Artist Grants

2027 Granting Cycle

September 9, 2026 Full application deadline (only for those who passed the LOI stage)

November 13, 2026 Final notification

January 4, 2027 2027 Funds become available

March 10, 2027 Letter of Intent deadline for 2028 granting cycle

Crucial Excursions – Monkeybear’s Harmolodic Workshop
2021 Workshop Grant, Photo: Bruce Silcox

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.

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.

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

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.

Workshop Grants can be combined over a two year period with a Production Grant 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 does not ensure a future grant. Workshop Grants are sometimes made to smaller shows that we want to support even if they are not likely to receive a second grant. 

Eligibility

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 Production or Family 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 is dedicated to the advancement of American puppet theater, so the lead artist must be a United States resident and the design, building, rehearsal, and premiere of the show must happen in the United States. 

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 building, rehearsal, or opening 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. 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. Learn more about the application process on our Grant Application FAQ page.

Letter of Intent

The next opportunity to apply for a grant is for a project that will happen in 2028. If you would like to be considered for a 2028 grant, the first step is to submit a letter of intent on or before March 10, 2027. The Jim Henson Foundation uses Submittable for applications. We will add a link here to apply by February 1st, 2027. You will be asked the following questions in your application: project name, type of grant you are applying for, past Henson grants you have received, your main idea/pitch, a description of the story/journey of your piece, a description of the puppetry involved, an outline of the timeline of your process, the names of the puppet artists involved, and to upload visual images.The visuals: You will be asked to upload 3 to 6 color images of the puppetry in your proposed project. All images must be original work with the artist or source identified, and each should include a brief caption. Please note: submit only work from this project. Images of past work, artists not attached to the project, or AI-generated content will disqualify your application.  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, 2027. 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

Sea Change: the history of water – Cabinet of Curiosity
2021 Production Grant, Photo: Chris Andrews

Full Application Instructions

If your Letter of Intent was accepted, you’ll be invited to fill out a Full Application. You will be sent an Additional Form to fill out on your initial Submittable submission. This Additional Form must be completed on or before September 9. Late applications are not accepted.  Applications will be reviewed at the Fall board meeting, and applicants will be notified of the board’s decision by December 9.

The application will ask for your project’s main idea/pitch, a description of the story/journey of your piece, a description of the puppetry involved, an outline of the timeline of your process, artist bios of those involved, the name of your dramaturge or outside eye (more information about this can be found on the Grant Application FAQ page), a budget, visuals, and video footage. 

The visuals: You will be asked to upload 3 to 6 color images of the puppetry in your proposed project. All images must be original work with the artist or source identified, and each should include a brief caption. Please note: submit only work from this project. Images of past work, artists not attached to the project, or AI-generated content will disqualify your application.  

The video: video footage is a requirement for all applicants. The video needs to be of the project for which you are applying. The video must feature the puppetry in the piece. It should be a high quality .mov, .m4v, or .mp4 file. The file should be no larger than 2GB, and 3-4 minutes long, no longer than 4 minutes.

For grant payment, you must either be a non profit organization, or you must have a fiscal sponsor.

If you ARE a non-profit organization, you will need to provide a copy of your IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter. 

If you ARE NOT a non-profit organization, you will need to provide a letter from a fiscal sponsor stating that they agree to serve as your fiscal sponsor for the project, and you will need to provide a copy of their IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter (which you can get from the fiscal sponsor). More information about this can be found on the Grant Application FAQ page.

If you are applying for a Production Grant or a Family Grant you will need to provide a letter of commitment from a presenter for 2028 with approximate dates of your presentation.  If you are unable to get a commitment by the September 9 application deadline, you can request to submit this letter by October 15th. 

Intellectual Property: If you are using previously published work that is not in the public domain, you need to have obtained the rights to this work and include proof of this in your application.

For in depth information and best practices for the Full Application, you can watch the recording of the webinar here:

Full Application Webinar Video Recording