Before you fill out this form, make sure you have thoroughly read all of the Submission Guidelines and FAQ page on our website. In order to fill out this application you will be asked to sign-up for Submittable. Using this service makes the application process easier for you and the NAMT staff. Submittable allows you to save your form and return to it after you have begun filling out your information. Submittable is a secure form and will not share your information. Please note that once your application has been submitted, you will not be able to make changes. PLEASE ADD SUBMITTABLE TO YOUR EMAIL CONTACTS (notifications@submittable.com). We will use Submittable to communicate with you throughout the submission process, so please take this step to ensure that our emails do not end up in your spam filter.  All of the information you need to provide in order to submit your musical to the Festival is listed on this page.   Please note the following deadlines:  - December 15, 2026: Early Deadline for All Submissions  - January 5, 2027: Late Deadline for All Submissions (late fees apply)

There will not be an extension to either deadline. 

Info sessions in November and December will be announced soon. Sign up for updates on namt.org/get-connected.  

If you have any further questions about the Festival or the submission process, please contact New Works Director Frankie Dailey at frankie@namt.org or (212) 714-6668 x14.

Please fill out this simple form to let us know that you plan on submitting a grant application for our Frank Young Fund for New Musicals granting program. 

If you do not know specifically which show/artist you will be working with, please list N/A. You will need to know all of this information in order to submit the grant application later. Upon completion of this form, the NAMT office will review your Intent to Apply and send a link to the final application. The final application will be due on February 2nd, 2027.  Please note that we do not see any part of your Intent to Apply or the Grant Application until you click submit.

The Writers Residency Grants, part of the Frank Young Fund for New Musicals, are an excellent supporting resource in cultivating artistic collaborations. Theatres may bring composers, lyricists, bookwriters, songwriters and other artists to your venues locally or work with a creative team virtually from all corners of the world. The Writers Residency Grants provide $1,000-$3,000 supplemental funds to not-for-profit NAMT members to work with writers on developing a new musical. All projects are expected to have a culminating activity equal to or smaller in scale than a public minimally-staged reading presentation, including but not limited to:

• a new draft of the script
• a Zoom-style virtual performance or recording
• a public concert performance
• a rough demo recording or cast album
• an industry-only staged reading presentation
• or any similarly scaled deliverable culminating from the residency

The award can be used to either fill a gap in funding or to expand the current residency plans. While a project at any stage of development is eligible for submission, this grant prioritizes projects in the earlier stages of creation. The project can happen either in-person at a NAMT member theatre, or virtual residencies are also eligible if both the writer and the theatre are actively involved in the development process. There does not need to be a long-term commitment to the project, just a passion for helping the writers develop their show.

REQUIREMENTS

Applicant Requirements:

• Only not-for-profit NAMT member theatre organizations in the U.S. may apply for this grant.
• The member must be in good standing.
• A member cannot receive the grant in consecutive granting rounds.

Project Requirements: 

• The project can be at any stage of development, and this grant prioritizes projects in the earlier stages of creation.
• The writers may be in residence at the theatre or off-site (e.g., in New York City working with a rep from the member theatre), OR writers may collaborate digitally using the NAMT member theatre web resources as a home-base for the residency.
• The writers need to be actively working on the musical in tandem with the NAMT member theatre, and that work should be reflected in the culminating project.
• There must be a culminating activity, whether a table read-through, a demo, a staged reading (with scripts in hand and minimal staging) or a new draft, but it cannot be a workshop or production.
• The writers must be paid a stipend, honorarium and/or royalty in addition to any necessary housing, travel and per diem.
• The culminating project may charge admission or accept a suggested donation at the door.
• Scores utilizing pre-existing material will be considered (i.e. “jukebox” musicals), but original scores will be given preference.
• The Member Theatre must match at least 50% of the grant request amount. For example, if the requested grant amount is $2,000, the total project budget must be at least $3,000, with at least $1,000 provided by the applicant. In other words, the requested grant amount must not make up more than 2/3’s of the project budget.

TIMELINE

Round 2 Application Due: December 4, 2026 Project Period: January 1, 2027 – June 30, 2027

Timeline Requirements: 

• Projects must start or end within the assigned Project Period.
• All expenses should lie within the Project Period.
• The focus of the work and the bulk of activity should take place during the 6-month Project Period.
• An organization that receives a Writers Residency Grant must skip the following review cycle before applying again. For example, if a NAMT member applies for and is awarded a grant in Round 1 of any year, they must wait until Round 1 of the subsequent year to submit again. If a NAMT member applies for but is not awarded a grant, the applicant may continue to apply in consecutive rounds until a grant is awarded.

SELECTION CRITERIA

NAMT’s New Works Committee is made of new musical leaders from across the country. The Committee will evaluate all applications and recommend recipients based on the following criteria:

• Completeness of the plan presented by the NAMT member theatre
• The merit of the work and the writers
• The goals of the project
• The payment for the artists involved
• The Organization’s commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as evidenced by the project and the work
• The potential impact of the project on the work

The financial needs of neither the organization nor the writers will be taken into consideration. For award recipients, the Committee may assign a grant amount between $1,000 and the requested amount on the application, at their discretion, up to a maximum of $3,000.

The recommendations from the New Works Committee will go to the Executive Committee of the Board for a final vote of approval.

APPLICATION

To be prepared, have the following information available when filling out the Application:

• Organization Info (EIN, Address, Primary Contact Info)
• Show Title and Description
• Project Description, Timeline & Goals
• Writer Statement
• Key Artist Bios
• Project Budget
• Applications may include one musical sample, which may feature instrumental-only elements of the score or a demo recording of singers performing a song. If a song from the submitted project is not available, the musical sample can be from a different project or show by the writers. 

Applicants will also complete NAMT’s required AI disclosure for submission programs. 

Any NAMT Member who has any questions regarding the Writers Residency Grants may contact Skye Cone Ivey, New Works Associate, at skye@namt.org. 

The Ira Gershwin Concept Grants, a partnership between the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) and the The Ira & Leonore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund, support the earliest stages of musical development rooted in existing songs, stories and cultural touchstones.

Through the Ira Gershwin Concept Grants, NAMT aims to:

• Encourage innovative approaches to classic American musical material
• Foster new collaborations between theatres and musical theatre artists
• Strengthen the connection between musical theatre’s past and future
• Support early exploration of projects that may evolve into full musicals
• Expand opportunities for audiences to engage with timeless songs and stories in new ways

NAMT and The Ira & Leonore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund aim to empower theatres and artists to explore how classic musical, literary, cinematic or otherwise culturally significant stories can be reimagined as new works for the stage. Projects may draw from a broad definition of classic American material, as defined and justified by the applicant, but must be grounded in a clear and compelling concept for how the source material will be transformed into a new musical.

These grants focus exclusively on the exploratory phase of development, supporting theatres and writers as they test ideas, assess feasibility and begin shaping a new musical from an existing source. This phase prioritizes curiosity, rigor and artistic discovery, with an emphasis on both creative process and practical viability.

There is no requirement for a long-term production commitment. Instead, the program prioritizes a clear artistic impulse, a viable investigative plan and the applicant theatre’s demonstrated commitment to exploring the project’s potential.

Grant awards range from $2,000 to $5,000. Grants are designed as flexible, early-stage support, either filling a gap in existing project resources or enabling exploratory work that might not otherwise be possible.

REQUIREMENTS

Applicant Requirements:

• Only U.S.-based, not-for-profit NAMT member organizations may apply for this grant.
• The NAMT member must be in good standing at the time of submission and throughout the grant period.
• The applicant must hold current U.S. not-for-profit tax-exempt status [i.e. documented 501(c)(3) status].
• The applicant must demonstrate the capacity to carry out the proposed exploratory work.
• Writers and other artists may participate in developing the proposal, but the application must be submitted by the NAMT member organization.

Project Requirements: 

Eligible projects must involve the exploration and early development of a new musical inspired by or based on classic American songs, stories or source material.

For the purposes of this program, “classic American” material may include works that have demonstrated lasting national, regional or local cultural presence, impact and influence. Source material may include, but is not limited to:

• Song catalogs, composers or musical legacies
• Films, plays, novels, literature or other narrative works
• Historical events, news stories, figures or cultural movements
• Established intellectual property with recognizable audience familiarity

Projects may take many forms of adaptation or inspiration, including:

• Direct adaptations of existing works
• Integration or reinterpretation of existing musical or narrative material within a new theatrical framework
• Musicalization of non-musical source material
• Re-orchestration of songs to establish and advance a new story, time, tone or setting
• Reinterpretations or recontextualizations of existing stories
• Hybrid or non-traditional approaches to adaptation and authorship, including revisals or renewals

Applicants must clearly articulate the source material being explored, why it qualifies as a “classic” within the context of this program, the proposed artistic approach, a plan and timeline for exploration, the pathway for securing any necessary rights, the key creatives involved and a proposed project deliverable.

Rights:

Projects are not required to have secured rights at the time of application. Applicants must, however, demonstrate a thoughtful and informed approach to rights assessment, including a preliminary understanding of ownership and the rights landscape, evidence of initial research into availability or competing uses, and a clear strategy for evaluating rights feasibility during the exploratory process.

Projects with rights already secured are also eligible. Those applicants should demonstrate how the proposed theatrical utilization adds significant value to the underlying material.

The Ira Gershwin Concept Grants do not grant, imply or substitute for any rights or permissions related to underlying source material.Applicants and grant recipients remain responsible for securing any rights necessary for future development, presentation or production.

Project Deliverables:

The exploratory process must result in a culminating deliverable. Deliverables may include, but are not limited to:

• A treatment, partial treatment, pitch deck or adaptation proposal
• A draft, partial or complete, of a script, scene, song or score
• A demo recording or musical sampling reel
• A table read or internal presentation
• A private or minimally public reading

Use of Grant Funds:

Grant funds may support a range of exploratory activities, including:

• Writer and artist compensation, which is a required component of the project
• Research and source material investigation
• Dramaturgical work and adaptation planning
• Musical experimentation, arrangements or demos
• Space rental and rehearsal resources
• Early presentations or internal readings
• Legal, licensing or rights consultation fees
• Administrative or project management support directly tied to the exploration

Writers must be actively engaged in the exploratory process in collaboration with the applicant organization, and that work must be reflected in the final deliverable. Writers must receive a stipend, honorarium and/or royalty in addition to any necessary housing, travel or per diem.

The exploratory process may take place in person at a NAMT member organization or virtually, provided there is active collaboration between the organization and writers.

TIMELINE

The Ira Gershwin Concept Grants are anticipated to have two granting cycles each year, with the first application cycle opening in November.

NAMT will publish dates for each cycle, including the application opening and deadline, review period, projected award notification and designated project period for funded activities.

Winter Cycle  Application Due: December 4, 2026  Project Period: January 1, 2027 – June 30, 2027

Summer Cycle  Application Due: TBA May, 2027  Project Period: July 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027

Timeline Requirements: 

• Projects must start or end within the assigned Project Period.
• All expenses should lie within the Project Period.
• The focus of the work and the bulk of activity should take place during the 6-month Project Period.

SELECTION CRITERIA

NAMT’s New Works Committee is composed of leaders from NAMT member organizations. Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Artistic potential, strength and originality of the proposed concept
• Thoughtfulness, clarity and completeness of the proposed plan
• Justification for the selected source material
• The applicant organization’s capacity to support the project, including its understanding of the rights landscape and anticipated pathway forward
• Support for participating artists, including compensation, collaboration and creative inclusion
• Potential impact, including the project’s potential to benefit from this exploratory phase and advance into future development

Applications will be reviewed through a panel process administered by NAMT within the New Works Committee using NAMT’s established grant review practices. NAMT staff will facilitate the granting cycle but will not participate in the recommendation of funded projects. Committee members representing applicant organizations will not participate in discussion of their organization’s application or in the determination of funding amounts.

Final funding recommendations will be submitted to NAMT’s Board of Directors for approval in coordination with The Ira & Leonore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund.

APPLICATION

Applicants should be prepared to submit the following information:

Project Concept, Up to 2,000 characters

• Describe the proposed musical idea and the source material inspiring or informing it.
• Explain the cultural significance or enduring relevance of the source material and why or how it qualifies as a “classic” within the context of this program.
• Identify the current rights holder, if known, and describe the status of rights research, inquiry or acquisition. If rights have already been secured, indicate whether the rightsholders are involved in the project in any formal or informal capacity.
• Introduce the key artists, producers or organizational leaders driving the concept.
• Describe why this material is meaningful to the applicant organization, its audience and the collaborating writers or artists.

Creative Exploration Plan, Up to 2,000 characters

• Describe the proposed process and the artistic concept driving it.
• Identify the key collaborators or artists involved, their backgrounds and anticipated roles.
• Provide a timeline for the exploratory work during the grant period.
• Detail the culminating deliverable and explain how it will reflect the work completed through the grant.
• Explain the project’s current feasibility considerations, including rights research, pathway to rights acquisition and any known barriers or opportunities.
• Outline the current state of team-building and any anticipated next steps in assembling the project’s creative or producing team.
• Describe the applicant’s interest in the project’s future development beyond this exploratory phase, if applicable.
• Summarize anticipated project expenses, including how grant funds would be used and how artists will be compensated.
• Provide a brief organizational bio and identify the artistic and producing leadership for the project.
• Describe the organization’s experience developing or producing new work and musicals.
• Explain how the organization will support the exploratory process through time, staffing, resources, artistic partnership and institutional commitment.

Applicants will be asked to upload:

• A project budget outlining use of grant funds and matching support, where applicable
• The applicant organization’s P&L and Balance Sheet for its most recently completed fiscal year. Audited statements are not required.

Applicants will also complete NAMT’s required AI disclosure for submission programs. 

Any NAMT member who has any questions regarding the Ira Gershwin Concept Grants may contact Frankie Dailey, New Works Director, at Frankie@namt.org.