MacDowell Fellowship: Fully Funded Artist Residency in New Hampshire

MacDowell Fellowship: Fully Funded Artist Residency in New Hampshire

Overview

MacDowell is an artist residency in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Its fellowship gives selected artists a period of focused work in a residential setting, with exclusive use of a private studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals each day. There is no residency fee. Fellows may also seek need-based stipends and travel reimbursement grants through MacDowell’s financial assistance process; those funds are not automatic cash awards.

This page is a historical reference for MacDowell’s most recently published call, which closed on September 10, 2026. That round invited applications for the Spring/Summer 2027 residency season. MacDowell’s official application page does not currently announce a successor cycle or deadline, so there is no active date to apply against. Keep the closed deadline in the metadata as the record for this archived call, not as an invitation to submit.

MacDowell’s fellowship is a place-based residency rather than a grant to spend from home. Artists are expected to attend in person and use the time for creative work. The program covers architecture, film/video, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. The central selection question is the quality of the work, assessed by discipline-specific panels. A proposal should connect a defined project to strong samples and explain what dedicated studio time would make possible.

For an artist weighing a future application, the useful question is practical: would an extended period with a private studio, meals, and an interdisciplinary residential community materially advance a current body of work? Drafting, composing, editing, revising, prototyping, or developing a visual series can all benefit from focused time, but the application still needs to demonstrate artistic strength. The closed call’s rules below describe that round only. MacDowell’s next official application instructions will control if and when a new call is announced.

At a glance

What the fellowship offers

The main benefit is not a prize check. It is a complete working environment. For many artists, the most valuable part of MacDowell is the combination of privacy and support: a studio to work in, meals handled by someone else, housing close to the studio, and other artists nearby who understand the demands of creative work.

The practical support usually includes:

• exclusive use of a private studio during the residency;
• accommodations on the MacDowell campus;
• three prepared meals a day;
• no residency fee;
• need-based financial assistance, which may include stipends and travel reimbursement grants;
• an interdisciplinary community of artists working in different forms.

The phrase “fully funded” should be understood carefully. MacDowell removes the largest residency costs by providing the place, studio, housing, and meals. It does not mean every possible cost in your life is automatically covered. Artists may still need to plan for materials, equipment transport, health costs, rent at home, unpaid time away from employment, childcare, elder care, visas, local transportation, or other personal expenses. Need-based support can help, but applicants should not assume a specific dollar amount unless it is stated in the current application guidelines or award notice.

For a reader preparing for a future call, the most important question is this: would a focused residency of up to eight weeks change the quality, scale, or completion path of your current work? If the answer is yes and you have strong samples, the application is worth serious consideration. If you mainly want a general retreat, vacation, or open-ended reset, the fit is weaker.

Who should apply

MacDowell is a good fit for artists who can show both artistic strength and readiness. You do not need to be famous, but you do need to be able to present work that holds up under review by people in your field. The application should make it clear that you have a practice, not only an interest.

Strong candidates often have some combination of the following:

• a coherent body of work, even if it is still developing;
• recent samples that show technical control and artistic judgment;
• a project that can realistically move forward during a residency;
• a clear reason that a residential setting is useful at this point;
• the ability to work independently for long stretches;
• enough flexibility to live respectfully in a shared creative community.

The program can work for artists at different career stages. The key is not career age. The key is whether the work sample and proposal show seriousness. An early-career applicant with a precise project and excellent samples may be more persuasive than a better-known applicant with a vague plan.

International applicants should take the opportunity seriously, but they need to plan farther ahead. Visa timing, passport validity, travel costs, insurance, and the ability to be away from home may affect whether the residency is feasible. MacDowell can provide program information, but applicants are responsible for understanding their own travel situation.

Who may want to wait

Applying to MacDowell takes time. You may be better off waiting for a later cycle if your materials are not ready. A rushed application can waste both the fee and the opportunity to present your work well.

Consider waiting if:

• your strongest work samples are unfinished or poorly documented;
• you cannot explain what you would work on in residence;
• you are applying only because the program is prestigious;
• your current life obligations make a residential stay unrealistic;
• you need a guaranteed cash award rather than a residency environment;
• you have not checked whether you would meet the rules of a future call;
• your project depends on equipment, collaborators, sites, or permissions that cannot be handled from campus.

Waiting is not failure. For a competitive residency, a stronger later application is usually better than a weak current one. Use the next cycle to finish a work sample, clarify your project, gather documentation, and understand the residency conditions.

Eligibility and fit

The closed call invited artists aged 21 or older who create original work in architecture, film/video, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, or visual arts. Artists from all countries and backgrounds could apply. Applicants could not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program during the residency season; doctoral candidates who had completed all coursework were eligible. The application rules limited an artist to one application every 24 months. Teams and collectives had particular application procedures, so applicants needed to follow the relevant instructions instead of treating a group project as a single informal submission.

MacDowell’s discipline-specific panels evaluate artistic excellence. The call asked for a project proposal, professional history and artistic achievements, along with work samples that demonstrate the applicant’s practice in the chosen field. Applicants should select the panel category that best fits the work and make the relationship between the samples and proposal easy to understand. Financial need, career fame, audience size, or commercial prospects do not replace the work itself as the basis for review.

The closed call charged a nonrefundable $30 processing fee. Applicants experiencing financial hardship could request a waiver under the published application instructions. Fee waivers and financial assistance are separate: a fee waiver concerns the cost of applying, while need-based stipends and travel reimbursement grants are available to artists awarded a fellowship, through a separate process. Applicants should not treat either form of assistance as automatic.

Artists with a cross-disciplinary practice should describe the work clearly and check the discipline definitions before applying. International applicants were welcome, but they remained responsible for travel documents, visas where needed, insurance, and personal arrangements. The residency is in person, and a strong application cannot resolve practical barriers that make attendance impossible.

Timeline and deadlines

The archived call closed on September 10, 2026. It covered MacDowell’s Spring/Summer 2027 residency season. MacDowell’s official application page does not currently announce another application cycle or deadline. This page therefore remains a historical reference, and its metadata retains the real closing date of the call it documents. No later date should be inferred from the program’s recurring schedule.

When MacDowell publishes a new call, check the official application page for its opening date, deadline, time zone, residency season, notification timing, fees, and requirements. Those details can change between rounds. The application link below remains the place to verify whether a new opportunity is available. Until an official successor call appears there, readers should not use the closed deadline or the archived instructions to prepare a submission.

Application process

The closed call used MacDowell’s online application system. Its broad sequence is useful context for a future applicant, but the next call’s form and instructions will be controlling if the program reopens:

1. Read the eligibility rules and choose one discipline. Confirm the degree-enrollment restriction, 24-month reapplication limit, and any instructions for a collaboration or collective before creating the submission.
2. Prepare the application profile, professional history, and five artistic achievements relevant to the applicant’s career. Keep entries concise and make the work and trajectory clear.
3. Write a project proposal describing what is being made, what stage it has reached, and what focused residency time would help accomplish. Tie the proposed work to the submitted samples instead of relying on a general wish for time away.
4. Select and upload discipline-appropriate work samples. The sample count, format, duration, and technical requirements vary across fields, so use the instructions for the chosen discipline. The closed call did not require reference letters.
5. Review the application, verify every upload and link, and submit it online. The closed call charged a nonrefundable $30 processing fee and allowed eligible applicants to request a waiver under its published terms. Its September 10, 2026 deadline has passed; wait for an official future call and use the new date and rules.

A well-planned proposal names a body of work, a creative problem, and a feasible phase to advance. “I will work on my novel” gives reviewers little to assess; a description of a structural revision, chapter sequence, or research question makes the plan more legible. The same principle applies across fields: say whether the residency is for drafting, composing, editing, prototyping, rehearsing, drawing, modeling, or experimentation. Keep the prose direct and connect the project to the samples.

Financial assistance was a separate matter from admission. Artists awarded a fellowship could seek need-based stipends or travel reimbursement grants through MacDowell’s process. The support could help with costs associated with attending, but it was not a guaranteed cash amount attached to every fellowship. Anyone offered a place in a future round should read the offer and aid instructions before budgeting.

Required materials

The closed call required an online application with professional information, artistic achievements, a project proposal, and discipline-specific work samples. Exact technical requirements varied by field. A future call may revise them, so these archived notes are not a substitute for MacDowell’s instructions.

Work samples

Work samples are the most important part of the application. MacDowell’s review centered on artistic excellence, so samples for the closed call needed to represent the applicant’s practice clearly. Choose work that represents your current ability, not only your biggest past credit. If you submit older work, include it because it is still relevant to your current artistic direction.

For visual artists, this may mean a tight set of images with dates, media, dimensions, and context. For writers, it may mean polished pages that do not require a long explanation. For composers, filmmakers, theatre artists, architects, and interdisciplinary artists, it may mean a mix of media files, excerpts, documentation, scripts, scores, project descriptions, or links. Follow the current file and duration rules exactly.

Project statement

The project statement should answer four questions:

1. What are you making or advancing?
2. What is the current state of the work?
3. What do you plan to accomplish during the residency?
4. Why is MacDowell a useful environment for this phase?

A strong statement is specific without becoming stiff. It should give reviewers a mental picture of your work process. For example, describe whether you will draft, revise, compose, edit, research, prototype, rehearse, draw, model, assemble, or experiment. The more concrete the verbs, the easier it is to believe the plan.

Artist statement, bio, or CV

Keep career material concise and relevant. Include exhibitions, publications, performances, screenings, commissions, awards, residencies, education, community work, or professional experience that helps reviewers understand your practice. Do not pad the CV with unrelated items. If your path is nontraditional, use the bio or statement to explain the shape of your practice clearly.

Financial aid or support information

If the application includes financial aid questions, answer them carefully. Need-based support may help with travel, lost income, rent, childcare, or other expenses associated with attending. Do not overstate what is guaranteed, but do not hide real barriers either. The point of need-based aid is to make the residency possible for artists who could not otherwise attend.

References

Reference letters were not required for the closed call. Check the official instructions if another cycle is announced; do not upload unsolicited letters unless requested.

How to decide whether it is worth your time

Before applying to a future round, make a practical decision. MacDowell is worth the effort if the residency could materially change the work and you can demonstrate readiness. It may not be the right fit if you cannot yet show the quality of the work or if your life logistics make attendance impossible.

Use this checklist:

• I have strong, current work samples.
• I can name one project or body of work for the residency.
• I can explain what I will do during the weeks on campus.
• I understand which discipline I am applying under.
• I will check the eligibility rules when MacDowell announces another call.
• I can afford the application cost or know how to request a waiver.
• I have thought through travel, family, work, health, visa, and financial logistics.
• I can leave time to submit before any future deadline without rushing.

If most answers are yes, consider applying when MacDowell announces another call. If several are no, use the time to strengthen the work and resolve practical questions.

Selection and readiness tips

MacDowell is selective enough that no one can guarantee an outcome. Your task is to make the best possible case for fit and artistic quality.

Lead with the work. A reviewer should not have to dig through a long statement to understand why the sample matters. Use labels, descriptions, and ordering to make the review experience clear.

Write about the project in concrete terms. If your work is experimental, interdisciplinary, or conceptually complex, clarity matters even more. Plain English does not make the work less serious. It makes the application easier to evaluate.

Show why now. A strong application often has urgency: a manuscript at a turning point, a commission that needs focused development, a film in an editing phase, a composition that needs uninterrupted drafting, a visual project ready to expand in scale, or a performance work that needs a concentrated writing or design period.

Be realistic about output. Do not promise to complete a huge project if the residency period is short. A credible milestone is better than a dramatic claim. You might finish a draft, revise a section, develop a model, complete a suite of studies, edit a rough cut, or compose part of a larger work.

Respect the residential setting. MacDowell is not only private studio time. It is also a shared community. Your application does not need to perform sociability, but it should not suggest that you will ignore basic communal expectations. Artists who can balance solitude and mutual respect are better fits for residencies.

Common mistakes

One common mistake is submitting a project that is too broad. “I want to explore memory and place” may be true, but it is not yet a plan. Narrow it. What form will the work take? What will you do first? What material will you use? What problem will the residency help solve?

Another mistake is treating the work sample as an afterthought. In a program where artistic excellence is central, the sample is not supporting evidence. It is the application’s core. Poor images, broken links, low-quality audio, missing context, or unpolished pages can weaken an otherwise thoughtful proposal.

Applicants also make mistakes with fit. A statement that could be sent to any residency is less persuasive than one that explains why a residential studio environment, prepared meals, and an interdisciplinary community matter for this specific phase. You do not need to flatter MacDowell. You need to show that you understand the opportunity.

Do not overclaim financial support. Need-based stipends and travel reimbursements are valuable, but you should not write as if every personal expense will be covered. Make a private budget before applying so an acceptance does not create a financial crisis.

Do not ignore eligibility details. Student status, reapplication intervals, collaboration rules, collective applications, and discipline categories can affect whether an application is valid. Check those details before paying an application fee.

Finally, do not submit at the last minute. Deadline-day errors are ordinary: wrong file, outdated link, payment issue, missing PDF, typo in email address, or a portal timeout. A competitive residency is not the place to gamble on a rushed upload.

Special note for long-form journalism and nonfiction

MacDowell has described a literature pathway for journalists working on long-form projects. The closed call directed applicants to select the literature discipline and identify the nonfiction project in the application rather than submit through a separate journalism program. The organization has also described project support for eligible nonfiction fellows, subject to need, project scope, and funds. Because such support depends on specific terms, do not assume a dollar amount or eligibility rule from this archive. Check MacDowell’s official application guidance when another call is announced. If you are a journalist or nonfiction writer, make the long-form nature of the project clear wherever the application asks for a project description.

If you are accepted

If you receive an offer, respond promptly and read all instructions carefully. A residency acceptance often comes with forms, date confirmations, travel planning, health or access questions, and information about studios and housing. Missing administrative steps can create problems later.

Before arrival, make a simple work plan. It does not need to be rigid, but it should help you protect the time. Decide what materials you need, what files must be backed up, what supplies should be shipped or carried, and what work obligations must be closed before you leave. If you need childcare, elder care, pet care, rent coverage, or other support while away, plan early.

During the residency, treat the time as a rare working condition. Leave room for discovery, but do not arrive with no plan at all. Many artists benefit from setting weekly intentions, keeping a brief process log, and naming one or two concrete outcomes for the end of the stay.

After the residency, document what changed. That may be a draft, a score, a new series, a revised treatment, a body of research, a model, an edit, or a clearer direction. This record will help with future grants, exhibitions, publishers, collaborators, and residencies.

If you are not accepted

Rejection from MacDowell is common and does not necessarily mean the work is weak. The applicant pool is large, the number of fellowships is limited, and panel decisions depend on discipline, season, available studios, and the mix of applications.

Use the application as material for the next step. Re-read your project statement after a few weeks and ask whether a stranger could understand the work. Ask a trusted peer to review the samples and identify where the application felt thin. If the work itself was strong but the proposal was vague, revise the statement. If the project was clear but the samples were not strong enough, focus on documentation and selection.

You can also apply to other residencies with similar support models. Keep a folder with your best samples, captions, bio, CV, project statement versions, and support needs. A good residency application system saves time across cycles.

Frequently asked questions

Is MacDowell only for established artists?

No. Published materials describe MacDowell as open to artists at different stages. However, the application must show artistic excellence. Early-career applicants should focus on strong samples and clear project language rather than trying to inflate their credentials.

Do international artists qualify?

Yes, MacDowell encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and countries. International applicants should verify visa, passport, travel, and timing requirements before applying.

Is there an application fee?

The archived call listed a nonrefundable $30 processing fee and a fee waiver for applicants who met its criteria. Future terms must be checked in the official application.

Can students apply?

The closed call excluded applicants enrolled in a degree-seeking program during the residency season, while allowing doctoral candidates who had completed all coursework. Check the wording of any future call before applying.

Can collaborative teams apply?

MacDowell’s application guidance has specific procedures for teams and collectives. Review the official rules for the relevant project and submit the required applications; do not assume one group form covers every applicant.

Does the fellowship guarantee publication, exhibition, production, or sales?

No. MacDowell provides time, space, meals, housing, and a serious creative environment. It does not guarantee that the resulting work will be published, shown, performed, sold, or produced.

What should I do first?

Open the official application page and check whether a new cycle has been announced. If it has, read eligibility and discipline-specific sample rules before drafting. Until then, use this article as a historical program reference; the archived deadline is not active.

Official links

• Official application page: https://www.macdowell.org/apply/apply-for-fellowship
• MacDowell main site: https://www.macdowell.org/

The next call’s application page is the controlling source for its deadline, residency dates, fees, eligibility, work sample requirements, and financial aid terms. This archive records the closed cycle and should not be used as a substitute for those live instructions.