Art and Change Grant (ACG)

Yes! The Art and Change Grant (ACG) is open to the public and provides grants of $5,000 to fund art for social change projects by women, trans*, and/or gender nonconforming artists and cultural producers living in Greater Philadelphia. Deadline: August 3, 2026.

Art with a vision and an intentional analysis. Find out more here.

Lots of different aspects! Find out more here.

Leeway asks applicants to identify at least one but no more than three social change intents that best describe their intent or vision behind their work. There is no correct or incorrect way to choose; you should pick one that resonates with you as the core intent or vision of your work. You will have an opportunity to define further what that vision is for you in Question 3 of the application. For more details, please see page 2 of the ACG Guidelines in English and Spanish.

Past ACG grantees are awesome. Find out more about them here.

Yes. You may apply collaboratively with other artists for the Art and Change Grant. We understand that most projects are done in collaboration with others, so you are only required to submit a co-applicant form in English or in Spanish, if you are both playing the same roles as artistic directors or partners for the project. Applicants may only apply once per cycle, whether submitting as part of a collaborative or as an individual.

Please note: Co-applicants must meet the same basic eligibility requirements, which includes identifying as a woman, trans*, and/or gender nonconforming person. For more information, read the “Collaboration” section (page 4) of the ACG Guidelines in English and Spanish.

The Art and Change Grant is intended to support an individual’s or collective’s artistic practice. In your application, it should be clear what your art practice is and how this project engages that practice.

The ACG does not support:

• organizations, corporations, or fundraising activities
• activities completed prior to when the grant is announced (10-12 weeks after the deadline)
• the creation of residencies, apprenticeships, and/or retreats unless it is clear how it will:
  • (1) move the applicant’s own artistic practice forward; and 
  • (2) engage the community-at-large with a socially engaged project
• the same project for which you received a prior Leeway grant. However, you may apply for different phases of a previously funded project.

No. Instead, Leeway asks applicants to complete an “Experience Page”. This is a space where artists will provide brief descriptions/dates of 4-10 artistic, personal, political, professional, and/or social change-based experiences relevant to their art for social change work. 

The Experience Page is not meant to read as a traditional resume and should reflect defining moments for you as an artist or cultural producer. The review panel values experiences that are often not included in traditional resumes and know that these experiences can be defining moments for artists. 

For ACG, we recommend including experiences that reflect the artistic practice and/or social issues your project is addressing.

Please note: These experiences are shared with the review panel but will never be shared publicly.

No. Work samples are not required for the Art and Change Grant. Any work samples that are shared as part of this process will be removed and not submitted for the panel’s consideration.

Yes. A simple budget is requested as part of the ACG application. You’ll provide information about your project expenses and any element necessary to make your project happen (e.g., equipment, supplies, stipends, transportation). Make sure that everything listed in the budget is clearly connected to what you describe in the “Project Description” section.

An independent review panel – consisting of community-based artists from different ranges, breadths, and depths of art for social change work – decides who gets funded. Leeway staff do not make these decisions.

An independent peer review panel will evaluate applications. Keep in mind that the panel may not be familiar with your particular artistic practice or cultural context, so describe them clearly. 

Peer review panelists will look at the “Project Description” section of your application to get a sense of the following:

• Why you are doing this work
• The importance, urgency, and motivation for this project
• Whether or not social change is an intentional part of your project
• How who you are and how you identify play a role as it relates to the audience/communities you’re proposing to work with
• How communities and audiences in the Greater Philadelphia region are engaged and impacted

Leeway receives approximately 75-100 ACG applications each year – and 20-25 grants are given, depending on Leeway’s budget.

Notification letters are sent approximately 10 to 12 weeks after the application deadline.

To keep our process transparent, every applicant receives feedback, based on the panel’s deliberations. This offers a view into the process and gives information applicants can use as they think about their work and future applications to Leeway or other funders. Applicants may opt out of receiving feedback — and can always request it at a later date. 

We offer feedback with the understanding that grantmaking is a reductive process, where there is never as much money as qualified applicants, so please consider if you are prepared to receive this feedback.

ACG applicants may apply for and receive either the Transformation Award or the Media Artist + Activist Residency in the same year, as well as a Window of Opportunity Grant. 

Yes! If you’ve previously received an Art and Change Grant, you are welcome to re-apply if:

• you have turned in all reports from previous Leeway grants and awards.
• are not applying for the same project for which you received a prior Leeway grant. However, you may apply for different phases of that project.

Leeway staff are here to support! You can:

• Attend an Information Session where you can learn more about Leeway grants and how to prepare your application
• Register for an Applicant Support Session where you can meet one-on-one with a Leeway representative to get direct feedback on your application

Contact Leeway staff to set-up a one-on-one appointment at [email protected] or 215.649.4739