2012 USITT Grant applications are now closed.

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USITT Grants are funded in amounts up to $10,000 and are intended to support specific projects in design and/or technology. Applications are due mid January of each funding year. No later than 15 months after receipt of a USITT Project Grant, a written report must be submitted to the USITT Office for review by the Grants & Fellowships Committee.

Eligibility

• Members must be in good standing for the 12 months before the application date in order to apply.
• Individual, Professional, Senior, and Student members may apply. Supporting, Sustaining, and Contributing members and groups of members may also apply for project support grants.

• Applications must be received by the USITT office in Syracuse, New York by the specified due date within the application. All applications are reviewed to insure eligibility. Only complete applications received before the deadline are considered.  
• The Committee will meet during the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo to make final determination on any and all proposals.
• Notification of award(s) will be made during the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo.

Criteria

USITT funds projects which:

• Seek new knowledge through experimentation, research, or the collection of resources that will promote research;
• Demonstrate originality, creativity, and innovation;
• Improve or enhance contemporary approaches to design and/or technology;
• Result in direct presentation, demonstration, or publication to USITT member.

These projects can be in areas such as:

• architecture
• costume design and technology
• engineering
• lighting;
• management
• scene design
• sound/acoustics
• special effects
• technical production
• Computer applications for use in theatrical design and technology, planning and preparation for relevant exhibitions, historical perspectives, and education-based as well as interdisciplinary projects are possible candidates for funding.

Examples of Previously Funded Projects

• International Theatre Resources and Opportunities Survey
• Hydraulics Demonstrator 
• Educational Web Page Development of the Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry 
• Digital media project on the history of the American Circus
• Digital preservation of Mordecai Gorelik's papers 
• Research on the life and career of Ming Cho Lee

Grant Restrictions

Support will not be offered for:

• Bad debts
• Investments of any kind
• Production budgets or equipment for a specific production
• Tuition and/or fees
• Projects that duplicate or perpetuate available information
• Projects that involve lobbying or attempts to influence federal, state, or local legislators or elections
• Projects which include items that are not allowed by USITT's 501(c)(3) status
• Pre-publication expenses for books that will be published by entities other than USITT
• Projects that restrict equal opportunity participation
• Projects that include indirect costs
• Capital expenditures unrelated to a specific project
• Basic computer equipment and software
• Expenses incurred before the start date of the grant period and projects that do not begin and end within the grant period
• Receptions and refreshments
• Proposals from individuals or groups who have not complied with reporting requirements of previous USITT grants