The American Theatre Wing has opened applications for the Jonathan Larson Grants, a program providing unconditional financial support to early-career musical theater composers, lyricists, and librettists working in the United States to advance their artistic careers.
The grants are administered by the American Theatre Wing and focus on artistic merit and commitment to musical theater rather than funding a specific project or production, according to the program’s published guidelines.
The program supports individual composers, individual lyricists, individual librettists, and collaborative musical theater teams. Regular creative collaborators are encouraged to apply together when they normally develop musical theater work as a team.
Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States and must reside or work there at least part-time. The program requires that applicants be working primarily in musical theater and demonstrate a commitment to developing their artistic careers.
Submitted work must be predominantly in English and focused on musical theatre. The program excludes works primarily belonging to other genres, including opera, symphonic scores, film scores, and other non-musical theater compositions.
The grants are intended for artists in the early stages of their musical theater careers. Selection is based on artistic merit and dedication to the craft rather than the commercial success of previous work, the program guidelines state.
Funding can help artists continue developing their musical theater practice, advance their careers, develop new work, strengthen their professional capacity, continue writing and composing, and build toward future fully producible stage works.
The program does not require applicants to seek funding for a particular production. This unconditional approach distinguishes the grants from project-based funding models and gives early-career creators flexibility to develop their artistic voice, continue creating new work, take creative risks, and build sustainable artistic careers.
Applicants must submit materials through an online application portal. Required materials include an artistic statement explaining the applicant’s practice and goals, a creative curriculum vitae listing relevant professional and artistic experience, and a comprehensive work sample list.
Work samples are a central component of the application because grants are awarded primarily on artistic merit. Applicants may submit audio recordings, lyric sheets, libretto excerpts, and other appropriate musical theatre materials that best demonstrate their artistic voice and technical ability.
Letters of support from theater artists, educators, or other established theater professionals are optional. If included, letters should provide meaningful context about the applicant’s artistic development, professional commitment, or contribution to musical theater, the guidelines specify.
Applicants submitting adapted musical theatre works must demonstrate they hold the necessary rights to make the adaptation. Proof of adaptation rights must be prepared where applicable, and applicants should not assume an adaptation can be submitted without appropriate legal authorization.
Previous Jonathan Larson Grant recipients are not eligible to reapply. Producing organizations are also excluded because the grant is intended for individual artists and creative teams. Each applicant or team may submit only one application during a grant cycle.
Common mistakes listed in the program guidelines include submitting work primarily created for film, opera, or symphonic performance; applying as a producing organization; failing to provide adaptation rights documentation; and submitting incomplete application materials. Reviewers evaluate applications based on the quality and originality of the submitted work samples, making thorough and carefully selected submissions essential.
Collaborative team applications may include combinations such as a composer and lyricist, a composer and librettist, a lyricist and librettist, or a composer, lyricist, and librettist together. Each team must ensure its application clearly represents the roles and contributions of its members.
The Jonathan Larson Grants provide unconditional career support to early-career musical theater composers, lyricists, and librettists through the American Theatre Wing, with selection based on artistic merit, creative potential, and dedication to developing new, fully producible works for the stage.
