Production Grants

Does my project qualify for a Production grant?

Production (sometimes referred to as post-production) refers to the technical activities necessary to transform a research or creative object (article, book, film, music, exhibition, etc.) into a form that is accessible to wider audiences (professional or otherwise). Production is work that is completed after the core research, writing, and/or creative work is complete.

Technical activities covered by a production grant might include indexing, open access fees, printing, shipping costs, sound mixing, color correction, site hosting, and more. For example, the production grant would not fund the research for an exhibition or the writing of the exhibition catalogue, but it could cover the costs of staging the exhibition.

A good guide to use when it comes to applying for a production grant is defining what constitutes the core of your research or creative activity. A composer’s core work might be writing a music score, which might mean that hiring session musicians and an audio engineer are part of the production costs (i.e. the costs of converting the core creative work into a form accessible to wider audiences). A filmmaker’s core work might be filming and cutting, but they might need technical assistance to mix sound or color correct, which could be covered by the production grant.

Depending on one’s area of specialty, what constitutes production might vary. For example, an audio engineer who experiments with new engineering techniques would do this work as part of their research, and this work would not be eligible for the production grant. However, this same audio engineer might be hired by a musician to engineer their audio, in which case the engineering could be covered by a production grant awarded to the musician.

Please note that the Office of Research Development accepts proposals for book subventions to support unique components of a scholarly publication that might not be regularly covered by an academic press or other publishing mechanism. These unique components (i.e., high-quality images, professional design work, commissioned contributions, website development, etc.) must be clearly defined and proven to enhance the overall quality or reception of the publication and its research-based contents. The Office of Research Development does not provide funding to cover general publication costs or to lower general publication costs, and it does not provide funding for work that has not already been peer reviewed and under contract.

We encourage applicants to reach out to IUPAH administrators to verify that your project is eligible to receive a Production Grant.