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?
If you are currently a RISD faculty or staff member, undergraduate student, or graduate student, we encourage you to apply for the Presidential Fund for Campus Projects.
Collaborative proposals that bring together multiple departments, disciplines, or constituencies are especially encouraged and may be eligible for additional funding.
Application timeline
The Presidential Fund for Campus Projects runs across three funding cycles. You may apply in any or all of the cycles, with deadlines as follows:
- Cycle 1: October 1, 2026
- Cycle 2: February 1, 2027
- Cycle 3: April 1, 2027
If your project is selected to receive funding, you will be notified within 2–4 weeks after the given cycle’s application deadline.
What we’re looking for
We are looking for proposals that engage meaningfully with RISD’s history, community, pedagogy, or contemporary practices, and build community on or beyond campus.
There is no single required format. We welcome talks, publications, workshops, exhibitions, performances, archives, popup installations, limited editions, contests—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
The fund is organized into five tiers, as follows:
Tier 1: Up to $500
Example scope: Single item
Example proposals: Small gathering, popup style event or contest, small item production
Tier 2: Up to $1,000
Example scope: Single event or limited print run
Example proposals: Poster series, small gathering, reading group, single workshop
Tier 3: 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
Tier 4: 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
Tier 5: 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
All proposals must include a line-item breakdown, regardless of tier. Your line-item budget should reflect your actual project costs, including any necessary personnel, material expense, and/or space rental.
Please note: To be considered for Tier 5 funding, your proposed project must involve cross-departmental or interdisciplinary collaboration.
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:
- a project title and brief description
- which of the above criteria your project addresses, and how
- a timeline for your project or program, including key milestones
- the team or collaborators involved
- a line-item budget and your requested funding tier
- any partnerships, in-kind support, or co-sponsorships you have secured
In your proposal, we are looking for a clear picture of what you’re proposing, who it’s for, and why it matters. However, your proposal does not need to be exhaustive, and you do not need to have everything already figured out. If your idea is strong and your plan is feasible, that will come through.
Note: To access the application form, you must be signed in with an @risd.edu email address to access the application form.
Can I apply more than once?
Yes. You may submit a proposal in multiple cycles, and you may submit more than one proposal per cycle. However, each proposal will be evaluated on its own merits.
Can I submit a proposal on behalf of a group or department?
Yes. The proposal form asks you to name team members and collaborators. One person may serve as the primary applicant and point of contact on behalf of a larger group.
Can students propose collaborative projects with faculty and/or staff?
Yes, and student proposals that involve faculty or staff collaborators are especially welcomed.
My project involves external partners. Is that okay?
Yes—and it’s encouraged. Proposals that bring in Providence-based organizations, alumni, cultural institutions, or other external partners may strengthen your application under the “Widens Our Reach” criterion. Include any partnerships and in-kind support in your proposal.
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 following completion of the project—photography and a short writeup—for inclusion in the RISD 150th year archive. Documentation will be collected by Marketing & Communications, and compiled for the RISD Archives, as part of a lasting record of RISD’s 150th year.
The deadline to submit documentation is October 1, 2027. Documentation is a condition of funding.
Contact
If you have a question that isn’t answered here, or need more information, please email 150th@risd.edu. We’re happy to help you develop your idea before you apply.