← Back to US Funders Directory

Jerome Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$5.5M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.1M
Decision Time
5mo

Jerome Foundation Inc - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $5,505,607
  • Total Assets: $113 million
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $60,000
  • Decision Time: 4-6 months (varies by program)
  • Geographic Focus: Minnesota and New York City only
  • Career Stage: Early career artists (2-10 years professional experience)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.jeromefdn.org/

Email: info@jeromefdn.org

Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota

Application Portal: https://jeromefdn.submittable.com/submit

Overview

The Jerome Foundation was founded in 1964 by Jerome Hill (1905-1972), an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, painter, composer, and philanthropist, and the grandson of railroad builder James Jerome Hill. With total assets of $113 million and annual giving of approximately $5.5 million, the Foundation honors Jerome Hill's artistic legacy by supporting early-career artists in Minnesota and New York City—Hill's home state and the city where he spent much of his creative life. The Foundation's mission is clear: to nurture early-career artists and culture bearers who take creative risks, pursue innovative artistic approaches, and demonstrate a clear creative purpose and vision. Jerome Foundation prioritizes artists at a pivotal stage in their careers (2-10 years as professional generative artists), recognizing their dynamic, multi-dimensional impact in fostering thriving, evolving communities. In recent years, the Foundation has demonstrated strong commitment to diversity—93% of the 2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellows identified as Black, Native American, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Arab American, multi-racial, or multi-ethnic. The Foundation has significantly evolved its grantmaking strategy, shifting from single-project support to multi-year flexible funding that gives artists autonomy over their creative development.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship: $60,000 over three years ($20,000/year)

  • Flexible, self-designed plans for creative endeavors
  • Support for early career generative artists in Minnesota and NYC
  • Awarded every 2-3 years across seven artistic fields: dance, film, literature, music, technology-centered arts, theater/performance/spoken word, and visual arts
  • 45 fellowships awarded in 2025 cycle, investing $3.1 million total
  • Application via online portal; competitive multi-stage review process

Minnesota Film Production Grants: Up to $30,000

  • Support for eligible Minnesota-based early career film directors
  • Production grants for creative risk-taking projects that expand, question, experiment with, or re-imagine filmmaking
  • Does not require matching funds
  • 18-month grant period for production activities

Minnesota Filmmaker Mentorship Grants: Up to $10,000

  • Self-designed mentorship to strengthen film directing craft and/or professional skills
  • Must connect to a specific film project
  • 18-month grant period for mentorship activities

New York City Film Production Grants: Up to $30,000

  • For NYC-based early career film directors
  • Similar criteria to Minnesota film grants

Arts Organization Grants: Multi-year flexible grants (amounts vary)

  • For Minnesota and NYC arts organizations offering ongoing programs, services, and opportunities for multiple early career generative artists
  • Organizations must serve artists across any artistic field
  • 79 organizations received $5.5 million in 2024
  • Two-step application process with preliminary and full applications

Priority Areas

The Foundation specifically seeks artists and organizations who:

  • Take creative risks in exploring, expanding, imagining, or re-imagining creative practices and experiences
  • Reclaim or revive traditional forms in original ways
  • Question, challenge, or disrupt cultural norms
  • Support bold, innovative, and risk-taking artists with distinctive vision and voice
  • Demonstrate inspiring imagination and commitment to their artistic field

Geographic Restrictions: Support is strictly limited to artists and nonprofit arts organizations located in Minnesota and the five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island), with limited exceptions for national arts and philanthropic service organizations.

Career Stage: Artists must be in their 2nd-10th year as a generative artist. "Generative artists" are those who conceive and create new original work and exercise creative control over that work.

What They Don't Fund

Artist Types:

  • Actors, editors, cinematographers, screenwriters, and producers who are not also film directors
  • Artists who solely interpret or perform or develop/produce the work of others (non-generative artists)
  • Full-time students in degree-granting programs
  • Full-time tenured faculty members or equivalent
  • Producers, editors, or those in technical roles with substantial recognition and lengthy careers

Project Types:

  • Single or one-off projects
  • Support to a single artist, collective, or ensemble
  • Support for creation of a single new work (e.g., one play, film, book, or exhibition)
  • Installation, new media, or interactive work (for film programs specifically)
  • Commercial, industrial, informational, or educational work
  • Start-up organizations

Geographic:

  • Artists or organizations outside Minnesota and the five boroughs of New York City

Governance and Leadership

Leadership

Eleanor Savage - President & CEO (since May 2023) Eleanor Savage has been with Jerome Foundation since 2007, previously serving as Program Director before her appointment as CEO. She previously spent 16 years as Associate Director of Event and Media Production at the Walker Art Center. Savage earned a bachelor's degree in Theater and Psychology from Mercer University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Arts Management from Virginia Tech University. She serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for Grantmakers in the Arts and is active in the philanthropic and arts communities as an advocate for equitable practice.

Board of Directors

The governance, management, and direction of the Jerome Foundation are vested in the Board of Directors, who approve all grants awarded by the Foundation and are elected by the Members of the Jerome Corporation.

Current Board Members include:

  • Salome Asega - Artist and Director of NEW INC at the New Museum
  • Dr. Kate Beane - Cultural leader and historian
  • Sarah Bellamy - Nationally renowned racial equity facilitator and President of Penumbra, a center for racial healing
  • Helga Davis - Artist and cultural leader
  • Lori Pourier - President/CEO of First Peoples Fund
  • Ryan Lee Wong - Writer and arts organizer based in Brooklyn
  • Janet Wong - Seasoned performing arts leader with deep expertise in contemporary dance and performance; served as Associate Artistic Director of New York Live Arts and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company from 1995 to 2025

Members (who elect the Board):

  • Sara Maud Lydiatt-Vanier (Chair)
  • Libby Hlavka
  • Christine Ljungkull
  • William Russell
  • William Sheeline
  • Linda Earle
  • Phyllis Rawls Goff

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

All applications are submitted via Jerome Foundation's online application platform through Submittable at https://jeromefdn.submittable.com/submit. All applications must be submitted online in accordance with published deadlines, guidelines, and appropriate application forms accessible through the Foundation website.

Current Status: As of late 2024/early 2025, there are currently no open programs accepting applications. Check the website regularly for announcements of new application cycles.

Application Process:

  • Applications are prescreened for eligibility by Jerome Foundation staff
  • Applicants who do not clearly establish eligibility are eliminated at the prescreening stage
  • Applications are reviewed by panels of experts, with each discipline evaluated by a separate panel
  • Panels recommend a slate of grantees and alternates to the Jerome Foundation Board of Directors
  • The Board has sole authority to approve panel recommendations and award grants

For Arts Organization Grants: Two-step application process

  • Step 1: Preliminary application (online portal with fixed deadline)
  • Jerome staff reviews Step 1 applications
  • Invitations sent to eligible organizations to continue to Step 2
  • Step 2: Full application (fixed deadline)
  • Panel review period (approximately 3-4 months)
  • Board approval

Decision Timeline

Overall Process: Approximately 4-6 months from application deadline to final decision, though this varies by program.

Example Timeline (from past Arts Organization Grants cycle):

  • Application opens: Mid-June
  • Step 1 deadline: Mid-September
  • Staff review: 1 month
  • Step 2 invitations: Mid-October
  • Step 2 deadline: Late November
  • Panel review: 3.5 months (December-March)
  • Board approval and notification: Spring

Deadlines: Typically fall in mid-April for individual artist programs, though specific dates vary by program and cycle. Organization grants may have different timelines.

Notification: Panel recommendations are reviewed by the Board of Directors, which has sole authority to approve grants. Successful applicants are notified following Board approval.

Success Rates

The Foundation does not publicly release specific success rate statistics or acceptance percentages. However, several indicators suggest highly competitive programs:

  • 45 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowships awarded in 2025 cycle ($3.1 million total)
  • 18 film grants awarded in 2025 ($499,513 total)
  • 79 arts organization grants awarded in 2024 ($5.5 million total)
  • Strict eligibility requirements and rigorous panel review process
  • Multi-stage application with staff prescreening and expert panel evaluation

The Foundation emphasizes that artistic merit (evaluated in terms of both achievement and potential) is the highest priority criterion, making competition for awards significant.

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants may reapply to future cycles of the same program. However, the Foundation strongly advises that applicants who have been rejected seek feedback and counsel from staff before applying with the same plan again.

Key Reapplication Guidelines:

  • Contact Jerome Foundation staff to request information on why the application was denied (though feedback may be limited given the large number of applicants)
  • Letters of reference from previous applications may be reused; the Foundation will upload previous letters upon request
  • Decisions on one program do not impact ability to apply for other Jerome programs (if still eligible)
  • Consider whether waiting to develop stronger work samples or more competitive materials would be beneficial before reapplying

Application Success Factors

Jerome Foundation provides specific guidance on what makes applications successful:

Artistic Merit is Paramount

"Artistic merit, evaluated in terms of achievement as well as potential, is the highest priority criterion." Applications are reviewed based on artistic merit, dedication to and artistic accomplishments thus far, the potential impact of a fellowship on careers and artistic fields, readiness, and alignment with Jerome's values.

Innovation and Risk-Taking

The Foundation explicitly seeks artists who "take creative risks in exploring, expanding, imagining, or re-imagining creative practices and experiences; reclaiming or reviving traditional forms in original ways; and/or questioning, challenging, or disrupting cultural norms." The Fellowship supports "bold, innovative and risk-taking artists with distinctive vision and voice, and inspiring imagination."

Work Samples Are Critical

  • Submit your "recent and strongest work"—panels prefer work created within the last 3 years
  • Provide 2 work samples, each from a different completed and publicly presented work that you conceived, generated, and publicly delivered as a generative artist
  • Applicants who cannot provide the minimum requested work samples will be eliminated from consideration
  • Panels rely heavily on work samples to gauge competitiveness

Complete and Clear Resumes/CVs

"Resumes are a critical component of the evaluation. Resumes that are incomplete or confusing can lead the panel to reject your application, even before reviewing other parts of the application and your work samples."

  • Must include at least 1 work that has been supported by a presenting organization or funder (project grant from a foundation or federal, state, or local arts agency)
  • Clearly demonstrate you are in the 2nd-10th year as a generative artist
  • Avoid confusing or incomplete information

Submit Only What's Required

"Panelists consider all elements of the application and only those elements. They do not visit websites or social media channels, or consider materials beyond those submitted by the applicant." Do not rely on external materials—everything must be in the application itself.

Timing Your Application

The Foundation poses an important question to applicants: "Would you be more competitive with better work samples, be able to confirm more accurately your costs and still fall within our early career definition?" Consider whether waiting for a future cycle would strengthen your candidacy.

Demonstrate Readiness and Potential Impact

Applications are evaluated on "the potential impact of a fellowship on their careers and their artistic field" and "readiness." Show that you are at the right stage to benefit from multi-year flexible support and that the grant will meaningfully advance your artistic development.

Align with Jerome's Values

The Foundation prioritizes artists and organizations that demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity, and community impact. The 2025 cohort's demographics (93% identifying as BIPOC) reflect this institutional priority.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geography is absolute: You must be based in Minnesota or one of NYC's five boroughs—no exceptions for individual artists. Don't apply if you're outside these areas.

  • Career stage matters: You must be in years 2-10 as a professional generative artist. Too early or too established? You won't be eligible. Time your application strategically.

  • Risk-taking is valued over polish: Jerome explicitly seeks artists who question norms, take creative risks, and pursue innovative approaches. Safe, conventional work is less competitive than bold experimentation.

  • Your resume can make or break you: An incomplete or confusing resume will get you rejected before panels even view your work samples. Ensure it clearly demonstrates eligibility, professional trajectory, and prior organizational support.

  • Work samples are everything: Submit your strongest, most recent work (preferably within last 3 years). Panels won't look at your website or social media—only what you submit matters.

  • Multi-year flexible funding philosophy: Jerome has shifted from project-specific support to trusting artists with flexible, multi-year grants. Your application should demonstrate readiness for this autonomy and how it will impact your artistic development.

  • Reapplication is possible but strategic: If rejected, contact staff for feedback before resubmitting the same proposal. Consider waiting to strengthen your work samples rather than rushing to reapply.

References

← Back to US Funders Directory