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Writers Residency Grants

OVERVIEW

The Writers Residency Grants, part of the Frank Young Fund for New Musicals, are an excellent supporting resource in cultivating artistic collaborations. Theatres may bring composers, lyricists, bookwriters, songwriters and other artists to your venues locally or work with a creative team virtually from all corners of the world. The Writers Residency Grants provide $500-$2,000 supplemental funds to not-for-profit NAMT members to work with writers on developing a new musical. All projects are expected to have a culminating activity equal to or smaller in scale than a public minimally-staged reading presentation, including but not limited to:

  • a new draft of the script
  • a Zoom-style virtual performance or recording
  • a public concert performance
  • a rough demo recording or cast album
  • an industry-only staged reading presentation
  • or any similarly scaled deliverable culminating from the residency

The award can be used to either fill a gap in funding or to expand the current residency plans. While a project at any stage of development is eligible for submission, this grant prioritizes projects in the earlier stages of creation. The project can happen either in-person at a NAMT member theatre, or virtual residencies are also eligible if both the writer and the theatre are actively involved in the development process. There does not need to be a long-term commitment to the project, just a passion for helping the writers develop their show.

REQUIREMENTS

Applicant Requirements:

  • Only not-for-profit NAMT member theatre organizations in the U.S. may apply for this grant.
  • The member must be in good standing.
  • A member cannot receive the grant in consecutive granting rounds.

Project Requirements: 

  • The project can be at any stage of development, and this grant prioritizes projects in the earlier stages of creation.
  • The writers may be in residence at the theatre or off-site (e.g., in New York City working with a rep from the member theatre), OR writers may collaborate digitally using the NAMT member theatre web resources as a home-base for the residency.
  • The writers need to be actively working on the musical in tandem with the NAMT member theatre, and that work should be reflected in the culminating project.
  • There must be a culminating activity, whether a table read-through, a demo, a staged reading (with scripts in hand and minimal staging) or a new draft, but it cannot be a workshop or production.
  • The writers must be paid a stipend, honorarium and/or royalty in addition to any necessary housing, travel and per diem.
  • The culminating project may charge admission or accept a suggested donation at the door.
  • Scores utilizing pre-existing material will be considered (i.e. “jukebox” musicals), but original scores will be given preference.
  • The Member Theatre must match at least 50% of the grant request amount. For example, if the requested grant amount is $2,000, the total project budget must be at least $3,000, with at least $1,000 provided by the applicant. In other words, the requested grant amount must not make up more than 2/3’s of the project budget.

 

TIMELINE

There are two granting cycles per fiscal year, and there are two corresponding Project Periods throughout the calendar year.

Round 1
Application Due: May 31, 2024
Project Period: July 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024

 

Round 2
Application Due: December 6, 2024
Project Period: January 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025

 

Timeline Requirements: 

  • Projects must start or end within the assigned Project Period.
  • All expenses should lie within the Project Period.
  • The focus of the work and the bulk of activity should take place during the 6-month Project Period.
  • An organization that receives a Writers Residency Grant must skip the following review cycle before applying again. For example, if a NAMT member applies for and is awarded a grant in Round 1 of any year, they must wait until Round 1 of the subsequent year to submit again. If a NAMT member applies for but is not awarded a grant, the applicant may continue to apply in consecutive rounds until a grant is awarded.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

NAMT’s New Works Committee is made of new musical leaders from across the country. The Committee will evaluate all applications and recommend recipients based on the following criteria:

  • Completeness of the plan presented by the NAMT member theatre
  • The merit of the work and the writers
  • The goals of the project
  • The payment for the artists involved
  • The Organization’s commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as evidenced by the project and the work
  • The potential impact of the project on the work

The financial needs of neither the organization nor the writers will be taken into consideration. For award recipients, the Committee may assign a grant amount between $500 and the requested amount on the application, at their discretion, up to a maximum of $2,000.

The recommendations from the New Works Committee will go to the Executive Committee of the Board for a final vote of approval.

 

APPLICATION

To be prepared, have the following information available when filling out the Application:

  • Organization Info (EIN, Address, Primary Contact Info)
  • Show Title and Description
  • Project Description, Timeline & Goals
  • Writer Statement
  • Key Artist Bios
  • Project Budget
  • Applications may include one musical sample, which may feature instrumental-only elements of the score or a demo recording of singers performing a song. If a song from the submitted project is not available, the musical sample can be from a different project or show by the writers. 

 

Apply Now!

 

Any NAMT member who has any questions regarding the Writers Residency Grants may contact Skye Cone Ivey, New Works Associate, at skye@namt.org. 

This page was last updated on 10/28/2024