Asian Cultural Council: Individual Fellowship Grant

The Asian Cultural Council's Individual Fellowship provides artists, scholars, and arts professionals from Asia and the United States with opportunities for self-directed cultural exchange and research in unfamiliar regions. This program supports activities such as interviews, workshops, and archival research, fostering cultural immersion and collaboration. With a funding limit of $35,000, the fellowship encourages innovative proposals that enhance creative perspectives and relationships among peers, while also ensuring strong eligibility criteria for applicants.

EST
The Individual Fellowship program offers an opportunity for artists, scholars, and arts professionals in Asia and the United States to pursue research and a self-directed cultural exchange experience in another country, territory, or region.
An Individual Fellowship is not a residency to produce new work, a fund to attend or participate in a single conference or event (i.e. not a travel grant), or an individual’s public relations tour. Rather, Individual Fellows explore focused research questions and activities that enable and promote cultural immersion, dialogue, relationship-building, collaboration, and the exchange of knowledge and ideas among peers. These experiences and relationships lead to invaluable creative inspiration, collaborative opportunities, and a more global and nuanced perspective.
What does the Individual Fellowship offer?
Freedom to ExploreACC offers Individual Fellows grant funding that supports their travel to a country, territory, or region that is new or less familiar to them and where they will pursue their own self-designed research and cultural exchange activities. While each fellowship is unique, examples of some activities that past Individual Fellows have pursued include:
Interviewing or meeting professionals in their field or other stakeholders who can offer relevant information or expertise  Visiting institutions (e.g. studios, museums, galleries, theaters, libraries) or attending events (e.g. exhibitions, performances, lectures, film screenings) that are relevant to the Individual Fellows’ research and cultural exchange objectives Participating in workshops, symposia, or discussions that support the Individual Fellows’ research and bring them into conversations with new communities Conducting archival research
Individualized SupportACC support services are intended to enhance a proposed plan of activity, give increased access to artistic communities and cultural resources in the chosen destination(s), and deepen one’s cultural exchange experience. This support may include:
Advice and recommendations related to the logistical or substantive aspects of the Individual Fellow’s research and activitiesIntroductions to ACC alumni and other arts professionals and institutions that are relevant to the Individual Fellow’s research objectives Invitations to local ACC events and gatherings, where possible  Visa support for Individual Fellows who travel to the U.S. (see Visa Requirements section below)
Please note that ACC does not have offices and staff throughout Asia; therefore, some support services, such as making specific connections, may be limited. (ACC has its headquarters in New York City and affiliate offices in Hong Kong SAR, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan ROC.) Please keep this possibly limited programmatic and logistical support in mind while developing your proposal. Proposals should be feasible, with or without additional guidance from ACC.
Single and Joint Applicants ACC will consider applications submitted by and designed to support one individual (i.e. a “single applicant”) as well as “joint applicants,” who include a “primary applicant” (responsible for submitting and managing the application) and up to two “co-applicants.”
Joint applications are for two or three artists or arts professionals who share research and cultural exchange objectives and are confident that they can organize and execute their fellowship activities as equal partners. Joint applicants will be asked to explain the above in their application.
Please note that ACC’s eligibility and program requirements apply to all applicants (including co-applicants). This means that co-applicants must meet the same eligibility requirements, commit to traveling during the full duration of the proposed fellowship activities (separate trips are not permitted), and have equal levels of participation in the proposed activities (no assistant or secondary roles). Furthermore, ACC will not grant more than $35,000 USD for an Individual Fellowship, regardless of the number of applicants included in the fellowship application.
Application instructions for Single and Joint Applicants can be found in the “Apply now” section found further below.

Eligibility

In addition to the general eligibility requirements (see here), all Individual Fellowship applicants and their co-applicants 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, or regions. Applicants must be able to demonstrate at least five years’ experience in one of ACC’s eligible disciplines at the time of their application. Applicants, if awarded, must be over the age of 21 by the Individual Fellowship start date. Applicants, if awarded, cannot actively pursue university coursework or teaching (in person or online) for their degree program during their fellowship. Individual Fellows enrolled in a degree program should take a temporary leave of absence from these activities during their fellowship. Applicants who wish to pursue an Individual Fellowship in the U.S., which requires a J-1 visa, must feel confident in their ability to use English when participating in conversations and building relationships without special language assistance. While applicants may have different degrees of English proficiency, we expect Fellows to be able to conduct daily tasks, write basic emails, and have the confidence to ask for help. The U.S. government requires all J-1 visa-holders to speak English at a sufficient level. Eligible Fellowship Travel Destinations Applicants to the Individual Fellowship program may propose travel to the following countries, territories, and regions: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China (Mainland), East Timor, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan ROC, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam Please also note the following: Applicants cannot propose travel to the country, territory, or region where they are currently living, regardless of citizenship or permanent residence status.  Applicants who propose traveling to a country, territory, or region that they know well, where they have previously spent a considerable amount of time (i.e. more than one year), or where they hold citizenship status, must demonstrate a strong rationale for how their proposed Individual Fellowship provides a unique and meaningful opportunity for cultural exchange and immersion. Applicants who propose traveling to multiple countries, territories, or regions and/or shorter travel durations are generally less competitive.