Residency for Architects or Researchers in Architecture with Grant

 

Main Partner: Atelier Pierre Thibault

Through an annual competition, the Foundation awards a grant of CAD 5,000 to CAD 10,000 $ (depending on the scope of the project) along with a three-week residency to an architect or architectural researcher whose practice is sensitive to current environmental issues.

 
 
 
 

Call for projects

When deeply rooted in society and the local area, and based on an understanding and respect for biological and cultural diversity, architecture has the potential to become a vehicle for change that can transcend personal and economic interests and enable humans and other living beings to better inhabit the Earth.

The Grantham Foundation for Art and the Environment's architecture residency program aims to explore this potential and support forward-thinking reflection in order to promote architecture that is sensitive to places and to all that lives in them.  The residency consists of a four-week research stay at the Foundation, followed by a presentation of the work in progress to the general public (end of residency). This stay offers architects and researchers in residence time to reflect and write on the Foundation's premises. Meetings with the Foundation's artistic director will take place throughout the project to provide support for the process. For this stage, the winner will receive a grant of CAD 5,000.

In some cases, collaboration with the Foundation may continue over the following months in order to follow up on the project (phase 2). This decision — made jointly with the winner and the Foundation's management — will be based on the progress of the work during the residency and the relevance of the avenues envisaged for the project. This could include, for example, an exhibition, workshops, a publication, a video clip, a conference, a symposium, or any other form of public sharing of the research conducted. Additional support of up to CAD 5,000 may be granted for this second stage. The amount allocated will be determined by the Foundation and the recipient, based on the nature of the project and the costs incurred for its completion. 

Any production resulting from the work undertaken at the Foundation must mention the Foundation's support.

A lump sum allowance not exceeding CAD 1,000 is provided to cover part of the travel expenses of researchers whose home is located more than 500 km from Saint-Edmond-de-Grantham.

 
 
 

Eligibility

The program is open to practitioners and researchers from Quebec, Canada, and abroad whose research and/or creative work in architecture addresses the environmental challenges of our time.

Duos are eligible, and the conditions remain the same.

Applicants from abroad are asked to note that they are responsible for completing the administrative procedures required to enter Canada and remain in Quebec for the duration of their stay

 

Duration and dates of stay

The length of the residency at the Foundation is three continuous weeks. The exact dates of the residency are determined by mutual agreement between the Foundation and the grant recipient.

 

Location of the residence

The Foundation is located next to a small river, in a wooded area on the edge of a forest, in the francophone municipality of Saint-Edmond-de-Grantham, some 100 km east of Montreal. A living space, workspace and exhibition space all at once, it was designed to foster an all-season dialogue between the indoor spaces and the outside surroundings. The interior has an open floor plan, with a bed and a kitchen that can be hidden away.

Residents have access to the wooded area, the river and the adjacent forest. Site-specific work is permitted, even encouraged, but it must be carried out with a sense of respect for the integrity of the place. No objects may be permanently installed inside or outside the Foundation.

To find out more about the location, click here.  

 
 
 
 

Submission of the application

Application must include:

  • A presentation page with applicant's name and contact details (email, postal address and phone number)

  • Description of architectural interests and methodology (1 page letter size maximum)

  • Description of the proposed project, specifying its relevance to the specific aim of the architecture program (1 page letter size maximum)

  • Overview of expected results and project impact (1 page letter size maximum)

  • Curriculum vitae (3 pages letter size maximum)

  • Visual portfolio, if applicable (10 images or 5 web links with full captions and credits)

  • 2 examples of previous publications, if applicable

  • Press review, if applicable (3 pages letter size maximum)

The documents must be assembled in this order in a single PDF file (1Gb maximum). The file must be submitted by WeTransfer to projets@fondationgrantham.org.

An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within two business days following the reception of the file. Only complete applications that meet these guidelines will be considered by the selection committee.

 

Selection process

Independent experts from the architectural and academic communities serve as members of the selection committee. The successful candidate will be chosen following a two-stage selection process: a preliminary selection of two or three candidates, followed by a videoconference interview. All candidates will receive a response at the end of the selection process, no later than September 12, 2026.

 

Selection criteria

  • Overall quality of the architectural interests and methodology, curriculum vitae and visual portfolio

  • Relevance and originality of the proposed project relative to the environmental challenges of our time and to the spirit in which the grant program was created

  • Potential outcome of the project relative to the Foundation’s dissemination mandate

  • Feasibility of the project