Exhibition Grants

The Terra Foundation for American Art Exhibition Grants program supports temporary exhibitions that broaden understandings of American art at institutions worldwide. The foundation supports projects engaging the visual arts of the United States and the Indigenous arts of North America while questioning and expanding understandings of American art and transforming how its stories are told. The program welcomes museums, art centers, and community-based cultural organizations of varying sizes, annual budgets, and geographies both within and outside the United States. The program is described as highly competitive, and grant support is offered once yearly. Grants typically range from $25,000 to $200,000, with an average grant size of $100,000; the page also reports a median grant of $112,500 among the grant statistics presented. Funding is intended to offset planning and/or implementation costs for temporary exhibitions primarily comprising artworks that are not part of the applicant institution's permanent collection. Allowable expenses include planning and research, short-term research positions, convenings, travel, advisory committees, interpretation, artist fees other than commissions, shipping, crating, couriers, insurance, object loan fees, construction of temporary gallery walls, conservation and framing, programs, marketing, and dissemination of research in digital or print form. Related staff positions may account for up to 25 percent of the award, and indirect costs may account for up to 15 percent. The foundation encourages written materials to be multilingual when possible and relevant to the project or its audiences. Priority is given to projects that generate knowledge and interpretive frameworks reflecting the breadth and complexity of American art and its histories through the artists represented, voices included, and stories told. The foundation also encourages projects engaging artists, scholars, and communities that bring a plurality of perspectives and methods, including intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches, and projects that catalyze inclusive practices and expansive histories in American art. The program does not support creation or acquisition of existing or commissioned artwork, acquisitions, capital expenditures, permanent equipment, projects exclusively online, previously opened projects touring to new venues, or grant inquiries or proposals previously declined through this program. Permanent-collection-focused research, planning, or exhibitions are directed to the foundation's Collections grant program. Applicants must hold United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or its international equivalent, and grants are not made to individuals. Only project organizers may apply. Co-organizers working with a partner museum are encouraged to apply jointly; if they do not, the foundation accepts only one grant inquiry per project, from the organization that applies first. An institution that receives an Exhibition Grant generally may not apply for another Exhibition Grant in the immediately following year. An exception permits a recipient of a planning-only grant to apply for an implementation grant for the same project the following year. The application process begins with a Grant Inquiry Form submitted through the grant portal by the inquiry deadline. After reviewing inquiries, the foundation may invite selected applicants to submit a Grant Proposal. If invited, the prospective applicant submits the formal proposal and required attachments, all of which must be written in English. The application process asks applicants to clearly and concisely describe the project's intended impact and outcomes and explain how grant funds will supplement existing resources to achieve institutional goals. Formal proposals are reviewed by an external panel of curators and arts professionals representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches. For exhibitions opening after January 1, 2028, the Grant Inquiry Form is due March 2, 2027, and invited Grant Proposals are due May 18, 2027. The source identifies the program as closed at present but publishes these future deadlines. Because support through the program is offered once yearly, the opportunity is recurring annually. No application opening date or performance period is stated in the supplied material. For questions, applicants may contact Carrie Haslett, Senior Program Director, Exhibition Grants & Initiatives, at haslett@terraamericanart.org. The source also provides blank Grant Inquiry and Grant Proposal forms and directs applicants to Applicant Resources for additional information about timelines, application procedures, eligibility, and common questions.

Emphasize how the exhibition broadens understandings of American art and engages the visual arts of the United States and/or Indigenous arts of North America. Show breadth and complexity through the artists represented, voices included, and stories told. Engage a plurality of perspectives and methods, including intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches where relevant. Demonstrate inclusive practices and expansive histories. Clearly and concisely describe intended impact and outcomes and how requested funds supplement existing resources.