Looking for a small grant of up to $500? Learn more about Undergraduate Mini-Grants and Graduate Arts Seed Grants.
The Council’s grants program provides funding in support of a wide range of art projects that engage the MIT community. The average award is typically around $3,000. Maximum awards, for extraordinary projects, are up to $7,500. Only one grant project per applicant per academic year will be funded. Projects cannot be part of regular class assignments and should be on a timeline to be completed within one year from the date of the award. More about eligibility.
Spring 2023 deadlines:
Preliminary Proposal deadline: January 27
Invitations for full proposals will be sent by mid February
Full proposal deadline: February 24
Funding notifications will be sent by March 24
The exhibition, performance, or other project phase being proposed for grant funding may begin no earlier than March 24
Applications are considered in two phases:
Phase 1: Submit a Preliminary Proposal form (see below).
Phase 2: Based on project feasibility and the ability of a proposed project to engage the MIT community, select applicants will be invited to prepare and submit a full application for consideration by the Council’s Grants Committee.
Questions? Contact council-arts@mit.edu.
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Phase 1
Preparing and Submitting a Preliminary Proposal
Before beginning a preliminary proposal, please make sure you have read our eligibility guidelines and policies and referred to our arts project resource list. If you have any questions about any aspect of preparing the preliminary proposal or about the suitability of your project, email us at council-arts@mit.edu.
Spring 2023 Preliminary Proposal Form
In order to fill out the preliminary proposal form, you will need:
- A project title
- A brief project proposal explaining the who, what, where, why, and when of your project
- A draft project budget based on estimates for the cost of materials
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Phase 2
Preparing and Submitting a Full Application
Based on the feasibility of the proposed project and its ability to engage the MIT community, we will invite selected applicants to submit a full application, via Slideroom. If you are invited to prepare a Phase 2 application, you will have the opportunity to meet with MIT Arts staff for technical assistance and to discuss your proposal in greater detail as you finalize your materials.
A complete grant application will consist of:
- A final project description
- A one-minute video describing the project
- An artist’s statement
- A final budget
- A one-page résumé
- A completed reference form (optional for faculty and staff applicants).
- Your reference form does not need to be completed by a faculty member; you should designate a person who is familiar with your work and your project, and who can speak to the quality of the work and your preparation to follow through on the project.