McKnight National Residency And Commission Grant

The McKnight National Residency and Commission Grant supports a distinguished playwright from outside Minnesota to create a new play. The selected recipient will collaborate with the Playwrights' Center through workshops and will present a public reading of the play. This initiative aims to foster dialogue between local and external artists. Benefits include a $15,000 commission and workshop funding up to $12,250. The residency runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

The McKnight Foundation, a family foundation based in Minnesota, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive.
The intent of the McKnight National Residency and Commission is to support an established playwright from outside of Minnesota who demonstrates a sustained body of work, commitment, and distinct artistic vision. The Recipient of the Residency and Commission will create a new play which will be developed with the Playwrights' Center through a series of workshops and will culminate in a public reading of the play.
One of the goals of this program is to create dialogue between Minnesota-based artists and those outside of the community.
Benefits include:
a $15,000 commission, up to $12,250 in workshop funds to support the development of the play, including travel and housing, and a public reading. At the end of the program term, the recipient will become an Affiliated Writer of Playwrights’ Center.

Eligibility

Applicants must reside in and have the legal right to work in the U.S.Applicants must be nationally recognized playwrights who have had at least two different plays fully produced by professional theaters by the time of application. At least one play must have had a production actually be presented fully before an audience. If you have had an additional play be scheduled for production and publicized, but the production was canceled for reasons outside of your control within the last three years, you may count that as your second professional production.Recipients must create a new play according to the terms of the contract.Applicants may only apply for one McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship each year in any of the disciplines listed below.  The McKnight Fellowship disciplines include: Printmaking (Highpoint Center), Book Arts (MCBA), Fiber Arts (Textile Center), Choreographers and Dancers (Cowles Center), Media Artists (FilmNorth), Visual Artists (MCAD), Ceramics (NCC), Composers (ACF), Musicians (MacPhail Center), Writers (the Loft), Playwrights (Playwrights’ Center), Theater Artists (Playwrights’ Center), Culture Bearers (Indigenous Roots), and Community-Engaged Artists (Pillsbury House).

Ineligibility

Minnesota-based playwrights are not eligible for this award.Recipients of 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships in any discipline are not eligible.Full-time students are not eligible.Staff and board members of the McKnight Foundation and the Playwrights' Center or their immediate families are not eligible.Recipients may not receive any other Playwrights' Center fellowships or Core Writer benefits during the grant year.If a recipient is a Core Writer, their Core term will be extended by one year.