-SDCF Live-on-Screen Initiative
As cinecasts, simulcasts and webcasts of stage productions become commonplace, stage Directors and Choreographers need to become increasingly comfortable with the fundamentals of camera work and the nuances of capturing a live event on screen. The SDCF Live-on-Screen Initiative helps prepare stage Directors and Choreographers for the challenges of presenting their stage work on screen. AWARD:  This is an unpaid opportunity. APPLY:  Directors and Choreographers with at least 10 years professional lead experience may apply.  Experience in Film or television is not necessary. Board Members may not apply.
-The Kurt Weill Fellowship
Established in 2013 by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, the Kurt Weill Fellowship helps nurture early-career directors and choreographers by acquainting them with a stage work of Kurt Weill or Marc Blitzstein under the guidance of a master director or choreographer. The Fellowship provides the opportunity to assist or observe a master director or choreographer at work on a production, selected by the Kurt Weill Foundation, of a theatrical work composed by Weill or Blitzstein, including musical theater, opera, operetta, and dance works. The Kurt Weill Fellowship is administered through and operates as a component of the SDC Foundation’s Observership Program; as such, only the current season’s Observership candidates will be eligible for this Fellowship. AWARD: $2,500 stipend APPLY: Only those in that year’s SDCF Observership Pool may apply.
-The Denham Fellowship
The Denham Fellowship is an annual award given to directors, particularly women directors, to further develop their directing skills by providing $2500 in financial support for the Director’s fee for a particular project.  This fellowship was established in October 2006 by Mary Orr Denham as a bequest to SDCF in honor of her late husband, Reginald H.F. Denham. Candidates may apply to the Denham Fellowship under one of two plans: fee enhancement or self producing. Under fee enhancement, the Denham Fellowship augments a fee offered to the Director by a theatre or producer.  Under self-producing, the Denham fellowship will serve as or augment the Director’s fee.  Please consult Denham Fellowship Guidelines prior to application.  Selection will be made by a committee of directors and choreographers. AWARD: One award of $2,500 will be granted per fiscal year. APPLY: Female SDC Members and Associate Members in good standing may apply.  Board Members may not apply.    
-The Sir John Gielgud Fellowship
In 1996 this Fellowship originated from a generous contribution from Sir John Gielgud to provide opportunities for early career directors to study the artistic processes of master directors of classical plays. A Gielgud Fellowship Advisory Committee composed of leading directors of classical plays and other established theatre artists select the show, the mentor and the Fellow each year. Recommendations of established theatre professionals on the behalf of potential candidates are accepted and considered by the Advisory committee. The Gielgud Fellow receives a monetary award as well as a free one-year Associate Membership if the Fellow is not already an SDC Associate Member. AWARD: One award of $2,000 will be awarded as a stipend during the rehearsal period. APPLY: Early to mid-career Directors and Director/Choreographers with enough experience to serve as an Assistant Director may apply. Board Members may not apply.
-The Shepard and Mildred Traube Fellowship
In 1999 the Shepard and Mildred Traube Fellowship was established in celebration of the 40th anniversary of SDC and to honor the legacy of Shepard and Mildred Traube. Shepard Traube was one of SDC’s founders and Mildred Traube served for many years as the SDC’s Executive Secretary. The Traube Fellowship supports the development of future Broadway artists by providing early-career directors and choreographers with the opportunity to assist or observer a master director of choreographers at work on a Broadway production. The Traube Fellowship is administered through and operates as a component of the SDCFoundation’s Observership Program, as such, only the current season’s Observership candidates will be eligible for this Fellowship. AWARD: A stipend of $200 per week of rehearsal and preview period plus small travel stipend. APPLY: Only those in that year’s SDCF Observership Pool may apply.
-The Mike Ockrent Fellowship
Modeled on our prestigious Sir John Gielgud Fellowship in Classical Theatre, the goal of the Mike Ockrent Fellowship is to help early-career directors of promise develop their skills in directing theatre by allowing them to assist a master director on the creation of a big-budget Broadway musical or play. In doing so, the Fellowship will present a new generation of gifted artists with a remarkable education in – and unique understanding of – the directorial skills necessary to create theatre on a Broadway scale. One Mike Ockrent Fellowship will be awarded each year. Each Fellow will be mentored by a leading director in the field who will share information, insights and resources. The Fellow shall have the opportunity to participate in the entire production process, from conceptual meetings, design discussions, casting sessions, rehearsals, previews, etc. The mentor is responsible for including the Fellow in the production process. AWARD: One award of $5,000 will be awarded as a stipend during the tenure of the Fellowship. APPLY: Candidates must be nominated by SDC Members and Associates in good standing.
-The George C. Wolfe Fellowship
Established by the proceeds of a special fundraising effort of The 2011 ‘Mr. Abbott’ Award celebrating Director George C. Wolfe, this Fellowship is a biennial award given to experienced directors and choreographers harboring a desire to break free of the perceived boundaries of career. The Fellowship provides up to $2500 for the development of an area of interest, enabling directors and choreographers to receive funding to explore an area of artistic interest without requiring the funded experience to be tied to a specific production The George C. Wolfe Fellowship recipient will be selected by the Wolfe Selection Committee.  This committee will be comprised of at least five renowned theatre professionals including at least two Members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. This Fellowship is eligible to those SDC Members and Associates with 6 or more years of professional experience as a lead director or choreographer.  This program is not for early-career artists or those just out of a degree program.   It is for those who have enough experience to have become entrenched or categorized within the field and are interested in surmounting that categorization. AWARD: $2500 APPLY: SDC Members and Associate Members in good standing with at least 6 years professional lead experience may apply. Board Members may not apply.