Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! TMU grants are made twice a year. In order to submit a Full Proposal, you must first fill out an Initial Inquiry by November 1 (for grants happening in July of the following year or later) or May 1 (for grants happening January 1 of the following year or later). If you are invited to apply, you will need to fill out a Full Proposal by February 1 (November 1 initial inquiry deadline) or August 1 (May 1 initial inquiry deadline).

TMU provides grants for costs associated with professional exchanges in the arts and environmental sciences and the intersection between these two fields. We do not support exchanges where the primary participants or beneficiaries are youth or students. Commonly supported activities include: advanced training programs, workshops, conferences, seminars, joint research projects, and exchanges intended to aid organizations seeking greater institutional stability, creative artistic collaborations, curatorial research projects, performances given in conjunction with lecture/demonstrations and/or workshops, conservation and historic preservation projects, arts management programs, cultural documentation activities, activities that support Indigenous ways of knowing and being, ecosystem and habitat conservation programs, land use planning projects, activities that facilitate more effective international contact between environmental organizations, measures designed to preserve biodiversity, and efforts to encourage environmental sustainability.

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Countries not listed here are ineligible for funding.

Expenses eligible for TMU funding include: international airfare, airport transfers, local transportation, travel insurance, visas (and all applicable visa processing fees), lodging, and per diem. Costs associated with virtual exchanges are also eligible for TMU funding. TMU allows up to 20% of the total eligible expenses to be allocated toward “administrative costs.” (For example, if the total eligible expenses is $10,000, $2,000 can be used toward “administrative costs.”)

Projects that involve direct, in-depth professional interaction with the potential for sustained collaboration, and/or show evidence of professional accomplishment and innovation, and/or respond to social contexts and engage local communities.

TMU grants are made to American nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations. Typically, it is these organizations that submit Initial Inquiries and, if invited, Full Proposals. TMU does not make grants directly to individuals or institutions abroad. However, an Initial Inquiry may be made by an individual or institution in any of the countries in which TMU is active. If invited, individuals or organizations that do not have 501(c)(3) status may then submit a Full Proposal through the fiscal sponsorship of an American nonprofit organization. The fiscal sponsor must submit a letter stating their involvement with the project and their willingness to administer any grant funds, as well as a copy of their 501(c)(3) determination letter.