Charlotte Cushman Foundation Grant

Charlotte Cushman Foundation Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Charlotte Cushman Foundation
Amount: US $500 - US $3,000
Last Updated: December 01, 2025

Summary

The Charlotte Cushman Foundation Grant supports qualified non-profit theaters in the Greater Philadelphia area, providing funding for actors' salaries in specific staged productions. Organizations must hold 501(c)(3) status and can only receive funding for one production per calendar year. Proposals are due two months prior to the performance date, ensuring timely support for innovative theater projects, especially those adapting to new performance venues due to circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overview

Note: Proposals must be received by the first day of the month at least two full months prior to the production, however proposals for September must be received in May and those for January must be submitted in the previous October. In light of the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, for the foreseeable future, the Foundation will consider grant applications from companies that are producing plays to be performed in places other than theaters, including online, outside, or in site-specific venues. This does not include readings, workshops, or recordings of previously-performed plays. History The Charlotte Cushman Foundation was created in 1999 by the Board of Managers of the Charlotte Cushman Club of Philadelphia. The Club had been organized in 1907 by Lydia Elliot Morris in response to a need for safe, respectable lodgings for actresses appearing at local theaters. Inspired by the great American actress Charlotte Cushman (1816-1876), who often lamented the hardships of touring, funds were raised to set up a comfortable boarding house. Many famous performers visited the Club, attending post curtain parties with members and offering their support. In different buildings over the years, the Club eventually became not only a residence but also a social center for the theater community, with a large collection of plays, books and memorabilia. In 1957 the Board initiated a Lifetime Achievement award presented in person at the Club to such stars as Helen Hayes, Henry Fonda, Angela Lansbury, Richard Burton, Katharine Hepburn and Zoe Caldwell. Between 1972 and 2002 special event funding allowed the Club to offer scholarships to promising young performers. Beginning in 1995 the Club sponsored the Charlotte Cushman Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play, presented at Philadelphia’s annual Barrymore Awards. In 1999 the Board of Managers determined that the Club had “outlived its original residential and educational purposes” and chose to redefine its mission. The Club records were given to the library of the University of Pennsylvania and the clubhouse and its contents were sold. Proceeds from the sale were added to the existing endowment to fund the Foundation. That year the Charlotte Cushman Board Room and exhibit were established at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. Since 2001 the Charlotte Cushman Foundation has provided grants to over sixty local theater companies in support of actors’ salaries.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The Charlotte Cushman Foundation provides grants to qualified non-profit theaters and groups in the Greater Philadelphia area for actors and actresses in a staged production.Organizations must have 501(c)(3) status or be fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization.Grants given only for a specific production and organizations may only receive funding for one production within each calendar year.Proposals should be submitted by the first day of the month at least two full months before the first performance of the production for which you are applying. Proposals to the Foundation should be for a specific project or production, not for an entire season. Organizations may only receive funding for one production in a calendar year. However, if your organization is denied funding, you may apply for another production within the same year.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not fund individuals.