The Asian Cultural Council (ACC) is pleased to announce the open call for the 2027 Grant Cycle. Applications will be accepted from October 1 through November 10, 2026, with letters of recommendation due November 16.
ACC supports artists, scholars, arts professionals, and organizations through fellowships and grants that advance cultural exchange between the U.S. and Asia, and within Asia. Through these immersive experiences, participants step outside their daily life, engage deeply with new cultural contexts, expand their perspectives and creative practice, and develop relationships with peers across borders. After their fellowship or grant, participants join ACC’s global alumni network, continuing to build connections and contribute to cross-cultural understanding through their work.
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Asian Cultural Council Announces 2027 Global Grant and Fellowship Opportunities Fellowship
Aim and Benefits of Asian Cultural Council Announces 2027 Global Grant and Fellowship Opportunities Fellowship
ACC offers four types of grants to support its mission:
- New York Fellowship: Over a six-month period, a diverse cohort of artists, scholars, and arts professionals from Asia live in the United States and engage with a new cultural landscape, using this immersive experience to broaden their perspectives and inform the development of their artistic practices. This rare and extended pause from daily work—shared with peers across disciplines—offers space for reflection, exploration, and meaningful exchange, free from the pressure to produce or present work.
- Individual Fellowship: With a flexible, often shorter timeframe of one to six months, artists, scholars, and arts professionals from Asia and the U.S. pursue research, self-directed exploration and cultural exchange experiences in a new or less familiar environment, fostering peer-to-peer dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing. The individual fellowship can be a joint fellowship of up to three participants.
- Graduate Fellowship: Supports graduate students from Asia pursuing U.S.-based degree programs that are unavailable or underrepresented in their home region. While this fellowship is academic by nature, studying in a less familiar environment, fellows are exposed to new ideas beyond the classroom.
- Organization Grant: Enables arts and culture organizations in Asia and the U.S. to pursue activities that advance their understanding of a topic or area practice, foster meaningful cultural exchange for their staff, communities, and collaborators.
Requirements for Asian Cultural Council Announces 2027 Global Grant and Fellowship Opportunities Fellowship Qualification
ACC welcomes applications from artists, scholars, arts professionals, and organizations proposing immersive cultural experiences aligned with our mission.
Eligible applications must meet the following requirements:
- Eligible Activities: ACC fellowship and grant funding is strictly limited to supporting activities related to cultural exchange and immersive experiences. ACC does not fund production or promotional activities, including activities intended to directly or indirectly produce, exhibit, or perform a specific, predetermined work product. Examples of ineligible “production grants” include, but are not limited to: filming a documentary, conducting research for a planned work product (e.g. books, films, plays, etc.), organizing an exhibition, or conducting a concert series.
- Timing of Fellowship and Grant Activities: All ACC-funded activities must take place within the grant period: August 1, 2027 – December 31, 2028.
- Eligible Destinations: ACC fellowships and grant activities must take place in the eligible countries, territories, and regions listed below. The New York and Graduate Fellowships may only take place in the U.S. For details on eligible destinations and restrictions, refer to the specific program guidelines.
Eligible Countries, Territories, and Regions: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China (Mainland), East Timor, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, U.S., and Vietnam.
- Citizenship, Permanent Resident Status, and Organization Registration: Applicants must be citizens or legal permanent residents of at least one of the countries, territories, or regions listed above, or be an organization registered in one of those locations. Permanent resident status refers to a government-issued legal status that allows you to live in a country, territory, or region indefinitely. It does not include temporary, renewable work visas or student/scholar visas.
- Experience and Eligible Disciplines: Applicants must be an arts or cultural organization, or an artist, scholar, or arts professional. Applicants must have at least five years of experience in one of the eligible disciplines at the time of application and must propose activities within an eligible discipline.
Note: Graduate Fellowship applicants are not required to have five years of professional experience.
Eligible Disciplines: Architecture (Design, History, and Theory), Archaeology, Art History, Arts Administration, Arts Criticism, Conservation, Crafts, Curation, Dance, Ethnomusicology, Film,* Literature, Museum Studies, Music, Theater, and Visual Art.
* Note: Applicants who primarily work in or study video art or photography may apply under visual art.
- ACC Alumni: ACC welcomes applications from alumni; however:
- Alumni who have received an ACC grant in the last two calendar years are not eligible.
- Alumni of the ACC New York Fellowship program cannot apply for another New York Fellowship.
- Alumni who previously received a six-month fellowship or similarly large grant are unlikely to receive another grant of comparable size.
- Budget: Eligible expenses may include travel, accommodation, daily expenses, museum and event tickets, interpreters, and other costs that enable these exchanges. Funding cannot be used to:
- Produce or promote specific, pre-planned projects, including performances, films, exhibitions, or publications. For example, grants cannot cover research for a book, filming for a documentary, or training for a future performance.
- Conduct promotional activities, including public relations, marketing or promotional travel (e.g. a book tour).
- Funding cannot be used exclusively to travel to an event.
- Purchase production capital or equipment. However, funding can include reasonable rental fees for necessary equipment or meeting/workshop spaces used during the grant activities.
- Participate in full-time residency program.
Interview date, Process and Venue for Asian Cultural Council Announces 2027 Global Grant and Fellowship Opportunities Fellowship
ACC staff first review applications to confirm eligibility. Applications that do not meet the criteria, including those considered production grants, will not move forward. Eligible applications are then reviewed by experts across disciplines—including ACC alumni—who serve as panelists/jurors. Short-listed candidates are invited for a virtual interview. Final selections are approved by ACC’s Global Board of Trustees.
Selection Criteria
Applications are assessed using the following criteria:
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Alignment with ACC’s mission: Demonstrates strong alignment with ACC’s mission to advance mutual understanding through cultural exchange. Clearly explains how the fellowship experience will broaden the applicant’s horizons, support creative growth, and foster valuable international connections.
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Time in the applicant’s career: Provides a clear rationale for why the proposed cultural exchange experience is important at this time.?
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Quality of proposal: Presents clear and feasible activities and objectives with the potential to impact the applicant, their work, and/or relevant communities.
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Artistic or professional merit: Demonstrates high-level qualifications, excellence and originality in past work, and?proposes meaningful contributions to the applicant’s field or artistic discipline.?
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Ability to communicate in the destination: Shows sufficient language proficiency or plans to address language barriers (e.g. budgeting for interpreters) to carry out the project. Demonstrates confidence in navigating cultural differences during the fellowship.?Fellows traveling to the U.S. on an ACC-sponsored J-1 visa must demonstrate the ability to communicate in English as required by U.S. government regulations (see New York Fellowship and Individual Fellowship Guidelines).
Application and Selection Timeline
The 2027 Grants Cycle will follow the schedule outlined below.
- Call for Applications Opens: October 1, 2026, at 9:59 AM U.S. Eastern Time (ET)
- Applications Due: November 10, at 9:59 AM U.S. Eastern Time (ET)
- Letters of Recommendation Due: November 16, at 9:59 AM U.S. Eastern Time (ET)
- Review and Selection Process: November 2026 - April 2027
- Notifications to Applicants: Mid-May 2027
- Grant Period (When ACC-funded travel and activities must take place): August 1, 2027 – December 31, 2028
Check also:
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2027
Global Korea Scholarship 2027
Application Deadline
November 10, 2026How to Apply
- Applicants must register for a GoApply Account to submit an application.
- Returning users may log in with their existing account by clicking here.
- Applicants who are applying for the Individual Fellowship, New York Fellowship, or Graduate Fellowship program should create an “Individual Account.”
- Applicants to the Organization Grant program should create an “Organization Account.”
- Detailed GoApply registration instructions are available in English, Chinese, and Japanese.
To start an application, open the “Opportunities” menu item in your GoApply account, and then click on the “View” button next to the application you wish to complete. You may also click one of the links below to open an application:
If you have difficulty accessing your GoApply account, please email [email protected].
For more information, kindly visit Asian Cultural Council webpage.
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