We believe that the flexibility of smaller organizations is an asset, and for some small organizations it is neither possible nor desirable to have three years in the future outlined in detail. If you don’t have three years planned out, your focus should be on the consistent ideas or goals that will guide your curatorial decisions during this period. You can incorporate confirmed or pending projects that illustrate this vision.
Teiger Foundation is dedicated to supporting curatorial learning and experimentation. Successful proposals will demonstrate not just the artistic merit of the proposed programming, but a clearly defined and compelling curatorial vision—whether driven by an individual or collaboratively among your organization’s team. We recognize that applicants in this category have a variety of orientations and responsibilities, from guiding the overall mission of their organization to organizing individual projects. In communicating the vision behind your proposal, please articulate your curatorial strategy and explain the proposed programming in the context of your organization’s past work and future goals.
Please consult our FAQ for more information on how applications are evaluated, and our 2023 grantee list for examples of the range of initiatives we support.
*
The four parts of the three years of programming application are described below.
1. Proposed three years of programming
Description
In 1250 words or less, describe your programming plans for the next three years. If you are applying for multiple projects or a series of programs by different curators, please foreground the unified curatorial vision of your program while also offering highlights from each curator’s work and future projects.
+ Why have you chosen to spotlight these particular artists or combinations of artists? Why have you chosen these presentation formats or other initiatives involving artists?
+ Please share some ways you will foster connections between your organization, the artist(s), their work, and your identified community or communities.
+ How does your overall vision and approach fit within a broader spectrum of issues in the field? Are there other curatorial projects and/or small organizations you have witnessed or experienced that influence your and your colleagues' thinking, or pressing dialogues you want to engage?
+ Do your next three years include plans for internal collaborations or external partnerships? If internal, what are your collective working methods, and how do they support your and your colleagues’ curatorial growth, and/or the development of your organization? If external, which artistic or cultural organizations will you partner with, and how do these partnerships help to leverage resources, increase visibility, and bring together multiple curatorial voices for the presentation of an artist’s practice?
Summary
Please summarize the above in 100 words or less.
Images
Please provide ten images with captions up to 150 words per image to illustrate your proposed programming. If the images feature artworks, please include the artist's name, the title of the work, the materials used, and the date of creation. Additional context on the images and why you included them is encouraged. Ensure that the images are in .jpg format, at least 72 dpi DPI, a minimum of 2000 x 2000 pixels in size, and do not exceed 5 MB each.
*
2. Three years of programming budget
Submit a programming budget including pending and confirmed income and expenses. Samples are available here. If a comprehensive budget for the next three years is not available, please provide us with a detailed budget for a single project or program within your proposal that can serve as a representative example of your typical program costs and how you distribute funds. (Note: A budget from a past project will not meet this requirement.)
+ You may request $75,000 or $150,000.
+ A three years of programming grant can cover no more than 15% of your organization's annual operating budget. As our smallest grant for this category is $75,000, your organization must have an annual operating budget exceeding $170,000 to be eligible.
+ Up to 30% of the grant can be used for institutional overhead and/or indirect costs.
+ Robust fees for artists, whether producing new work or contributing existing work, are highly recommended. Please refer to W.A.G.E. standards for guidance. We also encourage robust compensation for all outside consultants, partners, and advisors, as well as other collaborators such as writers, designers, photographers, web developers, etc.
*
3. Organization budget
Please submit your organization’s operating budgets for the past, current, and future fiscal years. Keep in mind that a Teiger Foundation grant can cover no more than 15% of your organization's annual operating budget.
*
4. Proof of 501(c)(3) status
Questions you may have
Is there a minimum organizational budget size?
Yes. An organization's total annual operating expenses must be $170,000 per year or above, including applicants with fiscal sponsors.
How do I determine whether to apply for $75,000 or $150,000?
Applicants with annual budgets between $170,000 and $330,000 should apply for $75,000. Those with larger budgets may apply for $150,000. This is because we disburse our three-year grants in installments of either $25,000 or $50,000 per year, and can support up to 15% of an organization's total annual operating expenses (TAOE).
I work at an institution with a budget of less than $3.5 million. Is it a problem if I don't know exactly what the next three years will look like?
We believe that the flexibility of smaller organizations is an asset. We understand that plans and projects evolve, and it is not always possible to have detailed outlines for long-term projects. We encourage you to share your programmatic vision for the upcoming three years, incorporating any confirmed or pending projects that illustrate this vision. If you don’t have three years planned out, your focus should be on the consistent ideas, goals, approaches, or processes that will guide your curatorial decisions during this period.
What should I do if my organization cannot provide a budget for the upcoming fiscal year?
If you don't have a finalized budget for your upcoming fiscal year, submit a detailed projection or estimate based on your organization's historical financial data and anticipated changes. This projection should include income and expense estimates. If it's not feasible to provide a projection, please include a note with your past and present budget, explaining the situation. We will follow up if we need additional information.
My job title is not “Curator” (e.g., I am an Executive Director or Artistic Director), but I serve as a curator within my organization. Can I apply?
Yes. The job title of “Curator” is not a requirement for eligibility. We acknowledge that institutions are structured differently depending on scale and other factors, and that many directors of small organizations hold a dual administrative/curatorial role. If you are performing a curatorial role in relation to your proposed project or program, you are welcome to apply.
We are an artist-run collaborative exhibition space, where many of us curate shows of our own work and work by other artists. Are we eligible to apply?
Teiger Foundation is committed to supporting professional curatorial practice and does not directly fund artists or communities of artists. We acknowledge, however, that some practitioners seriously occupy dual roles as curators and artists. If this characterizes your organization's leadership or one or more of your collaborators, you are welcome to apply. Please keep in mind that applications are evaluated on the basis of curatorial, and not just artistic, merit of proposed projects and prior work.
Can we apply as an organization with programming that is developed by multiple curators?
Yes. If you are applying for multiple projects or a series of programs developed and administered by different curators, please be sure to foreground the unified curatorial vision of your program while also offering highlights from each curator’s work and future projects. You may indicate if some projects are more developed than others at the time of application.
I work at an institution with an annual operating budget of less than $3.5 million, but I’m planning a big show. Can I apply for the single project grant instead of the grant for three years of programming?
We offer smaller organizations three years of funding because this structure is often most supportive to their needs. However, sometimes smaller organizations do projects at a larger scale, especially through partnerships and collaborations. If this is the case, you may apply for a single project grant.
Do you provide support for regranting programs, curatorial fellowships, residencies, or training programs?
We do not fund standalone curatorial fellowships, residencies, or training programs. But if these programs are part of what you do overall as a presenting organization, you may include them as part of your proposal.
My organization can’t afford to complete W.A.G.E. compliance. What should I do?
If you are unable to meet W.A.G.E compliance, please submit your project budget with the highest standard of compensation that your organization can afford. We will look closely at your organization’s operating budget alongside your project budget.
How will funds be distributed?
Three years of programming grants will be disbursed annually in three equal installments.
*