Grants & Research

The School of Art, Carnegie Mellon University, and extended networks in and outside of Pittsburgh provide a number of funding opportunities to support the research and creation of ambitious and socially-engaged works of art.

UNDERGRADUATE

Grant and fellowship opportunities both in and outside of the university are supported by the Undergraduate Research Office (URO) and study abroad services in the Office of International Education (OIE).

Within the College of Fine Arts, the School of Art and Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry also provide annual awards.

Available Grants

SURG – Small Undergraduate Research Grant awards one-person CMU undergraduate projects up to $500. Group projects can receive up to $1,000. Grants are given as cash awards for materials and supplies related to the proposed project only, and will not affect financial aid.

SURF – Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship awards $3,500 to CMU undergraduates for 8-10 full-time weeks of summer research in any field of study. Graduate Support Program provides some funding and assistance to graduate students applying for grants, conferences and fellowship opportunities both in and outside of the university.

School of Art Awards grants $600 – $1200 per student, and qualify students for College Honors at graduation. Open to all full-time BFA and BXA students in good academic standing. Students submit work to be evaluated by Art faculty on the following criteria: conceptual depth, technical expertise and development, evidence of creative growth, engagement with the culture from which it emerges, sense of exploration, and demonstrated commitment.

Interdisciplinary Award grants teams consisting of at least one junior, senior or graduate student in the School of Art and at least one collaborator from another department within CFA or CMU to pursue an interdisciplinary project or facilitate interdisciplinary research. A single grant or several smaller grants constituting a total of $3,000 may be awarded each year.

The C.G. Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan Summer Travel Fellowship provides $1,500 to an undergraduate or graduate student in the School of Art to expand their studies through a summer travel project. This fellowship was founded by graduate students Leslie McAhren (MFA ’10) and Courtney Dow (MFA ’11).

Frank-Ratchye Further Fund (FRFF) Grants & Microgrants
The FRFF is an endowment to encourage the creation of innovative artworks by the faculty, students and staff of Carnegie Mellon University. With this fund, the STUDIO seeks to develop a cache of groundbreaking and interdisciplinary projects created at CMU. The FRFF supports between approximately 50 projects per year with grants up to $5000. Any faculty, student or staff person actively affiliated with CMU is eligible to apply, regardless of their home department. The funding is available in the form of FRFF “Full” Grants between $501 and $5,000 and FRFF Microgrants that are $500 and under.

GRADUATE

Carnegie Mellon University’s Graduate Support Program offers academically focused seminars and workshops that advise, empower and help retain all graduate students.

Available Grants

Scholarly Project Funding
Scholarly Project Funding provides grants of $750 to graduate students for forwarding their research at Carnegie Mellon University. Grants are provided by the Graduate Student Assembly and the Office of Graduate and Postdoc Affairs and are managed by the Office of the Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Education. Scholarly Project Funding grants are intended to be used against costs incurred in the completion of research required for a graduate degree at Carnegie Mellon and by students whose personal or departmental resources have been exhausted. A graduate student is eligible for one grant in each fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) they are a graduate student. Check the Scholarly Project Funding site above for updates on upcoming deadlines for the Fall, Spring, and Summer application periods.

Graduate Conference Funding
Graduate Student Conference Funding is provided by the Graduate Student Assembly and the Provost’s Office, and is managed by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs. The goal of the funding is to enable more Carnegie Mellon graduate students to make presentations at key conferences (or attend exhibitions) in their fields or attend conferences and learn about the broader field of study to which they belong. [Note: For Art students, the category of conferences can include attending exhibitions and performances]. This funding opportunity is available to individual graduate students, a group of graduate students attending the same conference/ exhibition, and/or a group of members from a registered club/organization attending the same conference/ exhibition. If you are planning to present at a conference/ exhibit your work somewhere and have submitted an abstract to a conference or a proposal to an exhibition, you do not have to wait until it is accepted to apply. Graduate students that apply for Conference Funding MUST be enrolled students at the time they attend the conference/ exhibit.

Graduate Conference funding awards amount up to $750.00 per individual student with a maximum amount of up to $1,500.00 per group. Graduate students may not receive more than one Conference Funding award per academic year, July 1 to June 30 (fiscal year).

Graduate Studio Research Funding (“On the Ground”)
The MFA Program’s “On the Ground” grant provides limited funding for unique opportunities that contribute to a student’s larger research, which will affect and feed their studio practice. The Program considers research to be the work you do in order to make your artwork. What makes this thing you’re applying for unique to your research? Demonstrate that you cannot make your work without access to this opportunity.

On the Ground grants are up to $500 and are available once per academic year, pending fund availability. Application for funds should be submitted via this form. Applicants must address what makes this a “unique opportunity,” and also must include a budget and timeline for the research undertaken. The Program accepts applications from first and second year MFA students from the start of the Fall semester through May 1st. The cut off date for third year MFA students to apply for On the Ground funding is April 1st; any funding granted to third-year students in the spring semester will be for projects/ travel that can be done during their time as students (not in the summer after graduation). Funding applications are evaluated once a month by the entire MFA Core Faculty. All recipients of funding must submit a written report on their use of the funds within 30 days of using the funds. A selection of these reports may be developed into website posts or newsletter stories.

Money for production is generally not supported financially by the School or MFA program. On occasion materials or production costs may be considered essential to your research, but in those rare cases, it will be up to the applicant to define and support that in their application, and why that is a unique opportunity. Grants cannot be awarded for something that the School or Program already owns.

School of Art Awards: Interdisciplinary Award
The School of Art’s Interdisciplinary Award is awarded annually, in the Spring. Grants teams consisting of at least one Undergraduate or Graduate student in the School of Art and at least one collaborator from another department within CFA or CMU to pursue an interdisciplinary project or facilitate interdisciplinary research. A single grant of $5,000, or several smaller grants based on proposed budgets amounts will be awarded each year. Award applications are typically due in late March of every year; awardees are notified in April. Details on how to apply for the award are sent to all undergraduate and graduate students in March.

School of Art Awards: The C.G. Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan Summer Travel Fellowship
This fellowship is awarded annually, in the Spring. It provides $1,500 to an Undergraduate or Graduate student in the School of Art to expand their studies through a summer travel project. This fellowship was co-founded by graduate students Leslie McAhren (MFA ’10) and Courtney Dow (MFA ’11). Award applications are typically due in late March of every year; awardees are notified in April. Details on how to apply for the award are typically sent to all undergraduate and graduate students in March.

IMPORTANT: On the Ground and other School of Art Awards Grants are dispersed by the School of Art Business Manager. Money transfers made to students and are considered non-qualified scholarships, which is considered taxable income. Transfers made to foreign nationals are subject to tax withholding prior to disbursement. Please plan on this when budgeting for your project.

Frank-Ratchye Further Fund (FRFF) Grants & Microgrants
The FRFF is an endowment to encourage the creation of innovative artworks by the faculty, students and staff of Carnegie Mellon University. With this fund, the STUDIO seeks to develop a cache of groundbreaking and interdisciplinary projects created at CMU. The FRFF supports between approximately 50 projects per year with grants up to $5000. Any faculty, student or staff person actively affiliated with CMU is eligible to apply, regardless of their home department. The funding is available in the form of FRFF “Full” Grants between $501 and $50,000 and FRFF Microgrants that are $500 and under.

Steiner Vistor Invitational Grants
The Sylvia and David Steiner Speaker Series brings creative individuals who push boundaries, defy definition, and demonstrate excellence in the arts, to our campus for deep engagement with our students and faculty. This grant program provides support to CMU faculty, staff and students who wish to organize a Steiner visitor for their courses, departments, degree cohorts, or student clubs.

Non-University Grants

School of Art undergraduate and graduate students have had a successful track record receiving support from the following institutions: