Application

The Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation 2025 Grant for Sculpture

In this grant program, the Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation’s goal is to encourage and support sculptors as well as writers on sculpture, both emerging and established.

The Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation encourages submissions from sculptors and writers of all backgrounds. It does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, socioeconomic status, education, or disability. 

Deadline and Announcement Dates

The 2025 Sculpture Grant Application will be open between February 1 and May 31 (11:59 PM EST), 2025.
Applications must be submitted through the JBSF Grant Application Form. An outline of the application questions can be accessed here.
September 2025 – Notification of advancement to Round 2, with further instructions
December 2025 – Notification of award

It is strongly recommended that you submit your application several days before the deadline to avoid technical or submission issues.

Applications may only be submitted once. You will receive confirmation of a successful submission within 24 hours.

Questions or concerns regarding the application can be directed to info@jonathanandbarbarasilverfoundation.org.

Eligibility Requirements – 2025 Grant for Sculpture

You are eligible to apply for the sculpture grant if you meet the following requirements:

You are a sculptor.
You are a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or you hold an O-1 Visa.
You are not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program.
You are not an employee, consultant, or board member of the Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation, or an immediate family member of such a person.

Grant Application Process – 2025 Grant for Sculpture

The selection process for the JBSF Grant for Sculpture includes two rounds of panel review.

Round 1: Applicants will submit a Project Proposal, CV,  and work samples, and will answer a series of questions.

Round 2: Applicants selected to advance will be required to submit a project timeline, itemized budget, proof of eligibility, and two letters of recommendation (details below).

The panel will consist of three people chosen by the JBSF, at least one of whom is a sculptor. Panel reviews will take place in closed sessions.

Evaluation is based on the vitality of the proposal, the potential of the project to contribute to the applicant’s artistic development and to the field of sculpture, the appropriateness of the project to the Foundation’s mission, and confidence in the applicant’s ability to complete the project within a year.

Application and Project Proposal Guidelines

ROUND 1: Preliminary Proposal, Work Samples, and Answers to Questions

Applicants will submit a proposal consisting of a short project description (up to 50 words), longer project description (up to 300 words), CV, bio (optional), and links to their website (if applicable).

The proposal is for a project (new work or body of work) that will be completed in 2026. 

The proposed project should not be for the promotion, documentation, or curation of existing work.     

The applicant should note if they plan to feature the proposed project in an upcoming scheduled exhibition.

Work Samples: Applicants are required to submit image samples and corresponding details.
-The applicant can submit up to 10 images (we encourage you to include no less than 5 images).
-The samples should demonstrate your strengths as a sculptor and the promise of your proposal.
-You may submit up to three views of the same work, including installation shots, in separate images. Please do not upload multiple images in one file (for example, one image of four different works in a grid).
-At least 3 works must be recent (completed or well underway within the last 5 years)  
-We accept various file formats for images, documents, audio, video and film.
-Specify if your work samples document an installation and if the work was intended to be experienced under specific conditions. 
-We discourage samples of work completed in undergraduate or graduate programs. 
-The submitted work samples may include one collaborative project. 

Applicants are required to answer the following questions (250 words each):

Describe key influences on your practice—it could be other artists; artistic or other cultural movements; cultural heritage; or developments in science, history, philosophy, literature, film, theater, music, or any other creative field.

Which approaches to sculpture define your project?

Highlight any aspects of your work about which you feel particularly passionate or proud.

How do you hope other people will respond to your work? What impact would you like your work to have?

How is this project essential to your artistic development?

ROUND 2: Budget, timeline, proof of eligibility, and references (September 2025)

Applicants who advance to Round 2 will receive instructions on where to submit required materials. 

Budget: Applicants will attach a budget, in paragraph form (max 250 words) that itemizes the expenses necessary to complete the proposed project. Briefly describe the categories of expenses and the amounts for each category that the grant will cover.

Eligible expenses:

-Materials, equipment and supplies
-Research
-Artist’s compensation fee (fee incurred by creating time to work)
-Travel (airfare, car rental, ground transportation, lodging, meals, per diem)
-Living expenses (including childcare)
-Expenses relating to the following are NOT eligible and your application will be rejected if your budget proposes to use the grant funds for any of these: loans or other debts; reimbursement of payments already incurred; purchase of land or building; tuition expenses; fees paid to third parties for promotion, marketing, or sale of work; health-related expenses (dentistry, hospitalization, etc.)

If the applicant has received funds from other sources for the project and/or has other possible sources of income for the project (for example, resulting from other applications), they must list them alongside the budget.

Timeline: Applicants will submit a 1-page project timeline as a PDF. Be sure to indicate in the timeline the state of the project, including which, if any, benchmarks have already been completed (with dates), and your projected dates for completing the project. 

Proof of Eligibility: Artists selected to advance to Round 2 must submit one of the following documents as proof of eligibility:

  • U.S. Passport
  • U.S. Birth Certificate
  • Tribal I.D. Card
  • U.S. Naturalization Certificate
  • U.S. Permanent Resident Card
  • Non-resident O-1 Visa

Two letters of reference are required. Applicants must submit the names and contact information of the references.

How to Apply

Applications for Round 1 must be submitted through the JBSF Grant Application Form. It is strongly recommended that you submit several days before the application deadline to avoid technical or submission issues. Applications may only be submitted once. You will receive confirmation of a successful submission within 24 hours.

All written responses must be in English.

*IMPORTANT: Your application will be automatically rejected without panel review if:

One or more required forms or attachments are missing.
Your written responses are not in English.
Incorrect or insufficient information is provided.
You have already received a grant from the JBSF during the last 5 years.
You are not a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., or O-1 Visa-holder.
Your application is not responsive to the mission and values of the Foundation.

Questions or concerns regarding the Application Form can be directed to info@jonathanandbarbarasilverfoundation.org.

Award Notification

Announcement of the recipient will be made in December 2025.

Award documents, such as the progress reporting requirements, will be provided to the recipient within a week of the award announcement. 

Award Acceptance: Recipient Responsibilities

The project is expected to be completed within 1 year of receiving the award.

The Foundation expects a progress report on the project 6 months after receiving the award, as well as a final report after the full year. If the work has not been completed, the final report can summarize the Awardee’s progress.

Progress Report: the one-page report should include a description of activities supported by the grant, as well as grant-supported activities planned for the remainder of the grant period (i.e. research or travel).

Final Project Report: The grant recipient’s completed work will be considered their final report. Plans for exhibition or publication are recommended but not required.

Required documents:
– An outline of expenditures.
– A one-page report on the Awardee’s experience with the grant.

Conversation with the Director: A conversation about the project with the Artistic Director of the Foundation will be livestreamed, recorded, and posted to the JBSF website.

Grant recipients assume legal, financial, and administrative responsibility for complying with the terms included in the grant award documents.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in suspension or termination of the award and the Foundation’s recovery of funds.

Copyright and Cataloging Information

The Awardee may copyright any material that is subject to copyright and that was developed under the JBSF award during the grant period.

We reserve the indefinite right to reproduce, publish, or make available for research the project supported by the JBSF grant.

Accessibility

Individuals who do not use conventional print or electronic media may access the information in the Grant Application Form by contacting the JBSF at info@jonathanandbarbarasilverfoundation.org for assistance.

Eligibility Requirements – Grant for Writing on Sculpture (2026)
You are eligible to apply for the Grant for Writing on Sculpture if you meet the following requirements:

  • You are an individual.
  • You are a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or you hold an O-1 Visa.
  • At least one example of your writing has been published for the first time within the last five years (between January 1, 2020, and the present).
  • Types of writing that are supported for the Writing Grant include art criticism, art history, memoir, psychoanalytical study, philosophical meditation and literary study.
    • Essays: magazine essays, catalogue essays, book essays
    • Books: research or manuscripts currently in process or nearing completion.
    • Memoirs
  • Minimum requirements for submitting writing samples: Up to three published writings from magazines, literary journals, or other publications (including online). The samples can originate from the same publication (although submitting samples from diverse publications is encouraged).
  • No sample should be longer than 2,500 words. If the original text exceeds 2,500 words, the sample can be an excerpt from it. The samples should demonstrate your strength as a writer and their relevance to your project proposal.
  • The following types of work are NOT eligible: pre-publication material, such as proofs; work that has appeared in a publication for which you are the publisher or editor; collaborative writing; news reporting; letters to the editor; social media posts; essays on one’s own art or writing practice; student publications (including dissertations-theses).
  • You are not eligible if you are an employee, consultant, or board member of the Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation, or an immediate family member of such a person.