Southern New England Apprenticeship Program (SNEAP) Online Application 2026-2027

Instructions:

All application proposals must be presented to SNEAP manager by July 24th, 2026*
Mentor and Apprentice must apply together in one application. Final Application due by: August 1, 2026
Mentors must complete Section 2.
Apprentices must complete Section 3.
Mentors and Apprentices must complete Section 1 and 4 together.

*Before submitting the application, applicant teams are required to discuss a draft of their proposal with the SNEAP Manager, Philitha Stemplys-Cowdrey: pstemplys-cowdrey@connecticutmuseum.org

If you have general questions about the program or application, the SNEAP Manager or your state's representatives can provide additional assistance if needed.

SNEAP Manager: Philitha Stemplys-Cowdrey - 860-236-5621 ext. 201 | pstemplys-cowdrey@connecticutmuseum.org
Program co-founder & Independent Folklorist (based in RI): Winifred Lambrecht, PhD - 401-454-6266 (office) 401-864-9006 (cell) | wlambrec@risd.edu
MassCultural Council Representative, Traditional Arts Program Officer: Summer Confuorto - 617-858-2713 | summer.confuorto@mass.gov
RISCA Representative, Director of Arts and Cultural Sustainability Program: Elena Calderón Patiño - 401-222-6996 | Elena.Patino@arts.ri.gov

Application Schedule:

Application Opens:	Monday, June 1, 2026
SNEAP Manager Draft and Review Assistance Available:	June 1, 2026 through July 24, 2026
Application Deadline:	Saturday, August 1, 2026
Notification date:	September 2026**
Time period covered (Including Public Presentation):	September 2026 – June 30, 2027
Mentor & Apprentice final report due:	June 30, 2026**

*Please note that dates are subject to change
**Awards will be distributed in two payments. The first at the signing of contracts, and the second after the submission of the final report to the SNEAP Manager.

Save your progress:

Scroll to end of the application.
Click "Save"
Click "Skip Create an Account"
Enter your e-mail to receive your Draft Link / or click "Get Draft Link" to copy & paste your link.
- You may share this link between mentor and apprentice to enter your answers.

Link to Program Guidelines & FAQ's:

https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/cchap/apprenticeship-program/sneapguidelines/

SECTION 1 - Applicant Information:

Folk or Traditional Practice to be taught:

Mentor Name:

First NameLast Name

Mentor Cultural Identity or Trade Affiliation:

Mentor E-mail:

example@example.com

Mentor Phone

Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.

Mentor Address (Must be within CT/MA/RI):

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

Mentor Date of Birth:

Date

Apprentice Name:

First NameLast Name

Apprentice Cultural Identity / Trade Affiliation:

Apprentice E-mail

example@example.com

Apprentice Phone

Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.

Apprentice Address (Must be within CT/MA/RI):

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

Apprentice Date of Birth:

Date

If apprenticeship is a group, list the names and information of additional applicants:

If apprentice is a minor, list the name and contact information of their legal guardian:

SECTION 2: TO BE COMPLETED BY MENTOR

Have you participated in SNEAP previously?

If yes, what year(s)?

Have you participated in any other apprentice programs previously?

If yes, what program(s)?

Please respond to the following questions in brief but detailed paragraphs.

1. Name and briefly Describe your traditional art form (trade, practice or craft):

0/150

2. What community(ies) does your practice relate or belong to? (heritage, ethnicity, tribe, language, religion, trade, region.)

3. Describe your personal story with this traditional art form. (How long have you been practicing it? Who taught you or how did you learn it? Have you previously taught this practice?)

0/500

4. Why is this tradition important to your community? What impact will sustaining this tradition have on your community?

0/300

5. Describe your relationship to your proposed apprentice. Have you worked together before? Why did you choose this apprentice?

0/150

SECTION 3: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPRENTICE

Please respond to the following questions in brief but detailed paragraphs.

1. Please describe your experience with the traditional art form (trade, practice, or craft) you want to study (How long have you been practicing? How would you describe your current skill level? What present role does this art form play in your life?):

2. Why is it important for you to sustain this tradition? What impact will it have on your community? (What do you plan to achieve? How do you plan to share what you've learned with your community?)

3. Describe your relationship to your proposed mentor. Have you worked together before? Why did you choose this mentor?

SECTION 4: TO BE COMPLETED BY MENTOR AND APPRENTICE

It is important for both mentor and apprentice to talk about their ideas for this apprenticeship. Without shared understanding of what you plan to do issues can arise.

In this section:

Lesson Plans and Proposed Apprenticeship Schedule
Public Presentation Proposal
Budget
Support Materials
Acknowledgements and Certification
Checklist

All sections must be fully completed. Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding. Before submitting your application, please discuss any questions your may have with the program manager: Philitha Stemplys-Cowdrey - 860-236-5621 ext. 201 | pstemplys-cowdrey@connecticutmuseum.org

Lesson Plans and Schedule:

Note: It must begin after September 1, 2026, and end beofre June 30, 2027.

Start Date: Date* End Date: Date*

Approximate Number of Lessons: * .
Length of Each Lesson: *.
Estimated Total Hours of Apprenticeship: * .
Proposed Meeting Place: * .

What do you want to teach your apprentice (please list skills, techniques, and subject matter you plan to cover in detail?)

Public Presentation Proposal:

All apprenticeships MUST present their work at a public event, such as a community festival, a demonstration, a performance, or an exhibit.

Public presentations may also be in the form of a workshop, discussion forum/salon, or online livestream/prerecorded event.

Note: this public presentation must occur before June 30, 2027. If you need help with ideas, please contact SNEAP staff.

Please describe your tentative plans for this event and give potential dates and location:

0/150

Budget:

The apprenticeship award tends to be around $3000, no more than $5000 and no less than $2000. Most of this fee should go towards paying the mentor artist for their time. Materials and/or travel costs may be allowable. This year we are able to also provide a modest stipend directly to the apprentice. Apprentice will receive up to $500.00.

The Connecticut Museum manages contracts and carefully monitors all contracted work. Please complete the questions relating to the project budget below. Mentor and apprentice should discuss this before filling it out. If you need assistance, please contact SNEAP manager.

(Note: Award amounts may vary. Maximum Mentor Award: $5,000.00 | Maximum Apprentice Stipend: $500.00 )

Estimated Mentor Fee:

Estimated Apprentice Stipend:

Estimated Supply and Materials Cost:

Please list possible supplies/materials:

Estimated Travel or Mileage Expenses:

Travel/Mileage description:

Other/Additional expenses:

Please describe other/additional expenses:

TOTAL AMOUNT REQUESTED:

Not to exceed $5,500.00

Support Materials:

1. Work Samples: BOTH Mentor and Apprentice are asked to supply work samples to demonstrate your abilities and commitment to your traditional practice.

If the apprentice has no samples for the proposed practice, please provide a letter of support from a community member detailing the apprentice's commitment to learn. If available, the apprentice is requested to provide samples of other related works to the practice or community.

Requirements:

Visual Artists, Trades/Crafts: 5 - 10 images depicting finished pieces of work. Images detailing the process are also encouraged. jpgs and pdfs are preferred.
Musicians, Vocal/Oral Tradition Artists: 2 - 3 recorded examples representing your work at 3 minutes maximum per recording. Web links prefered.*
Dancers/Performing Arts: 2 - 3 video examples representing your work at 3 minutes maximum per recording. Web links prefered.*
Ceremonial, Foodways, and other practices: Please submit a combination of still images and recordings as appropriate to your tradition. Consult SNEAP manager for details.
For all samples:
- Please upload all samples to an online shared drive folder such as GoogleDrive, OneDrive, DropBox.
- Please include a word document listing all samples with filename and detailed captions including dates, details of pieces, and any notes of cultural/traditional importance. If multiple people are feautured in an example, please clearly identify yourself.
- If you need technical assistance with preparing/submitting your samples or online shared folder please contact the SNEAP Manager: pstemplys-cowdrey@connecticutmuseum.org

*if audio/video samples are longer than 3 minutes please provide start and stop times you wish to be viewed. Samples without start/stop times will be watched/listened from 0:00 - 3:00.

Work Sample Link:

ex: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1V5aIigj_y-U_skYpgKXj4EnebYcKjLSj?usp=sharing

Mentor: I have uploaded all required work examples to the sample link.

Apprentice: I have uploaded all required work examples to the sample link.

2. Biographical Statement: Please submit the Mentor artist’s and Apprentice’s artist statement, or biographical statement. (Biographical statements can be a brief paragraph about yourself. Or you can include a resume/CV in your online shared drive sample link)

Mentor's Artist Statement/Bio

0/300

Apprentice's Artist Statement/Bio

3. Letters of Support:

Mentors: Please provide one or two letters of support from members of your community describing the mentor’s work and its importance to the community.
Apprentices: All apprentices are requested to provide a letter of support from a community member showing their commitment to the 10-month program and beyond. (This can be in combination with the Mentor's support letter).

Please upload your Support Letters in .doc or .pdf formats into your online shared drive sample link.

Mentor: I have uploaded my support letter to my sample link.

Apprentice: I have uploaded my support letter to my sample link.

4. Optional Items: If you would like to add additional support materials to your online sample folder, please do so with a detailed desctiption of the item.

Optional Items may include:

Brochures
Copies of publications that describe your work
New or Press links that feature your work

Mentor: Please provide any personal/business websites or social media links that showcase your work.

Please do not submit personal social media pages that are not dedicated to your traditional practice.

Apprentice: Please provide any personal/business websites or social media links that showcase your work.

Please do not submit personal social media pages that are not dedicated to your traditional practice.

NOTE: Anyone unable to submit materials should contact the SNEAP manager, pstemplys-cowdrey@connecticutmuseum.org, to discuss a possible site visit to assist with recording or photographing your work samples. If you need submit physical or hardcopy support materials and wish to have them returned to you, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your application, and materials will be returned to you after the application review period.

Ownership Acknowledgement:

If any items are produced as a result of the apprenticeship, who will own them?

Certification:

I certify that the information contained in this application, including all supporting documents and attachments, is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. An e-mail will be sent to both mentor and apprentice confirming receipt of this signed application.

Signature

Mentor Printed Name

Date

Apprentice Signature:

Apprentice Printed Name:

Date

Legal Guardian Signature (if apprentice is under 18 years old)

Legal Guardian Name:

First NameLast Name

Legal Guardian E-mail:

example@example.com

Legal Guardian Phone:

Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.

This program is funded in part by the Connecticut Office of the Arts (DECD), the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, and is supported by the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, the Mass Cultural Council, and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

Application Checklist:

Please review the following checklist with SNEAP Manager before submitting your application. All sections must be fully completed. Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.

Make Sure All Items are Fully Completed: