Take Time Out to Change the World

What would you do if you had a year off to change your life while helping to change the world?

2022 recipient Irene López ’91 (depicted above) plans to use the grant to give voice to survivors of gender-based violence in Puerto Rico. The Lydia Project: Mujeres Bravas con Cámaras (Brave Women with Cameras) will train survivors to document their experiences via photography and enable them to engage in a critical reflection on the images they produce.

Meet some previous Time Out Grant recipients

Each of these Vassar graduates, and many others over the past three decades, was able to realize a dream that encompassed their own lives and the lives of others, thanks to the Time Out Grant, funded by an extraordinarily generous, anonymous Vassar alumna.

Vassar alumni who have reached their 40th birthday are eligible to apply for the Time Out Grant.  Proposals involving innovation and out-of-the-box thinking, with an end goal of significant change, are encouraged.  Projects must be designed to span a time frame of at least twelve months. You must be willing to take a full year off from your current endeavors and devote yourself full-time to your project.

Application Process is Closed

The Time Out Grant application process is closed. The application process takes place from September to December of any given year and recipients are notified in April. Check back in September 2022 for application instructions for the 2023 Time Out Grant.