Villa Aurora Artist's Grants

Geographic Scope: For artists whose main place of residence and work is in Germany. German citizenship not required.

Award Amount:

• Monthly stipend: EUR 2,500 (including project funds)
• Round-trip travel allowance: EUR 1,275
• Monthly mobility allowance: EUR 600
• Free accommodation with furnished room, private bathroom, shared kitchens, communal areas, garden
• Child allowances: EUR 400/month for first child, EUR 100 for each additional child

Focus Areas: Visual arts, composition, film, and literature

Award Scope:

• Up to 20 grants annually for 3-month residency stays
• Two artists may apply jointly (each must submit separate application)
• Grants tied to calendar quarters
• Up to 6 additional grants awarded through partner organizations
• Recipients receive support in project realization, research, and networking

Eligibility:

• Artists with publicly presented works/publications
• Freelance artists only
• Main residence and work in Germany
• Students not eligible (doctoral candidates acceptable)
• Must contribute to social and productive atmosphere at Villa Aurora and Thomas Mann House
• Family visits up to 14 days possible with prior consultation
• Long-term family accommodation not guaranteed due to space limitations

Film

• Work must be presented at festival, movie theater, or television
• Applicants must be freelance artists
• Must submit streaming link to film (freely accessible, no commercial providers, no registration required; password-protected acceptable)

Literature

• Minimum one book publication with established publisher required
• Qualifying works: novels, poetry, short stories, graphic novels, performed plays, radio plays, film works
• Regular publisher only (no self-publishing, Books on Demand, platforms, anthologies, magazines, online publications, editorships, academic/scientific, non-fiction)
• Freelance artists only

Composition

• Professional musicians/composers whose work presented at renowned venues/concert halls
• Freelance artists only

Visual Arts

• By invitation only — unsolicited applications not considered
• Curators selected annually by Villa Aurora issue invitations

Reapplication: No limit on number of reapplications, but recommend not reapplying year after rejection (wait for new committee)

Background: Villa Aurora established 1995 as artists' residence in former exile home of Lion and Marta Feuchtwanger (Pacific Palisades). Honors memory of artists/intellectuals who sought refuge in California during Nazi era. More than 450 artists awarded grants since 1995.

General Requirements

1. Draft information in document before submitting
2. Note: formatting (bold/italic) not preserved in form
3. Character limits include spaces
4. Disable content blockers if experiencing issues
5. Consult FAQ before contacting

Application Form Fields

Contact & Personal Information:

• Art form (required)
• Gender, form of address
• First name, last name, academic title
• Date of birth (DD.MM.YYYY)
• Nationality
• Street address, postal code, city
• Phone, email
• Website
• Prior application history
• Joint fellowship indication (max 2 people; co-applicant must complete separate form)
• Co-applicant name

Biographical Information:

• Job title (e.g., Director, Screenwriter, Visual Artist, Composer)
• Biography (max 500 characters, running text)
• Selected works/Filmography/Bibliography (max 5 entries)
• Awards and fellowships (select up to 3)

Project Information:

• Project outline (max 500 characters)
• Detailed project description (max 4,000 characters)
• Optional: Connections to US-American culture (max 500 characters)

Field-Specific Requirements

Literature:

• Text sample: 5–10 pages (poetry: up to 15 pages) from planned project as PDF
• May additionally include excerpt from already published text
• Upload link sent by email after submitting form
• File size: 200 MB max
• Submission deadline: Thursday, February 27, 2025, 23:59 (CET) [note: this is past deadline]

Film:

• Streaming link to film involved with (freely accessible, no commercial streaming, no registration required; password-protected acceptable)
• Link must be active until at least mid-July 2025
• Film title required
• Include: password if necessary, additional information on work sample
• Include: where and when work was publicly presented

Composition:

• Maximum 3 work samples as MP3 or PDF files
• Video material as PDF file with streaming link
• Upload link sent by email after form submission
• File size: 200 MB max, no more than 3 files
• Submission deadline: Thursday, February 27, 2025, 23:59 (CET)

Visual Arts:

• Portfolio and document with streaming offers as PDF
• Submission deadline: February 29, 2024, 23:59 (CET) [note: past deadline]
• Also request catalog mailed (deadline February 29, postmark applies)
• Motivation statement: What is your motivation to apply for fellowship (max 5,000 characters)

Selection Process

• VATMH office checks completeness
• Category-specific selection committees review and evaluate
• Awards depend on availability and funds
• No legal right to award
• Decision by email/mail; no explanation given
• Upon acceptance, letter of agreement sent
• Award legally valid only upon signature

Scheduling

• Preferred residency period not required in application
• If selected, VATMH discusses scheduling preferences
• Residency periods aligned with calendar quarters
• Must remain flexible; may be offered different quarter if needed