Asian Cultural Council: Graduate Fellowship Grant

The Asian Cultural Council's Graduate Fellowship provides financial support for travel and living expenses to graduate students from Asia studying in the U.S. It offers $15,000 for one academic year, potentially renewable for another year, covering essential costs while pursuing full-time coursework. This initiative fosters international cultural exchange and enhances academic training in the arts. Eligible applicants must be enrolled full-time in accredited graduate programs and commit to at least two consecutive semesters of study.

ACC gives a small number of Graduate Fellowship grants to support the travel and living expenses of graduate students from Asia who choose to study in the United States because comparable programs are not available in their home country, territory, or region and/or because they work in a field that is underrepresented in their home country, territory, or region. ACC’s Graduate Fellowship program aims to advance international cultural exchange and to enrich and broaden scholarly narratives and critical discourse by increasing access to academic training in the arts and cultural fields.
What does the Graduate Fellowship offer?
Funding for Travel and Living Expenses ACC’s Graduate Fellowships provide $15,000 USD for one academic year, with the possibility of renewing for one additional year. One academic year in this application cycle includes the full-time pursuit of coursework from Fall 2026 to Spring 2027 or from Spring 2027 to Fall 2027. ACC’s grant funding is intended to cover Graduate Fellows’ travel and living expenses related to the coursework portion of their graduate degree program. ACC will not provide grants to applicants who are only in the fieldwork research or thesis-writing phase of their graduate studies. ACC’s grant funding does not support tuition or direct research expenses (e.g. travel for fieldwork, equipment, etc.).
Connection to the ACC Community In addition to supporting their travel and living expenses, ACC welcomes Graduate Fellows into a growing global community of artists, arts professionals, scholars, and institutions that have benefited from and continue to support ACC’s mission. ACC staff may make introductions to alumni in a relevant field, where possible. Graduate Fellows are also invited to share news about their performances, exhibitions, publications, and other important updates through our newsletters and events page.

Eligibility

In addition to the general eligibility requirements (see here), applicants to the Graduate Fellowship program must carefully review and meet the following eligibility requirements:Applicants must be citizens or legal permanent residents of one of ACC’s eligible countries, territories, and regions. Note: U.S. citizens, including dual-nationals, and U.S. permanent residents are not eligible to apply for a Graduate Fellowship. Applicants’ graduate degree programs must be in one of ACC’s 16 eligible disciplines Applicants must be enrolled in full-time, in-residence degree programs within the U.S. OR able to provide proof of admission and acceptance to an accredited university by April 1, 2026. Applicants must pursue at least two consecutive semesters of full-time coursework during the grant period (August 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027).  Applicants who have already completed the coursework phase of their graduate education are not eligible. ACC will not provide grants to applicants who are only in the fieldwork research or thesis-writing phase of their graduate studies. Applicants in part-time, summer-only, or online graduate programs are not eligible.Applicants in non-degree programs are not eligible.