Get Involved | School of the Art Institute of Chicago

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Year after year, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) alums become proud members of our donor community through philanthropic giving, donation of their time, and sharing their expertise with current students. Through your support, you help the School meet its mission to increase access to and affordability of a world-class art and design education for all students. Get involved today by making a gift to the School or explore additional opportunities below.

Volunteer

Getting involved at SAIC is one of the best ways to show your support for the School and current students. Every year, alums have the opportunity to participate in activities and programs hosted by various offices like Alumni Engagement, Career and Professional Experience (CAPX), and Admissions. Fill out this brief form to tell us what you are interested in. For more information on the ways alums can give back to, community, read below!

Share your experience, give advice, and advertise internships and jobs to SAIC students and alums through SAIC’s Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) office. Below are more details for getting involved with SAIC through CAPX.
This virtual program offers students and alumni a place to connect in a small group setting with creative professionals from around the world. Held weekly during the fall and spring semesters, Expert Exchange is an opportunity for alums to provide industry insight and career advice, as well as answer students’ and fellow alums’ specific questions. See past events and speakers on the CAPX Instagram feed, @saiccareers.

To participate as an “expert” in this program, please contact Tatyana Scott at tscott3@saic.edu.
CAPX supports on-site, remote and hybrid internships and welcomes you to host SAIC interns. Internships may be offered for the fall, winter, spring, and summer sessions. Get started by accessing Handshake to create your profile and post your internship. Learn more about CAPX’s internship program requirements here.

If you are interested in hosting an internship, please contact the assistant director of employer relations at careers@saic.edu.
The alumni engagement office and CAPX partner to host practical workshops for students and alums, showcasing alums and experts who present on professional and career topics relevant to artists and creatives, including grant writing, social media marketing, and more.

If you are interested in being a featured expert for a practical workshop, please contact Director of CAPX, Kate Schutta at kschutta@saic.edu.
SAIC students and alums come to CAPX seeking portfolio critiques from professionals in a variety of fields. Portfolio reviews take place on a weekly or bi-weekly basis throughout the academic year, and CAPX is always looking for alums in creative fields to provide critiques and constructive feedback.

If you are interested in participating in portfolio reviews, please contact the assistant director of employer relations at careers@saic.edu.

CAPX offers an honorarium to alums who participate in Expert Exchange, Practical Workshops, and Portfolio Reviews in order to support professionals in the art and design community. If you’d prefer to donate your time through these programs to further support the School, please let CAPX know.
Portfolio Tip Tuesday
Portfolio Tip Tuesdays are a great way for prospective students to learn about the different aspects that go into submitting a portfolio. Each Tuesday, a different topic is covered, regarding portfolio preparation for your SAIC application. Alums provide valuable insight to these discussions and can speak to their own experiences at SAIC and beyond.

Coffee with Counselor Series
Prospective students meet virtually with admissions counselors, staff, and alums to hear more about the application process, prospective students’ work, the School’s curriculum, and get a better sense of what it is like to be a student at SAIC.

Receptions for Admitted Students
At these celebratory welcome events for newly admitted SAIC students held around the world, alums can share their own SAIC experience and how it’s shaped their lives post-graduation. Receptions occur annually in March and April.

Undergraduate Portfolio Review Days
Alums can help review portfolios of prospective students by providing feedback, and also sharing admissions information. Portfolio reviews happen in-person and/or virtually and do require training from Admissions in advance.

Undergraduate Admissions offers an honorarium to alums who participate in Portfolio Reviews in order to support professionals in the art and design community. If you’d prefer to donate your time to give back to the School, please let Admissions know.

Interested in volunteering with Undergraduate Admissions? Please contact ugadmiss@saic.edu for more information.
Meet with Prospective Students
Prospective students meet virtually with admissions counselors, staff, and alums to hear more about the application process, prospective students’ work, the School’s curriculum, and get a better sense of what it is like to be a student at SAIC.

Meetings are scheduled by appointment by Graduate Admissions.

Graduate Portfolio Days
Provide reviews to prospective graduate students. Discuss SAIC culture and basic admissions details. Events are both in-person in Chicago, NYC, and San Francisco, as well as virtual.

Portfolio days occur annually in October and November, with a training session in September. Further details are available annually here.

Community Critique Day
Students present your work virtually to faculty, alumni, and fellow applicants for feedback prior to submission. Reviews can be discipline-specific or interdisciplinary, and provide an opportunity to meet faculty, alumni, and members of the future incoming class.

Community Critique Day usually occurs in December. Event details are available annually here.

Receptions for Admitted Students
At these celebratory welcome events for newly admitted SAIC graduate students, alums can speak with these new students about their own SAIC experience and how it’s shaped their lives post-graduation.

Receptions occur annually in March and April. Further details can be found here.

Meet with Admitted Students
Prospective students meet virtually with admissions counselors, staff, and alums to hear more about the application process, prospective students’ work, the School’s curriculum, and get a better sense of what it is like to be a student at SAIC.

Meetings are scheduled by appointment by Grad admissions; training sessions will occur in December.

Interested in working with Graduate Admissions? Please contact Patrick 'Q' Quilao at pquilao@saic.edu for more information.
Want to gather SAIC alums in your area? Join one of our current regional alumni groups or reach out to us to share your idea. Alumni Engagement is able to provide limited support for local alumni events. Contact alumni@saic.edu to learn more.

Join these regional Facebook groups to connect with local SAIC alums:
SAIC in Bay Area
SAIC in Chicago
SAIC in India
SAIC in Korea
SAIC in Los Angeles
SAIC in Miami
SAIC in New York City
SAIC in the Rocky Mountain Region
SAIC in Texas

Ways to Give

We believe in the power of art, design, and innovation to transform our world. Your gift to SAIC directly supports the next generation of artists and makers. Students are at the center of our philanthropic priorities: Affordability and Accessibility, Wellness, and Career Preparedness. We encourage our students to give back to their communities, both while they are at SAIC and after they graduate. We welcome gifts of any amount—every dollar counts! Make a gift today, or explore our other fundraising programs below. Visit this page for more information on all the ways you can make a donation to support SAIC students.

Your annual gift to the School makes a direct impact on the SAIC community—especially our students—by providing them with the necessary resources and support to become the artists, designers, and scholars of a better tomorrow. No matter what role you play in our community—when you choose to support SAIC, you choose to connect with and validate the potential of this remarkable network of changemakers. When you donate to SAIC, you can choose an area of support that is most meaningful to you: the Fund for SAIC (Unrestricted), Career Preparedness Fund, Civic Engagement Fund, Parent and Family Fund, Scholarship Fund, Student Emergency Fund, or Wellness Fund.

You can now choose to give monthly through a recurring donation, making it easy to extend your support throughout the year. Select “make my gift recurring” on the online giving form or ask when you arrange your donation over the phone.

You can learn more information about annual giving here.
Giving Day is an annual fundraising event where our entire community of alums, parents, faculty, staff, and friends come together on one day to support SAIC students.

On Giving Day, you can invest in student scholarships, wellness services, access to internships and career advising, and so much more with a gift of any size. It takes place each spring, and you’ll receive information on how to participate in the weeks leading up to the event.

Questions? Contact us at GivetoSAIC@saic.edu or 312.499.4190 to learn more.
Many employers match the donations made by their current and retired employees, which increases the impact of your gift to SAIC. For questions regarding matching gifts, please contact Nicki Gunderson at 312.443.8640 or museumDR@artic.edu.
Your planned gift helps provide our students with the resources, security, and freedom necessary to create, experiment, and push boundaries for generations to come. Whether it is a gift to SAIC through your will or trust , or one that provides other tax savings to you, your planned gift plays a vital role in enabling SAIC to deliver a world-class art education for years to come. To learn more about planned giving, please consult these instructions or contact givetosaic@saic.edu.