RISD 150 Presidential Fund
Propose a project or activation that answers the question: How do you celebrate RISD?
Open call for proposals
2027 marks RISD’s 150th year of art and design education—150 years of making, teaching, questioning, and contributing to culture and society.
To celebrate this milestone, we are launching the Presidential Fund for Campus Projects, which invites every department, program, and member of our community to propose events, activations, or projects that reflect what this institution means to you.
Proposals should have a plan for creating meaningful, joyful connections—whether across departments, disciplines, class years, roles within the institution or across RISD and its neighbors in the region.
Your proposed project or activation will answer the question: How do you celebrate RISD?
Note: You must be signed in with an @risd.edu email address to access the application form.
Who can apply
- Faculty
- Staff
- Undergraduate students
- Graduate students
Proposals that bring multiple departments, disciplines, or constituencies together are especially encouraged and may be eligible for additional funding.
What we’re looking for
We are looking for proposals that celebrate RISD’s history, community, pedagogy, or contemporary practices.
To be considered for funding, proposals should engage meaningfully with what RISD is—its history as an institution, the ways we teach and create, or the contemporary work being produced here today.
There is no single form a project must take. We welcome proposals for community activations, publications, exhibitions, archival projects, performances, talks, contests, and events—anything that feels true to RISD and to you.
This might look like:
- a zine/publication featuring a particular happening, period, figure, or tradition
- a panel discussion on the evolution of a department or discipline over the course of 150 years
- a showcase or exhibition of student, faculty, staff, and/or alumni work
- flash sheets of temporary tattoos or stickers featuring famous or historical figures, objects, etc.
- a short-form video about a moment in RISD’s history
In addition, proposals should prioritize at least one of the two criteria below.
Build community on and beyond campus
The anniversary is an opportunity to strengthen our relationships with one another, the art and design community at large, and the wider Providence community. Proposals should have a plan for creating meaningful, joyful connections—whether across departments, disciplines, class years, roles within the institution, or across RISD and its neighbors in the region.
This could take the form of:
- events that invite participation from multiple departments or constituencies
- projects that surface voices or perspectives not often centered
- activations that create shared experience or collective memory
Widen our reach
The 150th is also an opportunity to connect with the broader RISD community beyond College Hill—alums around the world, cultural institutions, community organizations, and the public. Proposals may include:
- public-facing events or installations that introduce RISD to new audiences
- mural projects or national partner organizations (e.g. arts foundations, preservation programs, etc.)
- collaborations with community organizations (e.g. youth groups, community arts organizations)
Funding tiers
Up to $500
Example scope: Single item
Example proposals: Small gathering, popup style event or contest, small item production
Up to $1,000
Example scope: Single event or limited print run
Example proposals: Poster series, small gathering, reading group, single workshop
Up to $2,000
Example scope: Mid-scale event or publication
Example proposals: Panel talk, zine or booklet, workshop series, campus activation (parade, temporary monument, etc.), limited edition objects or wearables
Up to $5,000
Example scope: Larger activation or multipart project requiring cross-departmental and/or interdisciplinary collaboration
Example proposals: Exhibition, community event, documentary archive
More than $5,000
Example scope: Major, cross-constituency activation (e.g. co-presented by students/faculty/staff) that brings RISD teaching and learning to a broader public audience.
Example proposal: Public, live-streamed event or experience
How to apply
Submit your Presidential Fund proposal via the link below to the open call for proposals form.
Your proposal should include the following:
- project title and brief description (what it is, what it does, who it’s for)
- which of the above criteria your project addresses, and how
- timeline for your project or program
- team or collaborators involved
- line-item budget and funding tier requested
- any partnerships, in-kind support, or co-sponsorships you have secured
Note: You must be signed in with an @risd.edu email address to access the application form.
Review process
Proposals will be reviewed by a small committee (representing students, staff, faculty, and alums) organized by Marketing & Communications.
We will evaluate proposals on the strength of their connection to the criteria below:
- the clarity and feasibility of the plan
- the breadth of the community it engages
- uniqueness of the proposal
- time and location of the proposed event
Selected projects will receive funding confirmation and be connected with a point of contact in our office.
We aim to support a range of project types, scales, and departments, and we aspire to ensure a broad range of constituents have access to the fund. You are encouraged to apply—this fund is for every student, staff, or faculty member who aspires to celebrate 150 years of RISD.
RISD Archives inclusion
All funded projects require documentation by the group proposing the project. Marketing & Communications will collect this documentation and compile it for the RISD Archives as part of a lasting record of RISD’s 150th year.