Asian Cultural Council’s Individual Fellowship

ACC emphasizes that the Individual Fellowship is not a residency, a fund to attend a singular conference/travel grant, or an individual’s personal public relations tour. Rather, ACC expects Individual Fellows to be self-directed and have a focused research project that enables and promotes cultural immersion, dialogue, relationship-building, collaboration, and/or exchange of knowledge among peers.

Strong applications will include:

• A general schedule of activities regarding your research project. While ACC does not expect a day-to-day schedule, we are interested in how you intend to spend your time during the Individual Fellowship.
• A personalized definition of cultural exchange, and how your proposed project will address cultural exchange.
• A clear explanation of the feasibility of your proposal, including the consideration of the accessibility of communities or cultural resources of interest, the logistics of transportation (especially to remote areas), accommodations, and language barriers.
• A reasonable budget that is thoughtful and realistic with regard to the plan of activities, travel costs, translation services (if necessary), and the cost of living in the country the applicant is traveling to.
• Possible contacts and connections that will help you with your research project.
• Ability to demonstrate a proven history of your impact on your artistic field as well as the potential of continued worthwhile contributions to your discipline.

Eligible Fields

• Archaeology
• Architecture
• Art History
• Arts Administration
• Arts Criticism
• Conservation
• Crafts
• Curation
• Dance
• Ethnomusicology
• Film/Video/Photography
• Literature
• Museum Studies
• Music
• Theater
• Visual Art
• Note: for design, aesthetic theory, and/or aesthetic history only; projects with an economic, social, scientific, or technological focus are not eligible

Funding Information

• Individual Fellows are welcome to apply for up to $35,000 for their project.
• When creating a budget, please include the following information:
  • Travel costs, including airfare
  • Accommodation
  • Daily expenses, including food and local transportation
  • Costs and fees relevant to the research project
  • Translation services, if necessary

Support for Individual Fellows

• ACC support services are intended to enhance a proposed plan of activity, give increased access to artistic communities and cultural resources in the destination country, and deepen one’s cultural exchange experience.
• Please note that ACC does not have an office and staff in every destination country; therefore, support such as making specific connections may be limited. Please keep this possibly limited programmatic and logistical support in mind while developing your research project. Proposals should be feasible with or without additional guidance from ACC.
• Examples of support that Individual Fellows may receive:
  • Recommending sites to visit or activities in which to participate, especially in Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States.
  • Connecting grantees to ACC’s broader community of Fellows and alumni.
  • Administering the J-1 Specialist Visa sponsorship and health insurance necessary to travel to the United States.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be over the age of 21 at the start date of the Individual Fellowship.
• Must have five (5) years of professional experience.
• Applicant cannot be a full-time student.
• Applications cannot include more than four (4) collaborators for a project, including the primary applicant.
• All collaborators must submit a single application to ACC and must plan to travel together; separate trips are not permitted.
• Applicants with collaborators that do not provide names and include the biographies and work samples for all collaborators will not be considered.
• All collaborators must fall under the Individual Fellowship criteria and eligibility, including country/region of citizenship or primary residence.
• An Individual Fellowship applicant has the flexibility to conduct research in multiple countries. However, it is important to consider any logistical challenges or restrictions in traveling to various countries. US-bound travel cannot occur prior to September 1, 2024, due to the time needed to administer J-1 Visas.
• Funding amounts for the Individual Fellowship are subject to adjustment based on the resources and available funding at each office prior to the grant being awarded.
• Travel Eligibility
  • Individual Fellowship supports travel from:
    • United States to Asia
    • Asia to the United States
    • Between approved Asian countries.

For more information, visit Asian Cultural Council.