Scholarship Talk

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There are many resources available to help students majoring in the arts obtain grant and scholarship money for college. 

Whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, chances are there’s an art scholarship or two out there that you’re eligible for.
However, you aren’t going to be handed free money on a silver platter! You need to research your options and find which opportunities you qualify for. 

The following guide breaks down the process of looking for art scholarships and can help you put together a game plan to increase your chances of winning some money for college. 

Where to Find Art Scholarships and Grants 

There are various places you can find free money for art school. Some resources are available that you might not even have known about previously! 

Always check with your college or university first to see what scholarship opportunities they offer to art students. A financial aid advisor will be able to help find grant and scholarship money specifically offered to art majors. 

In addition to your school, there are other resources that may offer art scholarships to students based on a variety of criteria. 

Check with community groups, professional organizations, charitable foundations, art festivals and anywhere else that might offer scholarships to art students. 

While a financial aid counselor at your school can help you with a lot of this, you still need to do a bit of legwork on your own. Hop on the internet and see which organizations offer art scholarships to eligible students. 

For example, StraightForward Media offers an art scholarship every three months. The University of Arizona also offers art scholarships to undergraduate students who qualify. 

Other Starting Points 

If you are still in high school, your high school guidance counselor should be able to direct you to scholarship opportunities you qualify for. 

Your high school art teacher may also have information about art scholarships, and may even belong to professional organizations that offer grant and scholarship money to prospective art students.

As mentioned above, if you are a college student already, your University probably offers many scholarships to students.
Why? 

Because they want to keep you there! Many students overlook university scholarships, even though they are readily available and can be researched by simply talking to the head of the art department or a financial aid counselor. 

St. Lawrence University offers several scholarship and fellowship listings, including some for art majors. Other university often offer general scholarships as well as specific opportunities geared towards students pursuing degrees in a particular field. 

Check with your University for the scholarships they offer! 

Community Groups 

Community groups are also a great resource to check for available art scholarships. There are many organizations within the community that sponsor art festivals, art shows and other activities. 

These groups oftentimes offer modest scholarships to local students who wish to pursue a degree in an art-related field. 

While it’s difficult to find these groups because they are not highly publicized, your first step should be to check with your City Hall to see what groups within your community are involved with the arts. 

Then you’ll want to speak directly with the group to find out if they offer scholarship opportunities to students who want to get money for college. 

Civic Groups 

There are also civic groups that may offer art-related scholarships, but you may not know because they are not directly involved in the arts. 

Some groups to check out include the 4-H Club, Boy or Girl Scouts, a local PTA group, your church, and the Kiwanis club. 

You never know what opportunities these groups might have, so it’s always a good idea to contact them and find out what scholarships they offer to prospective college students. 

Professional Organizations 

Professional organizations that do their business in the art world love giving away scholarships to students interested in pursuing a degree within their profession. Art-related professional organizations are no different. By giving away scholarships to art students, they are helping to promote their profession as well as create a new generation of successful and talented art professionals. 

Regardless of what art discipline you’d like to study (sculpture, painting, graphic arts) there’s bound to be an opportunity for you. 

A few organizations that offer art scholarships include The Southwestern Association for Indian arts, which offer fellowships and other resources to art students. 

The Printing and Imaging Association of MidAmerica also offer several scholarship opportunities for art students as well. 

There are many organizations that offer art scholarships to interested students. Hop online and perform a search, you might be amazed at what you discover. 

Several national groups also offer art scholarships, such as the Andy Warhol Foundation. You might also check out various art festivals - there are several that offer free money to art students, including the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and the Delaware Arts Festival Association. 

These are only a select number of the various groups, foundations and associations that offer art scholarships. To maximize your options, speak with a financial aid advisor or perform an internet search for even more opportunities. 

Additionally, and national organizations you come across that offer scholarships may have a local chapter in your area. It’s worth determining whether a national group operates locally in your community.  

Competition for local awards is typically less fierce than people who are competing nationally for art scholarships. 

Conclusion 

As you can see, there are many sources available to art students who wish to find free money to obtain a degree in an art-related field. 

While students should always check with their specific University first, there are many civic groups, national foundations, professional organizations and other resources to locate grant and scholarship money for art school. 

Whether you plan to study graphic arts, sculpture, painting or some other discipline, there are art scholarships you will qualify for. 

Don’t let the process of locating art grants and scholarships intimidate you. When you know where to look, applying for these opportunities doesn’t seem so difficult.