Media Artist + Activist Residency (MAR)

Yes! The Media Artist + Activist Residency (MAR) is open to the public and provides grants of $25,000 to women, trans*, and gender nonconforming media artists working in close collaboration with social justice organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area to document, reframe, and/or amplify the issues and campaigns addressed by the organization. Deadline: April 14th.

Art with a vision and an intentional analysis. Find out more here.

Lots of different aspects! Find out more here.

Leeway asks applicants to identify at least one but no more than three social change intents that best describe their intent or vision behind their work. There is no correct or incorrect way to choose; you should pick one that resonates with you as the core intent or vision of your work. You will have an opportunity to define further what that vision is for you in Question 3 of the application. For more details, please see page 2 of the MAR Guidelines in English and Spanish.

Past MAR recipients are awesome. Find out more about them here.

 Yes. If you are a media artist who works with another media artist or as part of a media-based collective and want to apply together, we encourage you to do so. We understand that most projects are done in collaboration with others, so you are only required to submit a co-applicant form in English or Spanish, if you are playing the same roles as artistic directors or partners for the project. Applicants may only apply once per cycle, whether submitting as part of a collective or as an individual. 

Please note: Co-applicants must meet the same basic eligibility requirements, which includes identifying as a woman, trans*, and/or gender nonconforming person. For more information, read the “Collaboration” section (page 4) of the MAR Guidelines in English and Spanish.

Yes. Media artists and their collaborating organizations may apply for a particular phase of a project. However, be sure to:

• describe the overall project;
• explain what particular phase of the project you’re applying for and why; and 
• how the media created as part of this phase will engage and be shared with the community.

No. Instead, Leeway asks applicants to complete an “Experience Page”. This is a space where artists will provide brief descriptions/dates of 4-10 artistic, personal, political, professional, and/or social change-based experiences relevant to their art for social change work. 

The Experience Page is not meant to read as a traditional resume and should reflect defining moments for you as an artist or cultural producer. The review panel values experiences that are often not included in traditional resumes and know that these experiences can be defining moments for artists. 

For MAR, we recommend including experiences that reflect media-based work, the social issues your residency is addressing, and/or any previous experience working with your collaborating organization. 

Please note: These experiences are shared with the review panel but will never be shared publicly.

Yes! Media artists are required to submit two work samples. Work samples are important to the review panel’s evaluation and should provide an accurate view of the range and quality of the media artist’s work. For each sample, you will be prompted to provide brief descriptions and context for the work. We strongly encourage you to submit work samples that align with the work you are proposing.

• At least one work sample should reflect work completed within the last five years.
• Work samples should not be “pitch” pieces for this residency but should illustrate the artist’s work.
• General links to personal or organizational websites are not accepted.
• Longer work samples are not necessarily better work samples. Sometimes, less is more! 

For work samples lengths and formats, please read page 5 of the MAR Guidelines in English and Spanish.

As part of this application process, collaborating organizations will be asked to submit the following:

• IRS Determination Letter
• Current year operating budget
• List of current board and staff

Collaboration is core to this residency. Media artists and social justice organizations apply together to work collaboratively to document, reframe, and/or amplify the issues and campaigns addressed by the organization. This collaboration should be an active, mutually beneficial partnership between both parties. 

Before applying, artists and organizations should make sure they:

• Have a shared vision with clearly agreed upon mission, objectives, and strategies
• Hold an understanding and respect for each other and their respective work
• Share stake in both the process and outcome of the project
• Understand how communities, stakeholders, and the general public will be engaged
• Communicate frequently and clearly about expectations, needs, and updates
• Are willing to compromise and be flexible, discussing issues openly & navigating disagreements, if needed 

In all collaborations, there is the potential risk that one or the other party may not be able to completely fulfill its commitments. It’s important for collaborators to generate an alternative plan which accounts for what will happen if one or the other is unable to meet the agreed-upon terms of the collaboration. For more about collaboration, please read page 5 of the MAR Guidelines in English and Spanish.

An independent review panel – consisting of community-based artists from different ranges, breadths, and depths of art for social change work – decides who gets funded. Leeway staff do not make these decisions. 

An independent peer review panel will evaluate applications. Keep in mind that members of the panel may not be familiar with your particular artistic practice or cultural context, so describe them clearly. Peer review panelists will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:

• How media arts is central and at the core of the proposed collaboration
• Evidence of the range and quality of the artist’s media work
• Evidence that the relationship between the artist and organization is authentic and mutually beneficial
• The importance, urgency, and motivation for this residency
• Clear understanding of the collaboration’s goals for this residency
• Demonstrated vision and social change intent as an integral part of the collaboration
• How communities and audiences in the Greater Philadelphia region are engaged and impacted

Leeway receives approximately 30-50 MAR applications each year – and 5 residencies are selected, depending on Leeway’s budget

Residency notification letters are sent approximately 10 to 12 weeks after the application deadline.

To keep our process transparent, every applicant receives feedback, based on the panel’s deliberations. This offers a view into the process and gives information applicants can use as they think about their work and future applications to Leeway or other funders. Applicants may opt out of receiving feedback — and can always request it at a later date. 

We offer feedback with the understanding that grantmaking is a reductive process, where there is never as much money as qualified applicants, so please consider if you are prepared to receive this feedback.

MAR applicants may apply for and receive the Art and Change Grant and/or Window of Opportunity Grant in the same year. However, MAR applicants may not apply for the Transformation Award in the same year.

Yes! If you’ve previously received a Media Artist + Activist Residency, you are welcome to re-apply if:

• you have not received this residency in 2023 or 2024;
• are not working with the same media artist or organization;
• are not applying for the same project. However, you may apply for different phases of that project; and
• have turned in all reports from previous Leeway grants and awards.

Leeway staff are here to support! You can:

• Attend an Information Session where you can learn more about Leeway grants and how to prepare your application
• Register for an Applicant Support Session where you can meet one-on-one with a Leeway representative to get direct feedback on your application

Contact Leeway staff to set-up a one-on-one appointment at info@leeway.org or 215.545.4078