Artist Grants

PLEASE NOTE: The Jim Henson Foundation Grant application process will now be completed through Submittable. The required application materials remain the same as those listed below.

Please click this link to find submission portals for all grants.

For in depth information and best practices for the Letter of Intent, you can watch the recording of the webinar and review the webinar slides below:

Letters of Intent Webinar Video Recording / Webinar Slides

2026 Granting Cycle Calendar

January 5, 2026

Funds become available

2027 Granting Cycle

March 3, 2026	Letter of intent online submission deadline
June 5, 2026	Notification of application status
September 9, 2026	Full application deadline (only for those who passed the LOI stage)
November 13, 2026	Final notification
January 4, 2027	Funds become available

The Jim Henson Foundation awards grants each year for the creation of innovative new works of contemporary puppet theater. Our definition of a puppet is an object that is given the appearance of life through direct or indirect manipulation by the human hand. The Foundation’s Board of Directors judges applications based on the excellence of the puppetry including puppet design, manipulation and theatrical execution. 

There are three Artist Grants available: Workshop Grants ($4,000), Production Grants ($10,000), and Family Grants ($5,000). All Artist Grants are to be used towards puppetry. This includes the building and performing of the puppets and the integration of the puppets in the piece.

Production Grants of $10,000 are awarded for the production of new works ready to premeire in the coming year.

Workshop Grants of $4,000 are for the development and workshopping of these pieces. Workshop Grants support the further development of work that is in mid-process as it progresses toward becoming a full length production. A public showing is not required; however, you must provide a strong video record of the workshop and show in your final report how the funds were used to advance the piece.

Workshop Grants and Production Grants can be combined over a two year period for the greatest benefit to the piece; keep in mind, however, that a Production Grant does not need to be preceded by a Workshop grant and a Workshop Grant in no way ensures a future Production Grant. Less than half of Workshop Grant recipients receive Production Grants.

Family Grants of $5,000 fund the development of new and innovative work specifically for children, families, and teenagers ready to premiere in the coming year. Please keep in mind that Family Grants will be evaluated by the same high artistic standards as works for adults.

Since The Jim Henson Foundation began awarding grants in 1982, there has been astonishing growth in both the quantity and quality of puppet theater in this country. This has made it increasingly difficult to narrow the applicant pool, so we have instituted a policy that we hope will more evenly distribute our funds among the many artists worthy of support. Artists who received a grant in the previous year are not eligible to submit a proposal in the current year. Artists who received a Workshop Grant in the previous year are eligible to apply in the current year, but only for a Production Grant to further develop the previously funded piece.

Grants are made only for the development of new full-length works of excellent live puppet theater. The Foundation does not award funds for the presentation or remounting of existing work. Grants cannot be applied retroactively; substantial portions of a proposed project must take place after the funds are awarded.

The Foundation does not fund:

• publications
• parades
• pageants
• exhibitions
• spectacle
• festivals
• film or television projects
• projects for school credit
• teaching workshops
• education or outreach activities
• purely digital performance
• muppet-style puppetry
• traditional puppetry
• puppetry performed by students
• travel for research
• masks alone unless they are used with puppets
• shadow theater that is not shadow puppetry
• miniature environments lacking miniature inhabitants that come to life
• crankies
• theater that is primarily about illustrating a story or message
• educational shows primarily for educational value
• remounts of existing work
• slams and variety shows
• a piece that is not conceived as a full-length work
• a script reading that does not yet include puppetry
• works in which the majority of the building, rehearsal or performance takes place outside of the United States

We would like to emphasize that live puppet performance needs to be integral to the proposed project. While we will consider productions that utilize other media and genres, a major portion of the piece must feature puppetry that is well-executed in both design and performance.  The mission of the Foundation is to fund excellence in PUPPET theater.  Funding decisions are based on the quality of the puppetry.

Please note that the Foundation will prioritize work that can continue beyond a premiere.  We look for shows that will live on through multiple performances with the potential to tour both nationally and internationally.

Unfortunately, the Foundation does not offer crisis funding.

Awards can be made only to IRS tax-exempt organizations. We welcome applications from individual artists, but those without 501(c)(3) non-profit status must apply through a fiscal sponsor with this non-profit status.  Applications for international collaborations are accepted, but the primary artist must be a US citizen. The project needs to be presented in the United States and ideally developed and workshopped in the United States as well.  Projects that will only take place outside of the United States are not eligible for funding. Learn more about the application process on our Grant Application FAQ page.

Letters of Intent

If you would like to be considered for a grant, the first step is to submit a letter of intent on or before March 3, 2026. Here is the link to submit for all types of Artist Grants for 2027.

The letter of intent is a PDF comprised of two pages, a 1 page letter and a 1 page visual.  The Letter must include:

• Your complete contact information, including mailing address, phone number, email and website address
• The category of grant you intend to apply for – Production, Workshop or Family.
• A clear description of the planned project, including the dramatic arc of the piece, the types of puppets that will be used, the lead puppeteer, the lead puppet designer and builder, and your timeline for the work including any upcoming workshops, residencies, or performances. 

The letter must be accompanied by a one-page visual.

• This can be photographs of the puppet(s), a working sketch or illustration of the puppet(s), or a combination of images that show the puppetry in the proposed project.
• Do not include images of other artists you are inspired by who are not attached to the project. If these kinds of inspirational images are included, your application will be disqualified.
• Puppetry is a visual medium, the one-page visual you submit is essential to the letter of intent phase of the process.
• All images must be original work and have the artist/source identified.

Do NOT submit a cover letter or any other additional materials.

Approximately half of the applicants submitting letters of intent will be asked to submit full proposals. Letters of intent will be reviewed at the Spring board meeting, and applicants will be notified of the board’s decision by June 5, 2026.

Application Instructions

If you are invited to submit a Full Application, it must be received on or before September 9, 2026 by 11PM Eastern. 

Late applications are not accepted. 

Applications are submitted through Submittable only.

The Full Application is broken into individual questions, each with their own character limit, draft your answers in a separate document first, then paste in and trim to fit. Text that exceeds a question’s limit cannot be submitted.

The Full Application asks for:

• City and State
• Main Idea — a short pitch (300 characters)
• The Concept and/or Story (1200 characters)
• The Puppetry — forms, technique, and why puppetry is essential to the piece (800 characters)
• Timeline (600 characters)
• Artist Bio(s) (1500 characters)
• Company Bio — Production & Family Grants only (1200 characters)
• Dramaturge/Outside Eye — Production & Family Grants only (200 characters)
• Project Budget — Submittable’s budget template, covering the entire project’s income and expenses, not just the amount requested from the Foundation
• Budget Notes (200 characters)
• Visuals — 3 to 6 color images of the puppetry in this project, each captioned with the artist or source identified. Images of past work, artists not attached to the project, or AI-generated content will disqualify the application.
• Video Footage — 3 to 4 minutes, required for every applicant, showcasing the puppetry in the piece. Workshop Grant applicants only may submit video of a past performance, however at least half of your video needs to be of the proposed project.
• Non-Profit Status or Fiscal Sponsor documentation
• Presenter and Presenting Commitment — Production & Family Grants only
• Intellectual Property documentation — only if adapting previously published work not in the public domain

Questions?

If you have a question about our guidelines, you may be able to find the answer on our list of Frequently Asked Questions. You can also reach us at info@hensonfoundation.org. It is best to contact us with any questions well in advance of the application deadlines.