For Grantees

Requesting Funds

When you are ready to begin work on your project, please send us a signed letter requesting your funds. This letter should include your upcoming premiere dates of your project or work-in-progress and should be emailed as a PDF attachment.  Please email this letter to Grants Manager Amanda Card and cc your fiscal sponsor (as applicable).

If using a fiscal sponsor: We will arrange electronic payment of your grant with them. After these arrangements have been made, your fiscal sponsor will then process and distribute funds to you. A letter from the Foundation will be emailed to you and your fiscal sponsor along with the distribution of funds. The letter will include final reporting requirements and a deadline.

If you have 501c3 non-profit status: We will be in touch with you to arrange an electronic payment of your grant to your non-profit account. A letter from the Foundation will be emailed to you along with the distribution of funds. The letter will include final reporting requirements and a deadline.

Updating Project Information

Please add us to your organization’s mailing list using the address happenings@hensonfoundation.org and send us a copy of any project-related announcements, press releases, or any other materials about upcoming performances. If there are any significant changes to your project as outlined in your application, it is important that you contact our Grants Manager Amanda Card to discuss them in advance. We also ask that you notify us as early as possible of any upcoming performances, and submit performances of granted work to our Puppet Happenings listings.  

Crediting the Foundation

Shortly after we have informed you that you have been awarded a grant, we will send you a copy of our logo. Please credit us in all materials relating to your project using our full name, The Jim Henson Foundation and, whenever possible, our logo. The Foundation’s logo should only be used in connection with the specific show that has received a grant from the Foundation, and not the company’s other shows including shows that are in the process of applying for funding. If you need a copy of our logo or a high-resolution version for print, please email us at info@hensonfoundation.org, and we will send it to you. 

Submitting Your Final Report

The due date for your final report is given in the letter accompanying your check. We accept final reports twice yearly, on May 1st and November 1st. Final reports must be received by 11:59pm PST. In the event that either date falls on a weekend, the due date will be the following Monday. 

2024 Final Report Deadlines

May 1, 2024:	Deadline to receive Final Reports for review for Spring
November 1, 2024:	Deadline to receive Final Reports for review for Fall

The requirements for your final report are listed here and in the letter accompanying your check.  We require you to submit a Multi-page PDF that includes the following:

• A letter describing the outcome of your project and what the grant enabled you to accomplish.
• A budget indicating how your funds were spent.
• A small selection of programs, press clippings, photographs, and other supplementary materials.
• A video file containing 4 minutes of the final production.  This is a requirement for all Production, Workshop & Family Grants.  Workshop grant final reports need to submit video highlighting the puppetry in the piece and how the grant allowed for the work to progress.
  • All video submissions should be high quality .mov, .mp4 or .m4v files.  We prefer .mov files whenever possible.
  • File should be no larger than 2GB
  • File should be 3-4 minutes, but no longer than 4 minutes.
  • The video you submit needs to showcase excellence of the puppetry in the work.  Please do not send video that contains little to no puppetry.

Upload the multi-page PDF and video footage to: https://spaces.hightail.com/uplink/HensonFoundation

When submitting your application materials via the Hightail.com link above:

• under “Message” write the name of the artist or company that is submitting the Grant Application, which category you received a grant for (Production, Workshop or Family), and any other notes that may be necessary.
• All grantees who have premiered their work are invited to mail the Foundation a flash drive of the full length piece for our archives.  This is encouraged but is not a requirement.

If you have problems or questions concerning your final report, you must contact us well in advance of your due date. Late or incomplete final reports will be taken into account when reviewing any future funding requests. An email will be sent to you acknowledging the acceptance of your final report within one week of its receipt.