An abstract painting using blue, white and yellow.

Xiaohua Zhang

About the Graduate Program

Graduate Opportunities & Grants

Opportunities for the 2022-2023 Academic Year

Graduate Dean Professional Development Award

Graduate students who have been invited by recognized organizations or conferences to present their work may apply for partial travel assistance or related expenses from the Graduate Dean. Average awards are $400–700.

Timeline

There are five deadlines annually. Decisions are made within four weeks of each deadline. 

Deadline

Grantees Notified by

July 22

August 19

October 7

November 4

December 2

January 6

February 10

March 10

April 7

May 5

Eligibility

Graduate students in any year of study, enrolled in any program at SAIC are eligible to receive the Graduate Dean Professional Development Award.

Students may submit more than one application each year, and more than one application per deadline. Students working together on the same presentation or exhibition must apply as a team. The collaborative team should select one representative student to submit the proposal on behalf of the team. If the grant is awarded, the lead student will be the sole recipient of the grant payment. All students on a collaborative team must be eligible for the team to be considered.

Students are not eligible to receive the Graduate Dean Professional Development Award if any of the following conditions are true:

  • They will have graduated at the time of travel.
  • They are on a leave of absence at the time of applying or at the time of travel.
  • They are not in good academic standing.
  • They have received a Graduate Dean Professional Development Award in the current academic year.
  • They have received World Less Traveled or SAIC Travel Grants in the current academic year.


Graduate Dean Professional Development Awards do not support any of the following:

  • Travel for any purpose other than presentation or exhibition of student work.
  • Residency tuition.
  • Travel occurring before the date of the application deadline.


Evaluation Criteria

Graduate Dean Professional Development Award funds are limited, and grants are highly competitive. Each year, the Graduate Dean receives far more requests than can be honored. Often, extremely worthy applicants cannot be supported. The Graduate Dean considers the following criteria when evaluating proposals:

  • The significance of the travel or exhibition opportunity.
  • The relationship of the opportunity to the student's studies at SAIC.
  • The relationship of the opportunity to SAIC's Core Values.


Optional Faculty Endorsement

The Graduate Dean requests that faculty assist applicants in expressing the worth of the travel opportunity and the suitability of the opportunity for the student. By endorsing a proposal, a graduate coordinator, faculty advisor, or instructor certifies the importance of the opportunity at this time in the student's professional development. Students should attach a brief endorsement letter or email from an instructor to the application.

Application Form: Graduate Dean Professional Development Award Form [PDF]

Other Opportunities

James Nelson Raymond Fellowships

Two $10,000 fellowships will be awarded to graduating masters degree students of exceptional promise. These awards are to support the artist’s career and travel in the year following graduation. 

The application process for AY23 opens February 1st via slideroom here. Submissions are due March 15th.

Municipal Art League Fellowship

The Municipal Art League of Chicago Award for Excellence provides three $2,000 awards to graduating MFA students whose work is concentrated in drawing, illustration, painting or sculpture on the basis of merit.

The application process for AY23 opens February 1st via slideroom here. Submissions are due March 15th.

Institut für Alles Mögliche Residency in Berlin, Germany

The SAIC Berlin Residency is awarded to two graduating graduate students annually through an open competition. One award is reserved for an MFA student in the Photography department, one is Open to All Programs. Awarded MFA students spend two months in Berlin at the Institut für Alles Mögliche. SAIC pays for the awarded student's residency fee only. Basic accommodations and studio space are included in the residency. The residency will be August 1-September 30 for the Photography residency and October 1-November 30 for the Open Program residency. International students are responsible for any necessary visa arrangements.

For more information about the residency program visit: i-a-m.tk/

Application opens April 1 via slideroom at saicscholarships.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/71869 
Deadline: May 1

Gallery MOMO Residency in Johannesburg, South Africa

The SAIC Gallery MOMO Residency is awarded to one graduating graduate student annually through an open competition. The award is available to students in all programs. The awarded student will spend one month in Johannesburg at Gallery MOMO. SAIC pays for the awarded student's residency fee only. Basic accommodations, studio space, networking opportunities, and a space for a final exhibition are included in the residency. The residency will begin in September, exact dates to be determined by the recipient. International students are responsible for any necessary visa arrangements.

For more information about the residency program visit: gallerymomo.com/ and facebook.com/GalleryMOMOSA/.

Application opens April 1 via slideroom at: saicscholarships.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/71872 
Deadline: May 1

Clay Morrison Scholarship

The Clay Morrison Scholarship for graduate students was established in 2011 to support continuing SAIC graduate students from any department or program who are studying art created independently from the academic mainstream, including self-taught or non-mainstream art, popular culture, and/or folk art from any culture(s). Two winning students receive a $1,500 scholarship toward tuition in the fall of their final year of study.

The application process for AY23 opens April 1st via slideroom here. Submissions are due May 1st.

AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship

As a member of the Associated Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), SAIC participates in the AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship, which provides significant professional practice opportunities to high-achieving recent graduate alumni who are underrepresented in higher education. The fellowship consists of a one-year full-time (or near full-time) teaching load at an AICAD institution, salary commensurate with starting salary for full-time faculty, mentorship, and professional development support.

Graduating MFA students and recent alumni are nominated in the fall semester by the departments and will be notified of eligibility to apply.

UofC Arts & Sciences Collaboration Grant

Funding is available to support transdisciplinary research between graduate students in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Propose a project for two or more students, at least one in the arts and one in the sciences, to work together to investigate a subject from the perspectives offered by each discipline. Selected teams will receive up to $3,000 in grant support. The 2022-23 grant is open to graduate students at The University of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

Applications Period: Now - October 31, 2022 artsscienceculture.uchicago.edu

MassMoCA Residency

The Studios is MassMoCA's artist and writers residency program situated within the museum's factory campus surrounded by the beautiful Berkshire Mountains. Operated by MassMoCA's Assets for Artists department, the residency runs year-round and hosts up to 10 artists at a time. Artists of any nationality can apply for stays of 2-8 weeks. For more information, visit assetsforartists.org.

Applications Period: November 8, 2022 - January 8, 2023

SAIC x ACRE Alumni Scholarship

Fun ACRE has partnered with The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to create a scholarship opportunity to accepted residents are are also Master's level graduates from SAIC. Eligibility for the SAIC Alumni Scholarship will be based on successful completion of an SAIC Graduate Program within 12 months of the start date of the summer residency. Both traditional and Low Residency MFA candidates are eligible. Questions can be directed to info@acreresidency.org

Applications open early spring at acreresidency.org/application/scholarships.

Want to go abroad for a year?

SAIC supports applications to the U.S. Student Fulbright Program for up to five years after you graduate. Learn more here.

UC Berkeley South Asia Art Artist Prize

The South Asia Art Initiative at UC Berkeley invites submissions from Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students for the annual UC Berkeley South Asia Artist Prize. The prize will be awarded for an outstanding body of work by an artist of the South Asian diaspora or by those whose work addresses the politics and cultures of South Asia.

The prize comes with a $1,500 award. All inquiries regarding the UC Berkeley South Asia Artist Prize should be directed to: Puneeta Kala at the Institute for South Asia Studies, University of California, Berkeley.

The Chataqua School of Art Residency Program

The Chautauqua School of Art Residency Program welcomes artists ages 21 and older who have yet to receive wide recognition of their work. College enrollment is not a requirement to attend our program. Artists who engage in all media are encouraged to apply. This is an environment that promotes intergenerational collaboration, exchange, research and an openness to other art forms at Chautauqua, including dance, theater, music, literature and more. It is meant to be a safe, brave space to share, experiment and freely express. art.chq.org/school/

The Core Residency Program

The Core Residency Program awards residencies to exceptional, highly motivated visual artists and critical writers who have completed their undergraduate or graduate training and are working to develop a sustainable practice. Residents engage with a wide range of leading artists, critics, curators, and art historians who are invited to meet individually with the residents, lead seminars, and deliver public lectures.

Fellows are expected to be active in their own creative and/or critical practice, whatever form that takes. Core fellows come together as a community of thinkers and makers to engage in an ongoing dialogue, the content of which is driven by contemporary concerns, the interests and work of the fellows, and the Core lecture series and visitors.

Residents receive a $20,000 stipend, 24-hour access to a private studio or office, and borrowing privileges at the MFAH Hirsch Library and Rice University Fondren Library. Limited administrative and financial support is available for successful international applicants seeking J-1 visas through the program’s partner organization, International Arts & Artists. No support is provided for other visas.

For More Information contact Mary Leclère, associate director at mleclere@mfah.org.

Frankenthaler Climate Art Awards

Presented by Asia Society and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the Frankenthaler Climate Art Awards aim to foster climate change awareness through the imagination and insights of an upcoming generation of visual artists. Click here for more Information.

Galveston Artist Residency

GAR awards three artist-in-residence fellowships a year. For ten months, from October through July, each artist receives 24/7 access to a 500 sq/ft studio space, an apartment a couple blocks away, and a monthly stipend of $1,000. This ten months is viewed as a gift of time for artists to make their work.

The GAR Project Grant is awarded on a nomination basis for artists to work on a project specifically for the GAR Gallery. GAR is located in Galveston TX, a barrier island about one hour away from Houston, on the east Texas coast. Galveston is an eclectic mixture of tourism & industry with a rich history.

If you are interested in being considered for the Residency program please fill out an application online.

For questions, please do not hesitate to contact call (409) 974 4446, or email. For more info check out the Frequently Asked Question or view the website.

Headlands Center for the Arts

The Artist in Residence (AIR) program awards fully sponsored residencies to approximately 45 local, national, and international artists each year. Residencies of four to ten weeks include studio space, chef-prepared meals, comfortable housing, and travel and living stipends. AIRs become part of a dynamic community of artists participating in Headlands’ other programs, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artist community on campus. Artists selected for this program are at all stages in their careers and work in all media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, dance, music, interdisciplinary, social practice, and architecture. 

Click here to view the Website

Kala Art Institute

Artists working in various printmaking techniques, photo-processes, book arts and digital media including video production can apply to become an Artist-in-Residence. Residency applications are accepted online three times per year. Artists who apply for a residency should be familiar with at least one of the media offered at Kala. Considerations for acceptance are conceptual creativity and technical knowledge.

Resident artists receive year-round 24-hour access to the printmaking workshop and/or electronic media center, individual storage space, possible exposure on Kala’s website and in other exhibitions at Kala or outside exhibition spaces, and participation in a vital, international artistic community. Artists also receive a 20% discount on classes and private tutoring offered by Kala. Please note that this is a studio residency only; housing is not included. Artists are responsible for finding their own housing.

Vermont Studio Center‌

Vermont Studio Center (VSC) was founded by artists in 1984. We welcome writers and artists for residencies in Johnson, Vermont, and host online programs and events. Our mission is to provide studio residencies in an inclusive, international community, honoring creative work as the communication of spirit through form. Our buildings, many of them historic Vermont landmarks, overlook the Gihon River in the northern Green Mountains. 

We invite you to keep an eye on our website and social media for updated information. You can also subscribe to our newsletter. Please email us if you have questions. More information can be found here on our website.

VCUarts Fountainhead Fellowship

The VCUarts Fountainhead Fellowship program offers three 9-month residencies: one in each of the departments of Sculpture + Extended Media, Painting + Printmaking, and Craft/Material Studies. The fellowship is designed for recent MFA graduates who are offered the chance to concentrate on their work, build their community, and gain valuable teaching experience with high-quality students in a world-class program. Stipends of $15,000 or more are awarded with the fellowship.

The residency is sited in a renovated complex built to eco-friendly, EarthCraft standards. This mixed-use community includes artists’ studios, apartments, a café, an outdoor swimming pool, a dog park and other amenities in addition to being near campus. In exchange, fellows are responsible for teaching two classes per semester, and giving a public lecture on their work.

Application processes and deadlines vary. See the departments of Sculpture + Extended Media, Painting + Printmaking, and Craft/Material Studies for more information and to apply.

Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture

Skowhegan seeks to bring together a gifted and diverse group of individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to artmaking and inquiry. An academic background in art is not required. Financial status is not a consideration in the admissions process, and financial need should not deter artists from applying for admission. You must be at least 21 years of age at the start of the program and have a working knowledge of English. Application fees are non-refundable.

Please check the Skowhegan Art website for updates on the status of the program.

Windgate Museum Internship Program

The Windgate Museum Internship program provides $5,000 stipends to four undergraduate or graduate students who work under the direction of curators or directors in contemporary craft collections, exhibitions, and programs in museums or organizations nationally.

Previous Windgate Museum Internship Host Institutions include: Corning Museum of Glass, The Museum of Arts and Design, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This is subject to change to future years.

Interested applicants may visit the host institution’s website for more information.

Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts Visiting Artist Program

Founded in 1996, Illinois State’s Visiting Artist Program brings diverse artistic practices and voices to the Wonsook Kim School of Art. The Visiting Artist Committee seeks artists of all ethnic backgrounds, gender expressions, geographic locations, viewpoints, and practices. We welcome applicants who work in any medium. 

Click here for more Information

Additional Opportunities


Residencies (No Deadline)


Proposals/Submissions Accepted (No Deadline)


Registries (US)