Jerome Fellowships
Jerome Fellowships support early-career playwrights through a two-year Minnesota residency, funding customized play development and professional collaboration to strengthen their craft and body of work.
Funder: Playwrights' Center
Due Dates: December 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT (Application and recommendation letters)
Funding Amounts: $25,000/year salary plus $3,000/year for play development over two years, with employee benefits
Summary: Supports early-career playwrights through a two-year Minnesota residency combining financial support, customized play development, and professional connections.
Key Information: Fellows must reside in Minnesota and actively participate in the Center’s programs throughout the two-year fellowship.
Description
Playwrights’ Center administers the Jerome Fellowships in partnership with the Jerome Foundation to support early-career playwrights who demonstrate extraordinary potential and artistic vision. The two-year professional development residency offers time to write, develop craft, and expand a body of work with professional collaborators. Support is tailored to each writer’s artistic goals through workshops, consultations, career development, and connections with producers of new work.
Fellows work individually with the Center’s artistic staff and as a cohort in the Twin Cities. The program emphasizes process, experimentation, and participation in an artistic community, including opportunities for teaching and community engagement. The fellowship supports the playwright rather than a single proposed play: the application script serves as a writing sample, not a commitment to develop that particular work.
