The Fund for US Artists at International Festivals
and Exhibitions (often called The Festivals' Fund) is a
public-private partnership established to help ensure that the
excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in the United
States are represented at international festivals and
exhibitions. Besides USIA, the Fund is also supported by one
other federal agency, the National
Endowment for the Arts.
The two private partners are the Rockefeller Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. It is managed by Arts International, a division of the Institute of International Education. The chairperson of the Festivals Fund rotates among the four partners.
The Festivals Fund makes grants to individual performing artists and organizations that have been invited to participate in international festivals around the world. Applicants must be creative, interpretive or traditional artists working at a professional level and citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Full-time students and student groups are not eligible for support. The Fund is particularly interested in proposals reflecting the cultural and regional diversity of the United States.
There are three deadlines for proposals each year in mid-January, May 1 and September 1. Peer panel review meetings are convened six weeks after each deadline. Festivals should take place at least 9 weeks after panel meetings.
For further information and applications for grant funding at performing arts festivals, please contact The Festivals' Fund or e-mail the fund administrator at thefund@iie.org. The Fund's visual arts activities are administered directly by USIA's cultural staff. For further information please contact the Office of Citizen Exchanges on 202/619-4779.
The Fund's performing arts activities are administered by Arts International. They maintain a list of current grantees and a searchable database of prior grantees.