Grant Opportunities
Ann and Abe Effron Donor Advised Fund Grants
Online Application available: 7/1/2026
Application Deadlines: 10/15/2026
Award Notification: December
Funding priority will be given to organizations serving Dutchess County involved in arts, culture and education with special consideration being given to grants that would make facilities and events more available to young people and senior citizens.
To help you work on your grant application, we have created a Word version of the questions. You can use this document to formulate the answers, along with spell check, character count, etc. However, you must still use the online grants portal to submit your application and provide attachments.
Click here for the grant working copy:
Ann and Abe Effron Donor Advised Grants – Working Copy.
Irving and Gloria Schlossberg Family Fund Grants
Online Application available: 7/1/2026
Application Deadlines: 10/15/2026
Award Notification: December
Grants will be awarded to tax-exempt organizations serving Dutchess County, New York, whose programs preserve and strengthen Jewish culture and institutions. Please review the grants criteria for specific guidelines.
To help you work on your grant application, we have created a Word version of the questions. You can use this document to formulate the answers, along with spell check, character count, etc. However, you must still use the online grants portal to submit your application and provide attachments.
Click here for the grant working copy: Irving and Gloria Schlossberg Grant Working Copy
Leah Ryan Fund: The Boost Commission
Application Opens: February 16, 2026
Application Deadline: April 13, 2026, or until 150 applications are received.
Winner announced: June 1, 2026
Play delivered: June 1, 2027
Reading of the commissioned play: Fall 2027
THE BOOST COMMISSION
awarded by the Board of the Leah Ryan Fund.
The Boost commission – now in its second round – will be awarded to a woman, trans, or non-binary playwright over forty (40) who has an ongoing practice. The winner will receive $10,000 to write a new play in conversation with a work by Leah Ryan. Applicants should use Leah’s work as a jumping off point, taking inspiration and creating freely from her themes, characters, or other aspects of her writing. (Please note: we are not looking for a sequel to Leah’s play.)
Leah Ryan Fund: The Leah
Online Application available: Late Fall 2026
Application Deadlines: Dates TBD
Award Notification: Finalists will be contacted in March 2026 and will have one week within which to submit their full play.
All women, trans and non-binary playwrights who consider themselves emerging (as distinct from fledgling or mid-career playwrights) are eligible to apply for The Leah.
Playwrights from all over the world are encouraged to apply, but the play must be written in English. Eligibility does not require that a submitted work adhere to the traditional three-act structure – the only absolute requirement is that the submitted text be a completed full-length work for theater. (We cannot accept musical submissions at this time.)
The winner will be chosen by readers selected by the board members of the Leah Ryan Fund and will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and a public reading/summer workshop as part of the Powerhouse Theater Program at Vassar College in 2026.
There is no fee to apply. This year submissions will be capped at 400.
