Award winners will receive:

• Up to $2500 to support travel
• A complimentary full conference registration for the 2025 Annual Conference & Stage Expo

International Travel grants support projects that:

• Seek new knowledge through international travel to exhibitions, productions, and collections; or
• Provide opportunities in design for international companies; and
• Include a method of sharing experiences with the USITT membership.

Areas for project support include:

• Research for productions or scholarly pursuits
• Attendance at theatre exhibitions, theatre festivals, theatre-related events, seminars, or workshops.

Applicant must be one of the following:

• Individual Grant: Applicants must be current USITT members (Member, Member Plus, or Senior) who demonstrate excellence in research or design in any field related to USITT's mission.
• Student Grant: Applicants must be current USITT student members who are full-time students currently enrolled in either an upper-division or graduate program in theatre, demonstrating excellence or outstanding potential in research or design in any field related to the mission of USITT.

Funding may not be applied to expenses incurred before July 1, 2024.

Grant-funded activities must be completed by June 30, 2026.

Up to two (2) grants of up to $2500 will be awarded annually

Funding may not be applied to expenses incurred before July 1, 2024.

Grant-funded activities must be completed by June 30, 2026.

Grants will cover up to 100% of eligible expenses, not exceeding $2500; no matching funds are required. Additional expenses to complete the project are the responsibility of the grant awardee.

Eligible expenses include but are not limited to:

• Transportation expenses
• Hotel or lodging expenses
• Subscription and training fees
• Expendable project-specific supplies and materials
• Admittance or registration fees

Nominations Open: July 1, 2024

Nominations Close: October 24, 2024(11:59 PM EDT)

Review Period: November-December 2024

Award Notifications: February 2025

Read all guidelines carefully before submitting your nomination.

Current USITT members may apply through USITT’s awards portal.

Required Materials:

Applicants will be required to provide:

• Current contact information: name, email, and phone number
• Membership number which can be found bylogging into the membership portal
• Curriculum vitae
• 10 images of recent work (design applications only)
• Explanation of proposed travel including timetable, expected outcome, method for processing materials, project location, proposed budget, and method of documentation
• One reference & their contact information
• Contact information for a current colleague who will provide a letter of support for the project. They will receive a link to upload their letter directly to the portal

All USITT award nominees are required to submit a Professional Conduct Disclosure Form. This form will not be visible to the award jury and will only be reviewed by the USITT Ethics Officer.

This form is part of the submission and your submission will not be considered complete if it has not been submitted.

A link to this form will be emailed to the nominee upon submission of the nomination form. This email will NOT disclose which honor they have been nominated for.

For more information, please review the USITT Honors and Awards Policy.

All applications for the International Travel Grant will be reviewed by selected members of the USITT, recommended by the Executive Director and the President. This panel consists of USITT members from a variety of professional backgrounds with different areas of expertise.

No current USITT staff member may serve as a juror. Any reviewer with a conflict of interest is required to recuse themselves.

All submissions will be scored on a scale of 1-10 using the following criteria:

• Relevance to USITT Mission: The proposed project must align with the mission and goals of USITT.
• Innovation and Creativity: The project should demonstrate innovative approaches or creative concepts in theatre research or design.
• Feasibility and Planning: The application should provide a clear and realistic plan, including a well-defined timetable and budget.
• Impact and Potential: The project should have the potential to significantly impact the applicant's field and contribute to the broader theatre community
• Quality of Supporting Materials: The supporting materials, including the project narrative, CV, and design images (if applicable), should be of high quality and clearly illustrate the applicant's expertise and vision.
• Contribution to Knowledge Sharing: The project should include a robust plan for sharing the outcomes with the USITT membership, such as through publications, presentations, or other forms of documentation.

Judging process is overseen by the USITT Awards Committee and results are approved by the Board of Directors.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their requests after the Board of Directors has approved the results.

Awarded applicants will receive an agreement explaining terms and conditions. The first 50% of the grant will be disbursed upon receiving a signed agreement, and W9 form, and an updated budget that reflects the specific allocation of funds granted by USITT, with any derivations from the application budget noted.

The remaining 50% of the grant will be disbursed upon receipt of the project’s final report and digital copies of any published materials acknowledging the grant. This report must be submitted within one year of receiving the grant. The report should include a record of costs applied to the grant and a summary of the grant activities. Any significant changes to the project should be discussed with USITT staff prior to submitting a progress report. All grantee awarded projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.

All documentation must be uploaded through the Awards Portal and completed by July 15, 2026.

A second, more extensive report will be presented to the membership through an article for a USITT publication, a conference presentation, or other written and/or visual documentation of the project within one year of receiving the grant. The specific nature of the report needs prior approval from the granting committee.