The Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) is pleased to announce its New York Community Trust, the 2025 Van Lier Fellowship.
Donor Name: Asian American Arts Alliance
State: New York
City: New York City
Borough: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island
Type of Grant: Fellowship
Deadline: 03/24/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year
Details:
This year, the fellowship will be awarded to two NYC-based Asian American Musicians – in the categories of Music Composition and Music Performance – who seek to make an impact on the Asian American community to help develop new or existing work.
A4’s mission is to ensure greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American artists and cultural organizations through resource sharing, promotion, and community building. In line with these efforts, it is the aim of the A4 Van Lier Fellowship to support early-career individual Asian American artists living in New York City to develop work that will help fuel Asian American and creative discourse.
The Van Lier Fellowship is awarded to two early-career Asian American artists, age 30 or younger at the start of the fellowship. The fellows will receive an unrestricted cash stipend of $7,500 each and an eight-month fellowship tailored to respond to the unique needs of their practice. The fellowship includes artistic mentorship with an established or mid-career music professional, career coaching, and a range of technical support.
The fellowship is structured in three phases, each facilitating a different area of professional development.
- Phase 1: Career Coaching
- May – July 2025
- The selected fellows will receive a minimum of three coaching sessions from an esteemed career coach. The coaching will cover core value strengthening and goal setting/vision planning. These sessions are meant to offer personal and professional development tools for the fellows to empower themselves as a leader of their vision, craft, and field.
- Phase 2: Artistic Mentorship
- July – September 2025
- The selected fellows will receive artistic mentorship from an established or mid-career music professional. The mentorship will include one-on-one meetings with the appointed mentor. The mentor will be chosen by A4 staff based on field recommendations and with input from the fellows, giving consideration to their interests and preferences.
- Phase 3: A4 Public Program
- October – December 2025
- The selected fellows will work with A4 staff to develop and present one community workshop or public presentation by December 2025 based on their experience with the fellowship or work generated through the process. A4 can support up to $1,000 in production funds and help make connections with venue partners.
Eligibility Criteria
- The applicant MUST:
- Be of Asian heritage
- Be 30 years of age or younger at the start of the fellowship (your birthday must fall on or after May 2, 1994)
- Not be currently enrolled as a full-time or part-time student in a degree-granting program in a field related to music or performing arts during the fellowship period; exceptions may be made for post-graduate students in a field unrelated to music or performing arts
- Be a resident of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island)
- Be currently living in the US and primarily based in New York City during the fellowship period (May – December 2025)
- NOTE: Current A4 staff, board members, and review panelists are not eligible. Immediate family of A4 staff, board members, and review panelists are not eligible.
Selection Criteria
- Artistic merit: Technical skill, clarity, imaginativeness, and uniqueness based upon body of work/chosen medium and work samples submitted.
- Creation of new work: Description of the project to be developed or completed during the fellowship.
- Community impact: Articulation of interest or hopes to make a significant impact on the Asian American arts community based on narrative responses in the application.
- Potential for growth: Extent to which the fellowship will advance the applicant’s goals and career.
For more information, visit A4.
