Preparing a Successful Application
As this is a competitive program, please make sure you address all questions and sections. It is highly recommended that you proofread all materials before submission. A poorly prepared application will cause reviewers to have reservations about recommending an applicant even if they see the project and its subject in a positive light.
Please do not submit any additional information than what is requested; it will not be reviewed. In addition, application materials submitted as PDF (preferred) or Word attachments through the online application system must be prepared in 12-point type with 1” margins.
The application consists of the following:
Project Description / Phase Question (500 word limit)
For academic writers, the project description question will ask you to explain the issue you are trying to address and define its global and social context. Artists and literary artists are asked to explain what phase of their project they intend to work on while at Bellagio. The answer should be written, or copied and pasted, within the text box of the online application form.
Project Proposal Questions
The project proposal questions should identify for the reviewers the key issues addressed by the project. These questions are on a form that can be downloaded from the online application. Applicants can either answer the questions on the downloaded form, or elsewhere on a blank document. The answers need to be uploaded to the online application system as either a PDF (preferred) or a Word document. Please make sure your name appears on each page of your answers. The form will be available once you begin the application.
Project Proposal Questions for Academic Writers
What is the purpose and goal of your project? (250 words)
What forces are at play now that create an opportunity for positive change on the issue? (150 words)
What is the impact on poor or vulnerable populations? (150 words)
What is the specific phase of the project you will work on while at the Center? Please be as specific as possible.
(150 words)
What outputs/products do you anticipate will result from your residency? (Please check all that apply)
What are the goals for your residency that will result from the output(s) listed above? (Please check all that apply)
How will the output(s) be disseminated and to whom? (150 words)
Project Proposal Questions for Artists & Literary Artists
What is the purpose and goal of your project? (250 words)
What is the specific phase of the project you will work on while at the Center? Please be as specific as possible. (150 words)
What outputs/products do you anticipate will result from your residency (Please check all that apply)
What are the goals for your residency that will result from the output(s) listed above? (check all that apply)
How will the output(s) be disseminated and to whom? (150 words)
Tip: This is your chance to highlight your project to the reviewers; take advantage of the word limits to make your case for a residency.
Abbreviated CV (no more than 4 pages)
Provide an abbreviated CV with career highlights, including publications, awards, exhibitions, and performances. Please do not submit professional biographies in lieu of a CV.
Work Samples
Please note: If we are missing your work sample or have problems downloading or copying it, we will reach out to you. It is important that you reply within the given time frame. Applications with missing materials will be considered incomplete.
Choose work samples carefully and submit those that demonstrate your ability to undertake and complete a project of the magnitude being proposed. The work samples should support the purpose and goals outlined in the description of the project. Work samples must be received by the application deadline, and please keep in mind that they will not be returned.
For Academic Writing Residencies (maximum of 20 pages)
Submit one chapter or article writing sample published in the last five years where you are the primary author (20 page maximum). If none of your previous work is published in English, please provide either a translation or summary of the work in English, and indicate who did the translation.
For Arts & Literary Arts Residencies
Literary Artists
Fiction / Non-Fiction Writers and Poets
A selection from a book published in the last five years (maximum 20 pages in length). The selection must be submitted online as a PDF (preferred) or Word document.
Playwrights
A selection from a play produced in the past five years (maximum 20 pages in length). The selection must be submitted online as a PDF (preferred) or Word document. If online videos exist of your play on stage, we encourage you to share the links in your application materials.
Visual and Performing Artists
For work sample files exceeding 4MB each, we recommend that applicants use the file sharing services of Dropbox. Instructions are below:
Dropbox Instructions (PDF)
Composers
Work samples consist of a score and three audio file copies of that score completed in the past five years. Please note that applicants who would like the reviewers to listen to something other than the first ten minutes of a submitted work sample should clearly mark the score and indicate the track where the excerpt begins.
Ways to submit audio samples (choose one):
1) Upload files to Dropbox
2) Three CDs of the same work via post
Ways to submit the score (choose one):
1) Upload PDF document to the online application
2) Upload file to Dropbox
3) Unbound 8 ½ x 11 (or A-4) paper via post
Multi-Media Artists
Work samples consist of ten images created in the past five years (maximum height or width 1240 pixels, file format must be .jpg or .gif, 300 dpi resolution, file size should be no larger than 1.2 MB). Applicants are required to submit an image list that includes the file name, title, size, medium and date of work. The image list must be uploaded as a PDF through the online application.
Ways to submit images (choose one):
1) Three copies of a CD or DVD (compatible with Mac or PC) via post
2) Upload files through the online application
3) Upload files through Dropbox
Video/Filmmakers
Work samples consist of three DVD copies of two different videos/films produced in the past five years. If running time exceeds 20 minutes, you should include a 5 minute excerpt from each selection. Please note that we must be able to copy your videos for the review process.
Ways to submit videos/films (choose one):
1) Upload files to Dropbox
2) Three DVD copies of both videos/films sent via post
Visual Artists
Work samples consist of ten images created in the past five years (maximum height or width 1240 pixels, file format must be .jpg or .gif, 300 dpi resolution, file size should be no larger than 1.2 MB). Applicants are required to submit an image list that includes the file name, title, size, medium and date of work. The image list must be uploaded as a PDF through the online application.
Ways to submit images (choose one):
1) Upload files through the online application
2) Upload files through Dropbox
3) Three copies of a CD or DVD (compatible with Mac or PC) via post
Statement from Previous Bellagio Residents
Former Bellagio residents must also submit a statement of no more than 250 words describing what was accomplished during the previous residency, the specific outputs and/or outcomes, the critical response and what has been accomplished since then. The statement must be uploaded to the online application as a PDF document.
Published Reviews (optional)
You may submit up to three published reviews of your work to your application. All reviews should be combined into a single PDF (preferred) or Word document to be uploaded.
Project Draft/Outline (optional)
If applicable, please include a draft chapter/section or brief outline of your work, book, or publication that you propose to work on at the Bellagio Center.
A Note on Translation and Non-English Projects
If your project is to translate an author that you have translated previously, please submit samples of that work. If this is your first translation work, please describe your qualifications to do so when answering the project proposal questions.
If none of your previous work is published in English, please provide either an English translation or summary of the work sample indicating who did the translation. We encourage you to submit published reviews of your work that are in English.
A Collaborative or Team Proposal (2-4 people)
The Rockefeller Foundation welcomes collaborative projects for groups of 2-4 people. The Bellagio Center accepts applications for team projects that bring residents together from different geographies, institutions or disciplines since this reinforces the Center’s goals of establishing new connections.
When submitting collaborative answers to the project proposal questions, please clarify the role of each team member and the partnership(s). Keep in mind that the credentials of all of the members of the team will be part of the evaluation. If the professional accomplishments of some members of the team are not equal to those of the lead person(s) for the project, this may be a negative factor in the review of the application.
For all collaborative teams, each team member must fill out the online form and provide the same answer to the project description / phase question, and the project proposal questions. Teams may submit work samples that are the product of previous collaborative work. If you are a new collaborative team, separate work samples should be submitted.
Collaborators may list the same recommenders only if the recommenders are familiar with each applicant. In these instances, it is acceptable for the recommenders to write one letter for the team. However, the recommender must submit the letter for each applicant.
In addition to instructions above, teams of three or four are asked to submit a separate document stating your intention to apply as a collaborative group and list all team members. This needs to be uploaded by each team member to their online application as a PDF document.
Recommenders
Recommenders provide the reviewers with an assessment of an applicant’s ability to undertake the project successfully as well as a sense of whether the applicant has the personal qualities to be part of an interdisciplinary, international community. They may also provide an expert opinion on the quality of the project and its impact or outcomes.
Choosing Your Recommenders:
- Choose three recommenders that know you and your work well rather than individuals who are big names in your field who do not know you well
- Use only one person from the same organization or institution as a recommender
- Do not choose editors, agents, or others that have a financial interest in your success in being invited for a residency, and who might benefit financially from your having a residency
- Do not ask more than one contributor to a volume you edited to provide a recommendation
Recommenders Should Address:
- Your professional accomplishments
- The quality of your project and your ability to complete it. To that end, be sure to send your recommenders a copy of the answers to the project proposal questions in advance
- Your personal qualities that will make you a good member of an international community
Some Practicalities:
- Contact the recommenders in advance to determine their willingness and availability to write on your behalf
- Confirm the e-mail address that they want used and make sure all of their contact information is entered correctly in the online application
- Recommenders will receive a message upon submission of the online application that provides instructions on how to send their recommendation letters
- Recommenders have two weeks to send their letters from the date the application is submitted
Examples of when letters are due:
If the application is submitted November 6, recommendation letters are due by November 20.
If the application is submitted December 1, recommendation letters are due by December 15.
Please note: To be considered as part of an application, all recommendation letters need to be submitted within two weeks of the competition deadline. Applicants are responsible for following up with their recommenders to ensure timely submission.
Before You Submit
Carefully review all parts of your application for completeness and appearance, and ask yourself whether it is clear and covers the essential points in the application instructions.
- Did you answer all the required questions?
- Did you upload your answers to the project proposal questions?
- Did you include the appropriate work samples and an abbreviated CV?
- If applicable, did you upload an image list to the online application?
- If you are a previous resident, did you include the additional statement?
- Did you verify the contact information for your three recommenders and send them the answers to the project proposal questions ahead of time?
And finally, please make sure your application is as polished as possible and remember that each part of the application should build support for your candidacy.
The Review Process
Applications are reviewed by external panelists who are experts in their disciplines. In evaluating applications, the reviewers will consider:
- How closely the project aligns with the Foundation's work and mission
- The likelihood of the project's impact within its field and/or on global and social issues
- The quality of the proposed project
- How innovative the project is
- The ability of the applicant to articulate the project’s purpose
- The professional qualifications and achievements of the applicant
- The suitability of the Bellagio Center for the proposed activity, and
- Personal qualities that are likely to make an applicant a contributing member of an international, interdisciplinary community—curiosity, breadth of interests, ability to honor other viewpoints, and sensitivity to other cultures.
Since the Center aims to host an international mix of residents, the geography and nationality of those invited may be taken into account.
Timeline of the Review Process
Once you submit an application, you will receive an automated email confirmation. If we find that there is a problem (i.e. uploaded files do not work), we will reach out to you. In addition, you will receive an email once all three of your recommendation letters are submitted. We will contact you again once decisions have been made. The entire review process takes about four months.