Overview and Guidelines

The Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) is a community inspired to create positive social change through creativity. The Institute supports and amplifies dynamic artistic practices that engage complex social issues, inspire individual transformation, and inform collective action. SFAI’s award-winning facilities were designed by famed Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta. This beautiful space connects you to Santa Fe's international art scene and the stunning New Mexico landscape.

The Fulbright Foundation in Greece, in partnership with SFAI, will nominte one creative practitioner from Greece for participation in the Santa Fe Art Institute’s International Thematic Residency Program. SFAI implements yearlong thematic programing that address pertinent questions facing diverse regional and global communities. Fulbright grants at SFAI are awarded for three months and start in January. The 2025 residency theme is Community of Practice. Previous themes can be reviewed here.

In 2025, SFAI celebrates our 40th anniversary and  centers our 10th Anniversary of the International Thematic Residency program with the theme, Community of Practice. Over the past nine years, the residency program has brought more than 500 creative practitioners to engage, collaborate and create works around themes of Food Justice, Immigration/Emigration, Water Rights, Equal Justice, Truth & Reconciliation, Labor, Revolution, Changing Climate and Sovereignty. 

Through the process of collective learning and artistic experimentation, SFAI’s 2025 Community of Practice theme transcends geographical boundaries to come together around shared values of critical inquiry and cultural exchange. Reaching out to their own communities of practice, SFAI alumni will nominate a creative practitioner and/or apply themselves to join our 2025 Community of Practice. 

With the Community of Practice theme, we ask applicants to consider:

- How can Communities of Practice model equitable, on-the-ground practices    for artistic engagement to address social issues and work toward liberation? 

- How does a Community of Practice address social justice issues in the context of fragmented worldviews and ideologies? 

- How do Communities of Practice work together to transcend disciplines, encourage risk-taking and experimentation, and share individual, collective and ancestral knowledge?

This award is open to creative professionals in all artistic fields including fine arts, creative writing, education, curatorship, art criticism, craft, design, architecture, theater, cinematography, photography, and digital arts. The Foundation looks for well-defined, sustainable, innovative projects that will have an impact in the respective areas and that may lead to future collaborations between the United States and Greece.

Candidates are selected on the basis of artistic achievement, potential for professional development, civic engagement, extra-curricular activities, the applicant’s ability to creatively and critically engage with the theme of the residency season for which they are applying, and personal qualities/abilities to serve as a cultural ambassador for Greece. The selection focuses on the professional experience of the artist, the quality of their past work, and their potential to sustain productive residency at SFAI.

Check out the profiles of the previous Fulbright SFAI Fellows/Residents from Greece here.

All awards are subject to Fulbright Foundation policies, in compliance with the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) guidelines, and all governmental regulations regarding visas, immigration, travel, and residence.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply for a grant, each candidate must

• have Greek citizenship and a valid Greek passport. Candidates with dual citizenship (U.S./Greek) or permanent residence in the United States are not eligible.
• have an excellent command of the English language.

Please also note that

• preference will be given to candidates between the ages of 25 to 45 at the time of application, with a minimum of five years professional experience in their field of work/study.
• preference will be given to candidates whose permanent residence is in Greece and to those who are committed to returning to Greece at the end of their project to fulfill the mission and aim of their Fulbright grant.
• preference will be given to candidates with a degree from a recognized university or institution.
• priority will be given to applicants who have not had extensive recent experience in the United States.

Grant Benefits

Fulbright Awards offer financial support for non-degree study/research in the U.S. However, Fulbright is much more than a scholarship: We offer scholars the opportunity to have a transformative cultural and academic experience and provide unrivaled support both during and after the Fulbright year. While the grant period is one semester in length, the benefits do not end there. Receiving a Fulbright Award opens many doors and provides unparalleled global networking opportunities.

The Fulbright grant is a non-renewable grant that secures your participation in the Santa Fe Art Institute’s International Thematic Residency Program (partnership agreement) for the duration of your grant period and includes studio and living space, round-trip airfare, and limited health and accident insurance. 

More specifically, the grant includes

• Furnished private room with full bath and linens, and exterior patio; semi-private studio with desk, chair, and task lamp; communal living and working areas (fully equipped kitchen, dining room, lounge, interior courtyard, outdoor workyard, tool room with slop sink), basic tools, free laundry facilities, contemporary art library, building-wide highspeed internet, basic food supplies (valued at $200).
• A one-time non-renewable maintenance allowance to the amount of 1.000 €. The grant does not include a daily allowance for personal expenses (per diem).
• a round-trip travel allowance in accordance with Fulbright Travel Policies & Regulations.
• limited health and accident insurance (for grantee only). All participants will receive the Department of State's health insurance coverage (A+SPE) of $100,000 per illness or per injury with co-pays of $25 per medical visit and $75 for hospitalizations or emergency entries for the duration of the program. Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
• a pre-departure orientation session.
• participation in the Annual Awards Ceremony.
• a Fulbright IIE Certificate of Completion.
• participation in SFAI orientation sessions (webinars).
• J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa
• Enrichment Seminars and other benefits offered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the cooperating agency in the United States.
• membership in the online global community for all participants of U.S. government–sponsored exchange programs (such as the Fulbright program). International Exchange Alumni website

Terms and Conditions

• Registering before applying is mandatory. The registration serves to establish eligibility, which cannot be established through phone and e-mail communications. 
• A Fulbright Selection Committee will interview shortlisted candidates on a specific date. Candidates will be informed of their interview appointments with the Selection Committee by email. Interviews last for about 15 minutes, are conducted in English, and are held virtually.
• Candidates will be informed of their nomination status on the day following the end of the interview cycle. SFAI will make the final selection from nominated candidates with the advice of the Foundation.
• Participants are responsible for the $150 refundable security and damage deposit at SFAI, and for extra personal expenses including production costs, car rental, and others.
• Participants are expected to complete the entire three-month residency and are encouraged to attend gatherings, events, and organized activities.
• Participants are responsible for signing the SFAI contract and abiding by community agreements while at SFAI and other responsibilities as a resident.
• Candidates selected for a Fulbright grant are required to submit a medical history and examination report before their grants can be finalized. The Fulbright office will provide the necessary Medical Health Form.
• Fulbright grant recipients are responsible for making their own travel arrangements in accordance with Fulbright Travel Policies & Regulations.
• Awards cannot be deferred to the following year.
• Fulbright grant recipients must travel on a J-1 visa sponsored by the Fulbright Program.It is a condition of the visa that, after completing the non-degree program, artists must return to Greece and reside there for two years before being eligible to immigrate or apply for permanent residence or a work permit in the United States.The purpose of the two-year home residency requirement is to ensure that exchange visitors return to their home country and fulfill the exchange objectives of the Fulbright Program to broaden and strengthen mutual understanding between Greece and the United States.

Registration and Application Procedures

Step 1. Registration
The registration form is available online and serves to establish eligibility, which cannot be established through phone and e-mail communications. Once submitted, it will be automatically available to the Fulbright Foundation/Greek Program Coordinator for a first review. You will receive a confirmation email in the week following your submission.

Step 2. Online Fulbright Application Procedure
Following successful registration and confirmation of eligibility, applicants will be given a link to complete the online Fulbright application in English (SLATE platform). Applications submitted without prior registration will not be accepted. When you begin your application, the platform will ask you to confirm that you have contacted the local office (registration) and that you are eligible for this award.

The Fulbright Foundation accepts ONLY applications submitted online through the SLATE platform. Faxed, emailed, or mailed copies of applications will not be accepted.

The following documents must be completed/uploaded in the online application:

• Online application form including GDPR consent.  
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae including professional achievements.
• Scanned copies of your main degrees, certificates and/or diplomas in both Greek and English. Transcripts are not required.
• The Project Statement (Study/Research objectives) section should clearly detail the background and the purpose of your project and include a time frame that proves the feasibility of your planned project/research within the proposed grant period.
• In the Personal Statement section you will need to include an account of how the applicant’s proposed project and presence in the United States will promote the “mutual understanding” element of the Fulbright Program and the development of educational/professional collaborations between the United States and Greece.
• A scanned copy of your passport as well as a scanned copy of any valid U.S. visa issued within the last 4 years.
• A digital portfolio (Additional Information - Supplemental Materials section) that includes:
  Visual Artists: 10 digital images, including title, size, and medium of images
  Video Artists: a 5 minute segment
  Writing Samples: Fiction: 10 pages
                                Non-Fiction: 10 pages
                                Poetry: 10 poems (15 pages maximum)
                                Drama: 10 pages of dialogue and 1-page synopsis of play
                                Screenwriting: 10 pages of dialogue and a 1-page synopsis of script
• Three letters of reference. Your reference (the person writing your letter of recommendation) should complete and submit the forms through the online registration platform once you have registered them. All candidates should inform their references that letters must be submitted online by March 1, 2024. All letters should be written in English. The letters of reference should be written by professors or professionals with whom you have studied or by someone who has supervised you in work related to your proposed field.

Contact
Greek Program Coordinator
The Fulbright Foundation
T 210 7241 811/2, ext. 3
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Registration Form

The registration period for the 2024-2025 academic year is now closed. New announcements for the 2025-2026 cycle will be posted in summer 2024.

Program Calendar