Grant goals
To encourage innovative research on critical issues in craft theory and history
To investigate neglected questions on craft history and criticism
To support new cross-disciplinary approaches to scholarship in craft
The Craft Research Fund was created to encourage, expand and support scholarly craft research in the United States.
Applicants must be:
Applicants cannot be:
If an applicant has been previously awarded a Center for Craft grant but did not complete the project or is still in the progress of completing the project they are not eligible to apply.
Applicants may either apply for the Craft Research Fund Project Grant or the Craft Research Fund Exhibition Grant, but may not apply for both grants in the same year.
The Center for Craft prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or perceived disability, age, marital status, gender identity, veteran status, or any other protected category. The Center encourages applications from historically underrepresented populations. Applying does not constitute a promise or guarantee of being awarded a grant.
Examples of scholarly craft research might include:
USE OF FUNDS
Proposals will be reviewed by staff of the Center for Craft for completeness and evaluated by a Selection Panel of jurors through the SlideRoom online application review portal. The Selection Panel consists of recognized craft scholars, faculty and/or curators, free of any conflict of interest, based on the following criteria:
Considerations in final selection:
The Center for Craft respects, values, and celebrates the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are. We foster open communication of diverse perspectives and bring a broad range of individuals together to enrich and support programming. Ultimately we will ask the Selection Panel to compose a set of recipients deserving of further recognition while prioritizing diversity, both in and outside of academia, and representing a range of geographies, materials, and communities served.
The Center for Craft reserves the right to limit support of a project to a particular portion(s) or cost(s).
GRANT ORIENTATION: A virtual application information session will be held on Thursday, September 8, from 3 - 4 pm ET. The information session recording will be made available on the Center for Craft website.
DEADLINE: Applications for the 2023 Craft Research Fund Project Grant must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59 pm ET on October 21, 2022.
NOTIFICATION: Notification of the results will be sent via email in December 2022 for a start date of January 1, 2023. The email address listed on the application form will be used to send out notifications. Please be sure that it is a valid account that you check regularly.
HOW TO APPLY: Applicants must apply using the online application program SlideRoom at http://www.centerforcraft.slideroom.com. Please review the sample application below before beginning your application. Please note there is a separate application for each Craft Research Fund category.
All applicants should create a login to be able to partially complete the form and return to finish it at a later date. Before submitting your application, you will be directed to a confirmation page where you will be able to review your form and return to edit or delete your uploaded files as needed. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to access your form again. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the application form has been successfully submitted.
SAMPLE APPLICATION
2023 Craft Research Fund – Project Grant
This is only a sample application, all applications must be completed in SlideRoom.
Demographic Survey
Please note that the data from the demographics section will only be used anonymously for grant writing and reporting to provide an overall understanding of who the Center for Craft serves. Center for Craft has and upholds an organizational nondiscrimination policy. Completion of this survey will in no way affect your application. You must complete the form, however, you may answer each question with the "prefer not to answer" option. Thank you.
Cover Sheet
Application
1. Please provide a one-page summary of your proposal In 500 words or less (3,000 character limit) please address the following:
2. Identify three other scholars who have written significant works on/around your topic and describe how your work parallels and pushes the topic forward (3,000 character limit: 430 words and 750 words).
3. Timeline (form provided in SlideRoom). Please provide a timeline for completing the project. Grant period begins on January 1, 2022. Projects must be completed by June 30, 2024 (18 months from start date).
4. Budget Income Form (provided in SlideRoom). The budget income form is to note if you have additional sources of secured or anticipated (prospected) income. In addition, please list the total amount requested from the Craft Research Fund here. Please list no more than 10 items.
Examples for Income:
5.Budget Expense Form for your proposal (provided in SlideRoom). Please list no more than 20 items. The minimum budget request should be $5,000; the maximum budget request should be $15,000. Projects may exceed $15,000 if other support is listed in the budget.
Expense examples:
6. Budget Narrative. Please provide a narrative for any budget items that require further explanation. (3,000 character limit: between 430 words and 750 words)
7. Attachment: Resume or CV of relevant education and experience (no more than 2 pages).
8. Attachment: Please provide the project description (no more than 5 pages, in no less than 12-point type).
9. Please provide a bibliography with at least ten sources. (3,000 character limit: 430 words and 750 words)
10. Requested through SlideRoom - please provide two letters of support.
11. Optional Media Attachment: Image(s), articles, PDF or other supporting documents that compliment or add clarity to the proposal.
Allowed Media Types:
You have the option of uploading any combination of images or video links (from hosting sites such as Vimeo, Flickr, or YouTube.) During the review process, only the first 2 minutes of each video sample, so please edit your materials accordingly. Images should be in a JPEG format no larger than 1600 pixels on any side @ 300 dpi. Name each jpeg file with “Last NameImageTitleNumber.jpg,” i.e., “SmithUntitled1.jpg”, “SmithUnititled2.jpg” etc. Each uploaded image or video link must be accompanied by a corresponding image description (up to 50 words). Please include title, date, medium, size, and a short description of each uploaded image or media file.
Can my graduate advisor write a supporting letter of reference for me?
Yes, and we recommend that graduate advisors write letters of support for applicants.
Where can I find information about previous recipients of the Craft Research Fund Project Grant?
Check out our online Grant Recipient Archive here. You can sort by grant opportunity by clicking on “Grant” or search “Project” in the search Filter.
What is the final deadline for submitting my online application form?
The application for 2023 Craft Research Fund - Project grants must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59 pm EST on October 21, 2021.
May I mail a hard copy of my application materials to the Center for Craft’s office?
No, hard copy submissions will not be accepted. The application must be completed and submitted through SlideRoom.
Can I work on my application and return to complete it at a later date?
Yes, creating a login account will enable you to complete the form in several online sessions.
I just submitted my application but I want to return to it and make an edit. Is this possible?
No, once your application is submitted, you will not be able to return to the form or change any submitted information. The application fee must also be paid at the time of submitting your application as you will not be able to log-in again to access the payment page again.
I have previously received a Center for Craft grant. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes
I have previously received a Center for Craft grant but did not complete the project or am still in the progress of completing the project I was funded for. Am I eligible to apply?
No
Are applicants responsible for obtaining copyrights to documents, images, and manuscripts included in their research?
Yes
Are collaboratives allowed to apply?
Collaboratives are welcome to apply. There must be one fiduciary agent for the group or one person who will receive the award funds as this person will be responsible for paying taxes on the award amount funded.
I have a question that wasn’t answered. How can I reach the Center for Craft?
If you have any further questions, please contact grants@centerforcraft.org.
recipients
The Center for Craft is pleased to announce the recipients of 2023 Craft Research Fund Project Grants. This year five organizations, scholars, graduate students will receive a total of $38,219.60 to support craft-centered research, exhibitions, catalogs, and projects in the United States.
Aleia M. Brown
$10,906
"Disrupting the Loop of Recovery: Black Women’s Engagement with Textile Art and Political Thought" is a research project that evinces the solidarity economy that developed alongside collaborative aesthetics in the Alabama Black Belt and Mississippi Delta regions.
LEARN MOREJanelle Dunlap
$5,000
"Body of the Swarm: History of Encaustic Painting in the American South" is a research project that identifies & explores the history of paint making from bee products such as encaustic paint in the American south.This research explores the cultivation of this nature based medium as a praxis for eco-conscious art making.
LEARN MORECeramic Materials Atlas: Rose Schreiber-Stainthorp & Del Harrow
$7,500
The Ceramic Materials Atlas was co-created by Rose Schreiber-Stainthorp & Del Harrow as a public-facing storytelling project and research tool that links global industry, environmental justice, and contemporary ceramics. Its aim is to foster a more critical understanding of our raw materials: their unique social and political histories, environmental costs, and poetic resonances.
LEARN MOREJess Jones and Susan Richmond
$7,500
"Lost Weavings of Atlanta: Mapping Works, Remnants, and Removals" is a public craft history project focusing on Atlanta’s corporate fiber art commissions from the 1970s through the 1990s. The intended outcome is a public-facing, interactive digital story map that provides a contextual study of each commission.
LEARN MOREAmanda Thompson
$7,313.60
“Florida Native Seminole and Miccosukee Patchwork in a Settler Colonial Context” is a dissertation that considers patchwork in the intercultural contexts of tourism, development, and appropriation, to understand craft as a site of Native agency and settler colonial negotiation.
LEARN MOREclose
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