Howard Foundation Fellowship
Ten $40,000 fellowships support performance writers, choreographers, and scholars working in theatre, dance, and performance studies.
Table of Contents
The Howard Foundation Fellowship will award ten $40,000 fellowships in its 2027 cycle. Applications are open to eligible early mid-career artists, writers, and scholars who currently live and work in the United States or U.S. Territories. The current fields create three distinct pathways: Writing for Performance supports writers creating work intended for live or recorded performance; Choreography supports choreographers creating new original choreographic work; and Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies supports scholarly projects examining these fields from a critical perspective. Applications close November 1, 2026.
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Howard Foundation Fellowship Snapshot
What: Ten Howard Foundation Fellowships across Writing for Performance or Choreography and Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.
Who: Eligible early mid-career writers, choreographers, artists, and scholars currently living and working in the United States or U.S. Territories.
Where: United States and U.S. Territories. This is a non-residency fellowship.
Award / Support: Ten fellowships of $40,000 each.
Application Fee: FREE
Deadline: November 1, 2026.
Recommendation Deadline: November 15, 2026.
Official Link: https://howardfoundation.smapply.org
Choreography Strategy Coach Notes: https://www.patreon.com/pformart/posts/howard-2027-169608604?
Writing for Performance Strategy Coach Notes: https://www.patreon.com/pformart/posts/howard-2027-for-169608011
Get The Application Strategy: Howard Foundation Fellowship
The Howard Foundation competition contains distinct creative and scholarly pathways. Writers applying through Writing for Performance propose written work intended for live or recorded performance. Choreographers propose new original choreographic work and use a separate application form. Applicants in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies propose scholarly projects that critically examine and interpret these fields. The application requires a new undertaking, a three-page project description, a two-page CV or resume, previous work, and two recommendations. The Foundation uses expert panels for successive rounds of screening before the strongest proposals advance to its multidisciplinary Board of Administration. Join the network to access the Strategy Coach Notes, including separate application strategies for Writing for Performance, Choreography, and Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.
About the Howard Foundation Fellowship
The George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation is an independent foundation administered at Brown University. It awards fellowships for independent projects in selected fields on a rotating schedule. The Foundation targets early mid-career individuals who have completed at least one major project and demonstrate the potential to become future leaders in their fields. The Foundation will award ten $40,000 fellowships in April 2027 in the current fields.
Howard Fellowships are unrestricted, non-residency fellowships intended to support recipients’ intellectual and artistic development. Artists and scholars are expected to devote a substantial portion of time during the fellowship year to advancing new work. Fellowship funds may be combined with sabbatical leave or other sources of support. The application portal states that the fellowships primarily provide artists, scholars, and writers with time to complete their work.
Howard Foundation Fellowship: Three Application Pathways
Writing for Performance
Writing for Performance is for writers creating written work intended for performance.
The Foundation considers proposals from early mid-career authors, artists, and playwrights working in genres, styles, and media classified as Writing for Performance. The Foundation specifically identifies playwriting, monologues, performance poetry, screenplays, and other writing intended for live or recorded performance.
The applicant is applying as the writer or author of the proposed work.
Choreography
Choreography is for choreographers creating new original choreographic work.
The Foundation considers choreographic proposals designed for dance or other stage performance and notation. Artists may work in any genre, style, or media classified as Choreography. Choreography has a separate application form.
Applicants must be generative artists who conceive and create new original work. They are generally expected to be in their fifth through fifteenth year of professional generative artistic practice and clearly beyond the emerging stage.
The proposed work must be created and developed by the artist from concept to completion. Remounts, revivals, and interpretations of previously existing material are excluded.
Collectives, companies, and groups are ineligible. Applicants must apply as solo artists or creators. A dancer, producer, director, or other choreographic collaborator who is not also a professional choreographer is ineligible.
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies is for scholars undertaking critical research and scholarship.
The Foundation considers scholarly projects that examine and interpret theatre, dance, and performance studies from a critical point of view. Projects may address any genre, place, language, time period, or format and may use philological, historical, theoretical, or comparative perspectives.
This category does not support creative work. Applicants should have a promising record of scholarly accomplishment that includes one major project.
Application proposals should address methodology, timeframe, use of funding, and the intended impact of the project within the field of study.
What Is Offered
- Ten fellowships of $40,000 each
- Unrestricted fellowship support
- A non-residency structure
- Time for the development of artistic, written, or scholarly work
- Ability to combine fellowship funds with sabbatical leave or other support
- Fellowship funds available beginning July 1, 2027
- Payment to the recipient or their institution
- The Foundation does not provide indirect costs. Fellowship funds are primarily intended to support time for the work.
- For Choreography, funds do not underwrite publication, advertising, or promotional costs.
- For Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, funds do not underwrite publication, advertising, or promotional costs.
Who Should Apply
Applicants should first determine which of the three pathways accurately describes the proposed project.
Performance writers should apply through Writing for Performance when the proposed project is writing intended for live or recorded performance. Examples explicitly identified by Howard include playwriting, monologues, performance poetry, and screenplays.
Choreographers should apply through Choreography when they are the generative artist conceiving and creating new original choreographic work. Applicants generally have five to fifteen years of professional generative artistic practice. The applicant must apply individually.
Theatre, dance, and performance scholars should apply through Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies when the project is scholarly and critically examines or interprets these fields. Creative projects are ineligible within this pathway.
Howard Foundation Fellowship Timeline
- November 1, 2026: Applications due.
- November 15, 2026: Recommendation letters due.
- April 2027: Fellowship recipients announced.
- July 1, 2027: Fellowship funds available.
Why The Howard Foundation Fellowship Matters
The Howard Foundation Fellowship offers substantial unrestricted support while addressing three forms of performance-related practice separately. Performance writers can seek support for new writing intended for live or recorded performance. Choreographers can seek support for new original choreographic work created through their own generative practice. Theatre, dance, and performance studies scholars can seek support for critical research and writing.
That distinction makes the current fellowship cycle relevant across several parts of the contemporary performance field while preserving specific eligibility requirements for each form of practice. Ten recipients will each receive $40,000, and the non-residency structure allows recipients to undertake their work without relocating to a host institution.
Apply to The Howard Foundation Fellowship
Applications are submitted through the Howard Foundation’s official application portal.
Deadline: November 1, 2026.
Recommendation Deadline: November 15, 2026.
Official Link: https://howardfoundation.smapply.org
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