Applications for 4th Year of 1/52 Project Now Open

Tony Award-winning set designer Beowulf Boritt, revealed applications for the fourth year of The 1/52 Project, the financial grant program for early career designers, founded by Boritt and a group of Broadway designers, are now open for the 2025 cycle.
 
The program, open to all early-career designers, provides financial support to early career designers from historically excluded groups with the aim of diversifying and strengthening the theater design community.
 
"As we embark on our 4th year, I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of the theater community, both individuals and businesses, who have funded these grants. Getting to know the brilliant recipients of the grants and watching them begin to reshape theater design has been an extraordinary honor, and I look forward to seeing what they'll do for many years to come,” said founder Beowulf Boritt.
 
Candidates of diverse backgrounds representing the full spectrum of theatrical activity, including those who have worked in non-traditional venues, are encouraged to apply to this program. The 1/52 Project considers all women as part of a historically excluded group. Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or hold employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visas at the time of application. Candidates must have designed professionally for a minimum of three years. Candidates enrolled in, or on leave from, university or conservatory training program periods are not eligible.

Applicants will be chosen based on talent, creativity, innovation, financial need, and potential for future excellence in the professional theatrical field.

To apply, please visit: https://www.oneeveryfiftytwo.org/apply. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2025. Semifinalists will be notified by early May 2025. Recipients will be notified after Labor Day 2025.

The 1/52 Project was awarded a 2024 Obie Award Theatre Grant for their honorable work in helping to change the face of theater. To view the acceptance speech, please click here.

The 1/52 Project has given out $350,000 in grants in the past three years to 21 early career set, costume, lighting, sound, projections, hair, and makeup designers. The 2024 recipients, each of whom received grants up to $17,500, included Emma Deane (Lighting Designer); Emmanuel Delgado (Lighting Designer); Camilla Dely (Costume Designer); Dee Etti-Williams (Sound Designer); Carolina Ortiz Herrera (Lighting Designer); Meg Powers (Costume Designer); Hannah Tran (Projection Designer); Miguel Urbino (Set Designer); and Teresa L. Williams (Set Designer).

The 1/52 Project, launched in January 2022, is primarily funded by designers with shows running on Broadway who are encouraged to donate one week every year of their weekly royalties to this fund.  The project hopes to encourage early career designers from historically excluded groups, including all women, with the aim of diversifying and strengthening the Broadway design community.
 
Last year the 1/52 Project invited businesses who are part of the Broadway community to participate as community partners with a matching grant challenge of $7,500, which include Christie Lites, 4 Wall Entertainment, Hudson Scenic Studios ,Global Scenic Services, The John Gore Organization, Masque Sound & Recording Corp., PRG, Proof Productions, and Showmotion Inc. For the 2025 season Masque Sound & Recording Corp., Proof Productions, PRG, and The Rockwell Group have all made generous donations.
 
Last year’s donor list featured: Brandon Stirling Baker, Brett Banakis, David Barbour, Gregg Barnes, Batwin+Robin, John Lee Beatty, David Bengali, Ken Billington, Beowulf Boritt, Robert Brill, Sarafina Bush, Isabella Byrd, Jennifer Caprio, Amith Chandrashaker, Jiyon Chang, charcoalblue, Lap Chi Chu, Barbara Cokorinos, Aaron Copp, Jane Cox, Jeff Croiter, Jason Crystal, Ken Davenport, Mike Devine, Alexander Dodge, dots, Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer, Elliott Forrest, Sue Frost, Roger Gindi, Bob Greenblat, Michele Habeck, J Jared Janas, Kai Harada, Rachel Hauck, Susan Hilferty, Dominique Fawn Hill, Don Holder, Adam Honore, Palmer Jankens, Lindsay Jones, Cookie Jordan, Takeshi Kata, Natasha Katz, Hana Kim, Bradley King, Lynn Klugman, David Korins, Tommy Kurzman, Charles LaPointe, Scott Leher, Richard Lurie, Nikiya Mathis, Elaine McCarthy, Brian McDevitt, Derek McLane, Tony Meola, the Miranda Family Fund, Peter Nigrini, Arthur Oliver, Gareth Owen, Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche, Will Pickens, Scott Pinkey ,Ken Posner, Stan Pressner & Margaret Gerrity, Bill Rauch, Mikey Rolfe, Brian Ronan, Finn Ross, Daryl Roth, Barbara Samuels, Jonathan Marc Sherman & Alexandra Shiva, John Shivers, Cody Spencer, Nevin Steinberg, Abbie Strassler, Jeff Sugg, Paul Tazewell, Joe Tilford, Jennifer Tipton, Justin Townsend, Alejo Vietti, Kay Voyce, Daria Walcott, Bradlee Ward, Tom Watson, Japhy Wideman, Barbara Whitman, Jeannette Yew, Paloma Young, Yi Zhao, Amanda Ziev, David Zinn.