Applications
Travel and residency grants
Dear artists,
Who can apply
Visual artists who …
- were born in Hesse or
- have lived in Hesse (primary residence) since no later than 1 January 2025 or
- have completed a degree at an art academy or a comparable course of study/training in Hesse
can apply. There is no age limit.
- have been awarded a Hessische Kulturstiftung travel or residency grant in the past (does not apply to State of Hesse work, project, or gap grants)
- are still in the process of pursuing a degree vocational training programme at the time of the application
- are related to one of the jury members, are employed by the Hessische Kulturstiftung, or are related to a Hessische Kulturstiftung employee.
Travel and residency Grants 2027/2028: Facts and figures
For the years 2027 and 2028, the Hessische Kulturstiftung will award altogether 5 travel grants of 3 to 12 months duration for destinations of the recipient’s choice, 7 residency grants of up to 12 months duration (New York City, London, Paris: 12 months, Istanbul: 6 months), and 2 combined residency and travel grants (residency at the Goethe-Institut Villa Kamogawa in Kyoto: 3 months, followed by an individual travel and work phase: 3 months).
2027/2028:
5 travel grants (à 25.000 Euro)
2027:
- 1 residency in New York City (à 25,000 euros)
- 1 residency in Paris (à 25,000 euros)
- 2 residencies in Istanbul (à 12,500 euros)
- 1 residency in Kyoto with subsequent travel and work phase in Japan (à 15,000 euros)
2028:
- 1 residency in New York City (à 25,000 euros)
- 1 residency in Paris (à 25,000 euros)
- 1 residency in London (à 25.000 Euro)
- 1 residency in Kyoto with subsequent travel and work phase in Japan (à 15,000 euros)
For the production of works that evolve within the framework of the grant or for their presentation in exhibitions or publications, the foundation will provide additional funding of up to 7,700 euros. The grant recipient can make use of this allowance for up to three years after the end of the grant period.
Required application documents
- information on yourself / In the case of an artist duo, information on the person submitting the application only (name, address, contact information)
- information on your artistic career / In the case of an artist duo, information on your collaboration (short CV, solo and group exhibitions, awards and grants received)
- project proposal (max. 3 pages, max. 6,000 keystrokes)
- digital illustration material / videos (max. 10 MB)
- information on two persons within your professional sphere who are able to answer questions about your artistic development
- mandatory documents: ID (identification card or passport) AND proof of one of the three alternative application prerequisites (place of birth / primary residence / completion of academic degree in Hesse)
- other attachments: portfolio, letters of recommendation, publications, etc. (max. 10 MB per PDF file)
Application deadline
The application deadline is 15 October 2026. The application portal will close at 11:59 pm CET (Central European Time) on that day. After that time, no further applications can be uploaded.
Selection procedure
In the first selection round, five jurors select the applicants for the shortlist. The jury is made up of experts from throughout Germany who work in various areas of art and culture. Their names will be announced at the end of the application phase. In the second round, altogether 14 of the applicants on the shortlist are chosen as recipients by means of random selection (5 for travel grants, 7 for residency grants, and 2 for combined residency and travel grants).
All applications are checked to ensure they fulfil the funding prerequisites.
If we have questions about your application, we will contact you. Please refrain from inquiring with us about the status of your application.
Announcement of the funding decision
We will prospectively arrive at our funding decisions on all applications in November 2026. The funding decisions will be officially announced in December 2026. We will inform all applicants in writing of the decision in favour of or against their application.
There is no legal entitlement to receive a grant.
Link to the application portal
From August 1, you can access the application portal here.
Contact persons
Tristan Lorenz
Deputy Executive Director / International Grant Programme
Phone: +49 (0)611 58 53 43 44
lorenz@hkst.de
Viola Gerber
International grant programme application procedure
Phone: +49 (0)611 58 53 43 53 (phone hours: Mon and Weg 10:00 am – 3:000 pm)
gerber@hkst.de
