Asian Cultural Council 2027 Fellowships and Grants

About the opportunity

The Asian Cultural Council (ACC) advances international dialogue, understanding, and respect through immersive cultural exchange activities between the United States and Asia, as well as within Asia. For the 2027 cycle, ACC offers four distinct funding streams: the New York Fellowship (a 6-month immersive residency in New York City for arts practitioners from Asia), the Individual Fellowship (1 to 6 months of self-directed research and cross-cultural exploration across eligible destinations for individuals or joint teams of up to three), the Graduate Fellowship ($15,000 per academic year for Asian graduate students studying in the U.S. in underrepresented arts disciplines), and the Organization Grant (supporting non-profit arts institutions to facilitate 1 to 6 months of exchange travel or hosting). ACC supports non-production cultural immersion free from commercial or production output pressures.

Funding and benefits

• New York Fellowship: Provides a $38,000 award for a six-month stay, including a $3,000 pre-arrival advance for travel and visa costs, J-1 visa sponsorship, SEVIS fee payment ($220), mandatory travel health insurance ($675 to $800), optional housing at International House (I-House) in New York City, and between $10,000 and $31,100 in living stipends depending on chosen housing arrangements.
• Individual Fellowship: Provides up to $35,000 for one to six months of self-directed exploration and cultural immersion, covering economy airfare, ground transportation, accommodation, daily living expenses, J-1 visa fees (for U.S. travel), and travel health insurance.
• Graduate Fellowship: Provides $15,000 per academic year to assist with travel and living expenses during the full-time coursework phase in the U.S., with the possibility of renewal for a second academic year.
• Organization Grant: Provides up to $50,000 to cover economy airfare, ground transport, lodging, meals, daily expenses, travel health insurance, interpretation, and activity costs for organizational travel or hosting.
• Access to ACC's global alumni network, programmatic advising, institutional introductions, and cohort events.

Who can apply?

• Must be a citizen or legal permanent resident of an eligible country or territory, or a legally registered non-profit/academic arts organization based in one of those areas.
• Eligible countries and territories: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China (Mainland), East Timor, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam.
• Disciplines: Proposed activities must fall within eligible fields: Architecture (Design, History, and Theory), Archaeology, Art History, Arts Administration, Arts Criticism, Conservation, Crafts, Curation, Dance, Ethnomusicology, Film, Literature, Museum Studies, Music, Theater, or Visual Art (including video art and photography).
• Experience: Artists, scholars, and arts professionals must have at least five years of professional experience in an eligible discipline (waived for Graduate Fellowship applicants). Organizations must have at least five years of programming experience.
• New York Fellowship: Open only to Asian citizens/permanent residents (U.S. citizens/permanent residents excluded); applicants must be at least 21 years old, proficient in English, and agree to take a full leave of absence from employment, coursework, or teaching.
• Individual Fellowship: Open to individuals and joint groups of up to three equal collaborators from Asia and the U.S. (must be at least 21 years old and cannot travel to their current country of residence).
• Graduate Fellowship: Open to Asian students enrolled full-time or admitted by April 1, 2027, to an in-residence U.S. graduate program, who will complete at least two consecutive semesters of full-time coursework during the grant period.
• Ineligible activities: ACC strictly prohibits production or promotional projects (such as filming documentaries, rehearsing for future performances, producing books, organizing exhibitions, or attending single conferences).
• ACC alumni who received a grant within the last two calendar years, or who previously held a New York Fellowship, are ineligible to reapply for those categories.

Required documents

• Online GoApply application form and biographical contact information
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) / resume and biography (for all applicants, co-applicants, activity leads, and participants)
• Personal or artist statement
• Up to 3 work samples adhering to discipline-specific guidelines (PDFs, images, or audio/video links capped at 3 minutes each)
• One letter of recommendation uploaded directly by the recommender (separate letters required for each joint co-applicant)
• Contact details for two professional references
• Detailed budget using ACC's Excel template (for Individual Fellowship and Organization Grant applicants)
• Proof of U.S. graduate program admission or enrollment (for Graduate Fellowship applicants)
• Proof of nonprofit status, organizational logo, and participant rosters (for Organization Grant applicants)
• Bilingual documentation where applicable (Japanese translation required for ACC Japan applicants; Traditional Chinese translation required for ACC Taiwan applicants; optional Chinese copy for ACC Hong Kong applicants)

When to apply

• Applications open: October 1, 2026, at 9:59 AM U.S. Eastern Time (ET).
• Application submission deadline: November 10, 2026, at 9:59 AM U.S. Eastern Time (ET).
• Letters of recommendation deadline: November 16, 2026, at 9:59 AM U.S. Eastern Time (ET).
• Review and virtual interview period: November 2026 through April 2027.
• Decision notifications: Mid-May 2027.
• Eligible grant activity period: August 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028 (U.S. Individual Fellowships cannot commence before October 1, 2027; New York Fellowship cohorts run January to June 2028 or July to December 2028).

How to apply

• Complete the preliminary online eligibility quiz to verify qualifications under ACC guidelines.
• Create an account on the GoApply application portal (select an Individual Account for fellowships or an Organization Account for organization grants).
• Select your target opportunity (New York Fellowship, Individual Fellowship, Graduate Fellowship, or Organization Grant) noting that you can only submit one application per grant cycle.
• Complete all narrative proposal sections and upload required CVs, statements, and work samples.
• For Individual Fellowship and Organization Grant tracks, download the ACC Excel budget template, populate estimated costs with justifications, and upload it.
• Submit the completed application in GoApply before November 10, 2026, at 9:59 AM ET.
• Ensure your designated recommender receives the automated email link and uploads their letter of recommendation by November 16, 2026, at 9:59 AM ET.

Additional information

• New York and U.S.-bound Individual Fellows must enter the United States under ACC J-1 visa sponsorship and are prohibited from taking paid work or participating in ticketed public performances during the exchange period.
• Grantees traveling to Asia are responsible for obtaining their own entry visas and must hold comprehensive travel health insurance covering at least $100,000 in medical costs, $50,000 in evacuation, and $25,000 in repatriation.
• Proposals that allocate extended, continuous time in a single cultural context (ideally two or more months) are substantially more competitive than multi-country itineraries.
• Regional questions and application submissions are managed by respective ACC offices: ACC Hong Kong (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau), ACC Japan (Japan), ACC Philippines (Philippines), ACC Taiwan (Taiwan), and ACC New York (all other eligible locations and the U.S.).