About the Grant Program

The CCA Grant Program offers direct financial support for the development of new, experimental, and exceptional arts projects by Cornell students, faculty, programs and departments. Project grants are awarded annually with the expectation that supported work will be shared with the university and Ithaca community through an openly accessible exhibition, installation, performance, workshop, lecture, and/or other public event. The intention of the grant program is to foster a vital environment for the creative arts on Cornell’s main campus and its satellite locations and to connect Cornell artists to the art world at large.

The grant program is particularly interested in promoting original, emergent and critically-engaged art forms and ideas. Work that takes an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary approach is strongly encouraged. Successful past applicants have used grant funds to create exceptional work in a myriad of formats including painting, sculpture, prints, wearable designs, clothing, prose, poetry, new media, video, film, software, site-specific installations, music concerts, new music compositions, designed objects, built environments, conferences, workshops, residencies, dance, performances, journals, zines, student-curated exhibitions, and social practice collaborations.

Grant Review Process

Grant applications are reviewed each cycle by the Grant Review Panel which consists of five Cornell faculty members and one student from the arts or art history. Each application is evaluated on the merits of project concept, impact (how it expands boundaries of a particular discipline), feasibility (location, budget, timeline), experience or expertise of applicant, and how it contributes to the understanding of the arts at Cornell. Successful applications will be announced within a week of the panel’s decision.

Project proposals may engage any singular art form or any mixture of art forms, but must be new work made or conceived outside of any regular academic or studio class. Students, faculty, departments and programs from each of Cornell’s twelve colleges are encouraged to apply with projects for which there is insufficient departmental funding or for work which could not be made or experienced without independent financial support. However, substantial artistic merit, rather than financial need, is the first priority of both the review panel and the CCA.

What we fund

The CCA Grant Program funds a wide range of art practices and creative initiatives that connect people across disciplines, bring influential practitioners to campus, and launch new ideas. The CCA welcomes grant proposals from individual artists, artists grous, and artistic collaborations.  Proposals from non-artists are also welcome for projects that expand the boundaries of any given arts, design, or related discipline in a creative and culturally reflective way.  Grants are intended to support and promote cultural activities outside of the applicant's regular academic requirements or responsibilities. 

Recently funded projects have included: a student-sponsored artist talk by artist Andrea Fraser; an event series on music, cognition and technology, Indian Rasa dance workshops and concert; a literary celebration of writers in exile, an art faculty installation at the Johnson Museum of Art; an exhibition by Cornell University Sustainable Design of their school project designs for South Africa; a collaborative, site-specific dance performance; a workshop/architectural intervention of paper models of suburban housing; and a interdisciplinary exhibition/symposium between the Physics Department and artists using light as a medium.

CCA Grant Application, 2013-2014

The 2013-2014 Grant cycle will accept project proposals for work to be completed or performed in Fall 2013 or Spring 2014. Application deadline is March 14, 2013. The Grant Application is an online application hosted by Slideroom.

Grant amounts of up to $2,500 will be awarded to Cornell faculty, departments and programs; and up to $1,000 for undergraduate students, graduate students and student organizations. See our 2013-2014 Grant Application Guidelines for submission specifications and information.

We encourage anyone considering applying for a 2013-2014 CCA grant to contact the CCA office to inquire about the feasibility of a project proposal or to seek guidance about how to best prepare your application. The CCA office can be reached at: (607) 255-7274 or by emailing us at: cca@cornell.edu.

Grant Application Guidelines/Conditions

>> Apply now for the CCA Grant <<
(new - online application site)