CalArts’ IDEA grants support projects that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Institute. These grants fund initiatives related to multiculturalism and intercultural artistic exchange, encouraging collaboration and engagement with the broader CalArts community.
Description: The Diversity Grant is a funding opportunity in CalArts to support projects and performances related to inclusion and multiculturalism. This grant funds student projects at CalArts through interaction, education, and practice. Collaborative proposals involving participants from more than one school are encouraged, and projects must be open and accessible to the Institute as a whole. It is important to clearly articulate how your project promotes inclusion and multiculturalism. By applying, you are consenting to have your work shown on the IDEA webpage. This grant does not support travel. This grant is available during the fall and spring sessions. Late applications will not be accepted.
Amount: Grants are available up to $300 via reimbursement. Funded projects may not be awarded the full amount of the request.
Criteria: Grant applications are reviewed by the IDEA Grants Review Committee and evaluated based on the following:
Clarity with which the project articulates how it addresses and/or engages with issues of inclusion and diversity.
Clarity and viability of the project.
Accessibility, engagement, participation of all members of the larger CalArts community.
Open for: All current students, faculty, and staff
Description: The Intercultural Arts Project (ICAP) Grant is a funding opportunity in CalArts to support projects and performances related to diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and multiculturalism. ICAP was established at CalArts in 1988 to help increase and sustain the presence of artists from many cultures, with an emphasis on artists who live and work beyond the established canons as a means of contributing to a broader worldview. The program seeks to foster the mutual exchange of aesthetic, social, and political concerns through artistic interaction among diverse artists, the CalArts community, and the wider constituencies of Southern California. This grant is available during the fall, winter, and spring sessions. Late applications will not be accepted.
Amount: While there is no cap on ICAP grant amounts, awards tend to range between $500-$1,500. This is a competitive grant opportunity and not all proposals are guaranteed to receive funding. Additionally, it is not unusual for selected proposals to be awarded partial funding, so please prepare accordingly. A strong proposal will include a detailed budget that accounts for other revenue sources and indicates what funding is anticipated versus secured, as well as an explanation on how you will be using the funds, if awarded.
Guidelines: Grant proposals should include an instructional component and an event. The event should be open to the entire Institute and take place during the academic year. If you are a current student applying, faculty should be directly involved in your project. There is an expectation of financial support from the school/ department that is sponsoring the project. If awarded, funds will be transferred to your school/ department.
Criteria: Schools, programs, or individuals may submit project proposals for consideration. Grant applications are reviewed by the IDEA Grants Review Committee. The Committee assesses, ranks, and awards the applications on the basis of the following criteria:
The proposal clearly articulates how the project addresses the goal of the grant, which is “to foster the mutual exchange of aesthetic, social, and political concerns through artistic interaction among diverse artists, the CalArts community, and the wider constituencies of Southern California.”
The proposal includes a clearly articulated plan for how the event component will engage the entire Institute, including how the event will be publicized and made accessible to the larger CalArts community.
The proposal clearly defines the instructional component and its intended audience.
The project is viable, with respect to the project’s proposed timeline, budget, and level of department sponsorship.
Description: Tina Perry and Ric Whitney have generously come forward to create and support the Black Arts Grant (BAG). The BAG will award four (4) eligible students who submit work that interrogates work of the African Diaspora a $2,500 award by check. This grant is available during the fall session.
Eligibility Criteria: Students pursuing study in any métier or field are eligible. In order to be considered for the Black Arts Grant (BAG), applicants must:
Be in good academic standing.
Be currently a BFA3, BFA4, or a graduate student.
Submit a short application by the deadline. *Late applications will not be accepted.
BAG recipients agree to create a token of thanks through any medium the awardee finds appropriate for the donors and agrees to attend a celebratory meeting.
One of the many ways in which IDEA supports the Institute’s efforts to promote artists’ worldview and address societal challenges that exist in our on-campus communities is by providing funding for internal projects and programs that offer unique training or educational opportunities that:
Identify structural and social issues perpetuating past practices that can include classism, racism, injustice, and oppression in any aspect of human life.
Offer access to speakers, ideas, and or projects that provide scholarship and perspective around cultural/political inclusion and diversity.
Focus on speakers, ideas, and/or projects that are not otherwise funded through other grants or departmental programs on campus.
How and what to submit
If groups or individual CalArts current students, faculty, or staff would like to request funds for programs, projects, or training, please note that funding for such programs will be awarded separate and apart from other work funded under the cooperative. All proposed ideas should be submitted directly to the IDEA coordinator of the IDEA cooperative. All submissions should meet the following criteria for consideration:
Proposal submitted by current students and faculty (individual or groups).
All proposals should include an itemized budget.
Faculty should have the written support of their dean, students should have the written support of Student Experience, and staff should have the written support of their supervisors.
All awarded activities must acknowledge IDEA support on all advertisements.
Selection Process
All submissions will be reviewed, with those meeting the submission criteria getting priority for funding. Proposals will be reviewed and awarded by academic term on a rolling basis.
All criteria and award requirements are directly tied to the cooperative’s commitment to fiscal accountability. Proposals can be funded in whole or part, based on alignment with IDEA’s overall goal and objectives.
Initially funded through one-time philanthropic sources, hosting an IDEA Fellow is a practice intended to happen on an as needed basis. A Presidential IDEA Fellow is a visiting member of our community who will work during a given academic semester or year on broadening the knowledge and practice of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access principles at the Institute with the aim of leaving meaningful content that can grow over the long term. The fellow will work through the IDEA Office in collaboration with the President’s and Provost’s Offices, all school deans and program directors, and other faculty, staff, and student leaders to provide activity, support, and expertise in areas specific to IDEA.
Participation
The IDEA Presidential Fellowship is an intensive program that seeks to both develop external relationships and increase internal institutional knowledge and skills in areas related to IDEA for the Institute. The fellow will be an individual with the background, experience, network, and standing of a respected expert in their field. They will represent the CalArts leadership’s commitment to shaping an effective and sustainable future as it pertains to the campus mission and IDEA principles.
All fellows will:
Observe and participate in key meetings and events, and take on special projects and assignments by working in tandem with experienced campus academic and administrative leaders.
Participate with CalArts community members in the cultivation of, and support of, external relationships that support IDEA principles (including funders).
Participate in team-based projects, trials, research, and case studies; visit other campuses and institutions, and attend regional and national meetings.
Help CalArts develop and maintain its network of diverse leaders across the US and abroad in their respective IDEA-related fields.
The Institute will:
Provide office space and access to CalArts communities.
Financially support programmatic offerings on-campus.
Support work with all schools and programs at CalArts, including potential academic offerings.
Provide an agreed upon stipend, variable for each fellow’s work and time commitment and available resources.
Options for Participation
Each fellowship term is uniquely structured at the discretion of the president and in consultation with the provost and senior-most IDEA officer to allow fellows to spend an extended period of time on campus working with faculty, staff, the president, provost, and academic and administrative leaders. This extended proximate experience enables fellows to observe firsthand how CalArts and its leaders enable IDEA principles and manage any resulting changes. A fellow’s work is supported by the president, provost, deans, and vice presidents.
Placement can take a number of forms:
Academic year placement: This placement option enables Fellows to immerse themselves in the events and culture of CalArts for the full arc of the academic year.
Semester placement: This option enables Fellows to immerse themselves completely for one semester in CalArts. Fellows also undertake Fellowship-related learning through specially designed opportunities.
Calendar-year placement: This option provides for residency during a summer that is adjacent to an academic year. Summer work can help in the execution of special collaborative projects that might be possible depending on funding. This can be useful for off-campus interactions of longer duration with communities (e.g. Community Arts Partnership, work with native nations, international work, etc.).
