services, including but not limited to travel, public relations, and marketing
  • Activities focused on commercial and industrial design or activities incorporating commercial activity of any kind
  • Proposals to exclusively and plainly attend or participate in workshops, festivals, conferences, residency programs, etc.  (ACC does not offer “travel grants”)
• Administration
  • ACC does not provide visas or funding for spouses, partners, children, and/or other family members
• Costs/Expenses
  • Production-based costs (e.g.: producing a new work, touring, performances, exhibitions
  • Capital and equipment purchases
  • Expenses and/or direct costs to organize or support events, including but not limited to, performances, exhibitions, fundraising, book publishing, and receptions
  • Expenses to support or fund arts in K-12 (elementary school through high school) education
  • Tuition expenses including Graduate, Undergraduate, and/or secondary school tuition
  • Funding to support regranting programs

• Applications Accepted:  October 1 – November 18, 2024
• Application Deadline: November 18, 2024, at 11:59 PM U.S. Eastern Standard Time.
• Selection (Panel review and interviews): November 19, 2024 – April 30, 2025
• Board Approval: Mid-May 2025
• Notification to Grantee: Mid-May 2025
• Please note there may be additional steps for each ACC affiliate office

Applications are reviewed using the following selection criteria (listed in the order of importance):

• Alignment with ACC’s mission to advance greater mutual understanding and respect through cultural exchange
• Critical time in the applicant’s career 
• Quality of proposal (feasibility, clarity, and impact)
• Artistic/professional merit
• Ability to communicate in destination country/territory/region (mandatory for New York Fellowship and Individual Fellowships to the U.S.)

• ACC invites regional, national, and international experts in a wide range of disciplines to serve in our review process.
• Panelist names are made public at the discretion of each ACC affiliate office.

• ACC asks that applicants do not submit names of recommenders or references who they know to be ACC trustees, staff, or donors (see ACC staff and trustee pages for ACC’s office in New York and affiliate offices in Hong Kong SAR, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan ROC).
• Each application will ask applicants to sign a conflict-of-interest statement whereby applicants attest that, to the best of their knowledge, the recommender and references provided are not ACC trustees, staff, or donors.

• According to ACC, what does “cultural exchange” mean?
  • There is no single way to define or exercise cultural exchange. ACC understands cultural exchange as involving dialogue, learning, and sharing between different cultures. Successful cultural exchange can improve understanding of oneself and the world around them, generate new ideas and ways of doing things, and cultivate community and relationships across borders.
• Can I travel to the United States on a short-term visa (e.g. B-1 or B-2 visa)?
  • No, all grantees who receive a New York Fellowship or an Individual Fellowship to travel to the U.S. must travel on a J-1 Visa. ACC will sponsor a J-1 Visa except for Graduate Fellows, who must obtain a F-1 Visa through their university. ACC does not sponsor visas for Organization Grant recipients.
• I have received ACC funding in the past. Am I eligible to reapply?
  • Yes, past grant recipients are eligible to apply again. Alumni may apply in any grant type, with the following exceptions:
    1. Alumni of the ACC New York Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again for a New York Fellowship.
    2. Alumni who have received a 6-month Fellowship or similarly large grant in the past are not likely to be awarded another grant of comparable size.
    3. Alumni are not eligible for a grant if they have received a grant from ACC in the past two (2) calendar years.
• Can I apply for more than one grant type in one cycle?
  • No, please only apply and submit one (1) application for the entire grant cycle.
• My question was not answered here. Can I email ACC to request more information?
  • If you have a question about the guidelines, eligibility, or substance of your application, please contact the relevant ACC affiliate office listed below:
    • ACC Hong Kong (for citizens and permanent residents of China (Mainland), Hong Kong SAR, and Macau SAR)
      • Email: acc@acc.org.hk
    • ACC Japan (for citizens and permanent residents of Japan)
      • Email:  application@accjpn.org
    • ACC Philippines (for citizens and permanent residents of the Philippines)
      • Email: accphilippines@gmail.com 
    • ACC Taiwan (for citizens and permanent residents of Taiwan ROC)
      • Email: info@acctf.org
  • If you have a technical question about the application or using GoApply to submit an application, please email application@accny.org.
• Can I submit an application for a virtual experience?
  • No. ACC acknowledges that in the past, we have funded virtual/digital experiences due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions. Moving forward, we will only fund in-person experiences as they best serve our mission of cultural exchange.
• If ACC awards me a grant, may I change my proposed travel dates?
  • ACC expects that grantees will commit to their proposed travel dates. However, grantees may submit a request to change their travel dates at least 30 days prior to their first day of travel. Please note the following:
    • ACC retains full discretion when reviewing change requests.
    • Reductions in travel duration may result in reductions in the grant amount.
    • Grantees are only allowed one (1) date change request per grant cycle.
    • ACC will not consider date change requests within 30 days of the original travel start date unless the grantee has an urgent medical or family emergency.
  • Failure to meet the above terms may result in cancellation of the grant.