OVERVIEW: The Yip Harburg Foundation makes grants in support of social and political activism in keeping with its founder’s legacy.
IP TAKE: While the foundation makes frequent grants in social and economic justice, education, and socially conscious art, the vast majority of its grantmaking supports documentary filmmaking with a political focus. Writing projects must center on some aspect of social consciousness to stand a chance at funding. This is an accessible, though low-key funder that gives modest grants to artists and organizations that may not have otherwise been able to secure funding. However, reach out to them before sending in an online application in order to get a clearer idea of what the foundation is looking for since it recently restructured.
PROFILE: The Yip Harburg Foundation was created by Yip Harburg shortly before his death. It seeks to “spread Yip Harburg’s artistic legacy, aimed at creating a world of ‘free and equal people.’” Harburg was known as “Broadway’s Social Conscience” and wrote the lyrics to over 600 songs, including “April in Paris,” “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” and all of the lyrics in “The Wizard of Oz.” He supported racial and gender equality, criticized religion, and was blacklisted during the 1950s for his political views. Since his death in 1981, the foundation has made grants to continue his legacy of social activism. Funding priorities include Social and Economic Justice, Educational Opportunity, and New Works of Political Art, but the foundation’s grantees also reflect an interest in women and immigrant’s rights.
Grants for the Arts, Women and Immigrants
The foundation prioritizes funding for “action-oriented projects with small operating budgets which, due to the controversial or innovative nature of the work, have little access to traditional funding,” projects which educate or contribute to public understanding about serious issues, and projects with a specified time period and stated goals. The Yip Harburg Foundation tends to fund the performing arts, given the founder’s background, but also invests heavily in documentary filmmaking. While it suggests that it funds socially conscious works of performing arts, taxes and the foundation’s website reveal an interest in women and immigrant’s rights. So, if your politically motivated art centers on some aspect of the female or immigrant experience, then you may have an edge here. Beyond its stated interests in its topics, the foundation does not outline further grant strategies or approaches, so it’s unclear how avant-garde or politically invested art can be in order to secure funding.
Important Grant Details:
New grant seekers should contact the foundation at yipharburginfo@gmail.com with an email of inquiry before sending their proposal. Applications should also be emailed and should not be more than 10 pages. View complete application guidelines here. Grants range from $500 to $5,000. View past grantees and funded projects here.
The foundation will not fund libraries, buildings, endowments, health, environment, aging, travel expenses, conferences, individual scholarships, or projects outside the United States.
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