Ragdale is proud to award numerous fellowships to outstanding artists each year.
Our fellowships recognize exceptional achievement as well as advance cultural exchange, and support artists and works that will continue to shape our culture and the arts for generations to come.
The majority of our fellowships are underwritten by individuals on an annual basis. Fellowships support artists in the creation and development of their work, and bring voices into our community who might otherwise not be able to join us. If you are interested in funding a fellowship, please contact Mary Beth Sova at marybeth@ragdale.org or 847.234.1063 x24.
Fellows receive full funding for their 18-day residency, a stipend, uninterrupted time, a live/work space, weeknight communal dinners, and the camaraderie of the other committed and passionate residents and fellows at Ragdale.
Your Time + Space
Fellowships
Ragdale awards fellowships to emerging and established practitioners based on merit.
Eligibility will be evaluated within the regular residency application by the Ragdale Curatorial Council and staff, based on the criteria of each fellowship listed below. All fellowships currently open to applicants can be found on the residency application.
All fellowships are open to emerging and established practitioners.
Alice Judson Hayes Social Justice Fellowship
Discipline: Writing (no academic writing)
The Alice Judson Hayes Social Justice Fellowship is awarded annually in memory of poet Alice Hayes, who founded Ragdale. All her life she was committed to working for a just and peaceful world. This fellowship is awarded to a writer who is working on a project designed to bring awareness to a social justice issue including peace, education, or the environment. Projects can be nonfiction or fiction (including journalism, essays, memoir, scriptwriting, creative nonfiction). No academic writing. Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $1000.
This fellowship is made possible by the Shaw Family.
Anne Searle Bent Spiritual Art Fellowship
Discipline: Any
The Anne Searle Bent Spiritual Art fellowship is awarded annually to an artist of any discipline working on a project relating to spirituality or faith. Disciplines may include, but are not limited to, visual art, performance, composition, choreography, curation, writing, and theology. Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $1000.
This fellowship is made possible by Anne Searle Bent.
Judy Sigunick Fellowship in the Visual Arts
Discipline: Visual Art
The Judy Sigunick Fellowship in the Visual Arts is awarded annually to an exemplary visual artist to afford them the time and studio space to create. This fellowship is offered in memory of sculptor and painter Judy Sigunick, whose beautiful, idea-laden work displays great imagination and vision. Judy always felt that artists need to recognize and seize on their creativity, and Ragdale affords them the uninterrupted time to do so. Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $1000.
This fellowship is made possible by Judy’s sister.
Kathleen Whittaker Writing Fellowship
Discipline: Fiction, Nonfiction
The Kathleen Whittaker Writing Fellowship is awarded to an outstanding writer working on a new work of fiction or nonfiction. This fellowship is offered in memory of longtime Lake Forest resident, Kathleen Whittaker, a voracious reader, whose bookshelves and Kindle overflowed with thousands of titles she cherished and eagerly shared. Kathleen believed in the power of reading to deepen one’s understanding of history and human nature.
This fellowship is made possible by Kathleen’s family.
McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships Program through ACA
Discipline: Any
Ragdale is proud to partner with the Artist Communities Alliance, which administers the McKnight Artist Residency Program, designing residency opportunities for McKnight fellows and supporting the community of participating residency sites, including Ragdale. Through this partnership, up to four McKnight Fellows are "matched" with Ragdale by the Artist Communities Alliance and invited for an 18-day, fee-waived residency. The Artist Communities Alliance provides fellows with a travel and materials stipend for their residency.
This residency fellowship award at Ragdale comes as part of the support offered through the McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships.
The Prairie Fellowship is awarded to an artist living with a disability and/or who has accessibility needs. Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, additional room and board for a personal care assistant (if needed), and a stipend of $1000. Ragdale offers four accessible live/work spaces: a writing studio, a visual arts studio, a state-of-the-art digitally equipped music studio, and a large dance studio.
This fellowship is made possible by John and Madonna Merritt.
Prairie Fellowship
Discipline: Any
Robin and Sandy Stuart Photography Fellowship
Discipline: Photography
The Robin and Sandy Stuart Photography Fellowship is awarded annually to an exemplary photographic artist to afford them the time and studio space to create. It allows a photographer uninterrupted time to seize on their creativity and immerse themselves in their craft. Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $1000.
This fellowship is made possible by Robin and Sandy Stuart.
Schumann Family Fellowship for Latine Artists
Discipline: Any
The Schumann Family Fellowship for Latine Artists is open to artists of any discipline, with preference given to Cuban and Cuban-American artists. Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $1000.
This fellowship is made possible by Barbra Schumann.
Sybil Shearer Fellowship for Dancemakers
Discipline: Dance
The Sybil Shearer Fellowship is awarded to an individual choreographer and/or dance artist, or to a collaborative duo who will share the live/work studio space. The fellowship recipient will receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $1000. Note for collaborations: only one stipend will be awarded and may be split between collaborators.
This fellowship is made possible by the Morrison-Shearer Foundation.
Waud Fellowship for Formerly Incarcerated Artists
Discipline: Any
The Waud Fellowship for Formerly Incarcerated Artists is awarded annually to a formerly incarcerated individual working in any artistic discipline. Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $2000.
This fellowship is made possible by David and Pamela Waud.
The William and Solange Brown Fellowship for New Musical Composition is awarded to an individual composer or musician, at a moment when their work is poised to take on new directions. Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency and a stipend of $1000.
This fellowship is made possible by William and Solange Brown.
William and Solange Brown Fellowship for New Musical Composition
Discipline: Music/Composition/Sound
We seek diverse voices and representations to enrich our artists' experiences and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. Applicants will be asked to describe how they meet the eligibility requirements of the fellowships they are applying for (500 words maximum per fellowship).
All applicants who apply for fellowships will be considered.
Please note that applicants may be awarded a residency without receiving a fellowship award.
Fellowship awards are disclosed upon acceptance.
You can apply for fellowships through the regular residency application, which can be found here.
HUMAN Fellowship
Discipline: Any
The HUMAN Residency Fellowship at Ragdale is part of Lake Forest College's $1.2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation for HUMAN: Humanities Understanding of the Machine-Assisted Nexus. This multi-year collaboration invites artists from diverse disciplines to explore the intersection of the humanities, artificial intelligence, and social justice. Emerging, midcareer, and established writers, dancers, musicians, composers, and visual artists are all encouraged to apply. Selected artists will spend two blocks of time at Ragdale; an initial six-day AI-themed residency taking place Monday, April 7 - Saturday, April 12, 2025 (6 days), and an individual 18-day fee-waived residency to be scheduled in 2026 or 2027.
Schumann Family Fellowships for
Art + Well-being
Discipline: Any
The Schumann Family Fellowships for Art + Well-being are awarded to artists whose work has been informed or impacted by mental health challenges and the struggle for emotional well-being. These Fellowships provide support to artists whose work demonstrates resilience and encourages new ways to endure, heal, and create. The Schumann Family Fellowships for Art + Well-being are open to artists of any discipline. Recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, along with a stipend of $1000. Two of these Fellowships will be awarded annually.
These fellowships are made possible by Barbra Schumann.
The Ragdale Fellowship for Caregivers is awarded to an artist who has been in the role of caring for a family member or loved one through illness, disability, or other major life events. This Fellowship is intended to recognize individuals whose professional work has been interrupted through their role as a caregiver and to provide a platform for reengaging with their creative practice. The Ragdale Fellowship for Caregivers is open to artists of any discipline. Recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, along with a stipend of $1,000.
This Fellowship is made possible by the Franklin Square Foundation.
The Ragdale Fellowship for Caregivers
Discipline: Any
Midwest Native and Indigenous Fellowship
Discipline: Visual Art and Writing
The Midwest Native and Indigenous Fellowship is awarded to two artists a year, one working in the field of visual art, and the second in writing. This Fellowship is intended to support the work of Native and Indigenous artists living and working in the greater Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin). Fellowship recipients receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $1000. The Midwest Native and Indigenous Fellowship is a partnership between Ragdale and the Center for Native Futures, who will select residents from their network of visual artists and writers. Fellows are now being selected for 2027, and general applications are not being accepted at this time.
This Fellowship is made possible by The DFT Trust Fund and Shaw McCutcheon.
The Center for Native Futures is the only all-Native artist-led arts non-profit organization in Zhegagoynak. They promote the advancement of Native fine arts, foster contemporary artists, and encourage Indigenous Futurists. The Center hosts gallery exhibitions, artist residencies and community events throughout the year. Learn more here.
The Helen Balfour Morrison Media Arts Fellowship
Discipline: Media
In 2026, Ragdale pilots the Helen Balfour Morrison Media Artist Fellowship, honoring the life and work of noted 20th-century photographer and filmmaker Helen Balfour Morrison. The program marks Ragdale's entry into supporting a new artistic discipline and opens the door to future interdisciplinary collaboration between dance and media artists. The selected fellowship recipient will receive a fee-waived 18-day residency, and a stipend of $1,000. Until programming is confirmed and open applications are established, these fellowships are awarded through Ragdale's advisory review process. The 2026 Fellow has been selected, and general applications are not being accepted at this time.
This fellowship is made possible by the Morrison-Shearer Foundation.
Tran-Riedel Fellowship for a Vietnamese Artist
Discipline: Any
This Fellowship looks to elevate the work, attention and awareness of Vietnamese artists. It creates opportunities for the Fellow for increased exposure and expanded access to a network of other artists and supporters.
The Tran-Riedel Fellow receives a stipend of $1000.
This fellowship is made possible by Loan and Norbert Riedel.