Media Artist + Activist Residency Grant

The Media Artist + Activist Residency (MAR) is a collaborative grant initiative led by the Leeway Foundation, a Philadelphia-based private foundation committed to supporting artists and cultural producers engaging in art for social change. With support from the Independence Public Media Foundation, MAR awards five one-year residencies annually. These residencies aim to integrate media artists directly into the work of social justice organizations operating within the Greater Philadelphia region. The program's objective is to amplify campaigns and reframe narratives through collaborative media projects that challenge systems of oppression and promote community transformation. Under this initiative, a total of $25,000 is awarded per residency, split into a $15,000 unrestricted grant to the media artist and a $10,000 grant to the collaborating organization. The organizational grant is partly restricted, with 50% allocated for general operating support and the remainder for residency-specific expenses. Artists and organizations must jointly propose a project where the artist is embedded in the organization’s work, emphasizing the residency’s collaborative and strategic nature rather than acting as a production grant for individual work. The process is designed to highlight how media arts can be central to shifting power, building community, and advocating for justice. The Leeway Foundation defines media arts broadly, encompassing fields such as film, video, audio, podcasting, interactive design, web-based content, and multimedia installations. Applicants must demonstrate that media is central to the proposed collaboration. Additionally, applicants are encouraged to identify up to three social change categories that align with their project vision. These include racial justice, disability justice, immigrant justice, LGBQA and transgender justice, environmental justice, and many others. The emphasis is on art that impacts communities—raising consciousness, preserving culture, building community, and challenging systems of inequality. Eligibility is strictly defined. Artists must be women, trans*, or gender nonconforming individuals who are at least 18 years old and reside in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia Counties. They must not be full-time students or staff/board members of the partnering organization. The organization must be a social justice entity with a 501(c)(3) status or a fiscal sponsor, located within the same geographic bounds, and have an annual operating budget below $1.5 million. Both the artist and organization are limited to one application per cycle, and prior recipients from 2023 or 2024 are ineligible. The application process requires both partners to submit their respective application sections online. The artist must provide two work samples, a narrative application, and proof of age and residency if selected. The organization must submit an IRS determination letter, operating budget, and a staff/board list. Successful applicants are notified within 10–12 weeks of the deadline and are required to participate in quarterly convenings to foster peer learning and collaboration. The deadline for the 2026 MAR application is Monday, April 13, 2026. Applicant support includes multiple virtual and in-person information sessions in March and April, culminating just before the submission deadline. If awarded, final reports documenting the media produced during the residency must be submitted within 90 days after the end of the project (due by March 15, 2027). The MAR residency is a unique opportunity for artists and organizations to co-create media works that challenge dominant narratives and inspire actionable change within their communities.

Ensure media arts are central; highlight authentic collaboration; avoid misframing the residency as a solo production grant