The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation awards a Guggenheim Fellowship to a professional scholar or artist. In memory of their son, Simon Guggenheim and his wife established the award in 1925. Only citizens of the United States were initially eligible for the fellowship, but the criteria have changed numerous times since then. The grant’s goal is to give a working artist or scholar more creative freedom for a set period of time. Each fellowship offers a different amount of money.
A Guggenheim Fellowship can last anywhere from six to twelve months and comes with no strings attached. Advanced professionals, defined as people with a “significant record” of work in their field, are eligible for the grants. Students are not permitted to participate.
Individuals who create their own work are eligible for the grants. Individuals who work in the performing arts, that is, those who interpret rather than create original work, are not eligible. A choreographer, for example, is eligible, but a dancer is not. Fellowships are given in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, in addition to artistic endeavors.
The Guggenheim Fellowship is divided into two categories. Individuals from the United States and Canada receive one, while those from Latin America and the Caribbean receive the other. Fellowships are given out on an annual basis. After receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship, a person is not eligible to apply for another one.
A Guggenheim Fellowship applicant must submit a large number of materials. References, a CV or resume, and examples of their work are all included. Each year, the foundation receives between 3,500 and 4,000 applications and typically awards about 220. Anyone is welcome to apply, and all applications are carefully considered. A person must apply for a Guggenheim Fellowship, and none are given to those who do not apply.
The applications are categorized by field, according to the Guggenheim Foundation. Experts in that field, all of whom are former Guggenheim fellows, are asked to evaluate all of the applicants in that field. These experts make recommendations to a committee, which determines how many awards are given in each category and to whom they are given. The awards must be approved by the Guggenheim Foundation’s board of trustees.