Funding Your College Education: Visual and Performing Arts

To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in undergraduate university/college music programs. Preference is for students specializing in vocal music studies, though students of instrumental music are also eligible. Candidates MUST be sponsored by a member chorus of the Associated Male Choruses of America. Interested candidates are required to complete an AMCA application form, submit it with three letters of reference plus a copy of their most recent transcript of courses/grades.

The CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship was established in 2006 to provide financial assistance to students who are pursuing a degree in the visual arts. Visual arts include architecture, ceramics, drawing, fashion, graphic design, illustration, interior design, painting, photography, sketching, video production, etc. Selected applicants will be qualified African-American or black students. Open to undergraduates.

This program was established in 2000 in honor of the late Curtis Mayfield to ensure that students pursuing a degree in the performing arts receive financial assistance. Performing arts includes theater, drama, comedy, music, dance, opera, marching bands, etc. Selected applicants will be qualified African-American or black students. Open to undergraduates.

The CINTAS Foundation is pleased to announce that its Fellowship Program will now fulfill the wish of its founder, Oscar B. Cintas, and offer prizes to all Cubans and those of Cuban descent – regardless of whether they live in or outside of Cuba.  This year the Foundation is offering three Fellowships in the amount of $20,000 each: the CINTAS Foundation Fellowship in Architecture & Design; the Brandon Fradd Fellowship in Music Composition; and the CINTAS – Knight Fellowship in Visual Art.

http://www.cintasfoundation.org/

The Laura Ziegler Scholarship is for an emerging sculptor. No age limit.

The scholarship covers most of the expenses associated with attending the Sculpture Celebration Conference.

https://nationalsculpture.org/programs-awards/ziegler/

The annual competition offers a $5,000 scholarship, which is awarded for the best song or instrumental work in any Latin genre. The competition is open to songwriters and composers who are current students at colleges and universities located in the United States and Puerto Rico. Applicants must be between the ages of 17 and 24. All words and music must be original.

The BMI Future Jazz Master Scholarship competition is open to jazz performers age 17-24 attending colleges and universities nationwide. The $5,000 award was established in 2015 in honor of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship. A panel of Jazz Masters will select the winner based on evidence of talent and potential as a jazz performer. BMI writer and NEA Jazz Master Nancy Wilson lends her support as the honorary spokesperson for this year’s competition.

http://bmifoundation.org/programs/info/bmi_future_jazz_master_scholarship

The John Lennon Scholarships will award three prizes totaling $20,000 to U.S. college-student songwriters (age 17 to 24) for the best original songs submitted to the competition. Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation, this scholarship program honors the memory of one of the preeminent songwriters of the 20th century and has become one of the nation’s most esteemed accolades for emerging artists.

http://bmifoundation.org/programs/info/john_lennon_scholarships

The Nashville Songwriting Scholarship is an annual competition established in 2015 to support aspiring country music artists nationwide. A $5,000 scholarship will be awarded for the best original song in any of the following genres: Americana, blues, bluegrass, contemporary Christian, country, folk, and roots. The contest is open to students between the ages of 17 and 24 who are enrolled in any college or university located in the United States.

http://bmifoundation.org/programs/info/nashville_songwriting_scholarship

The BMI Student Composer Awards will award $20,000 in prizes to young composers engaged in the study of classical music. Co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, the competition is open to all composers studying classical music who are age 27 or younger and citizens of the Western Hemisphere.

http://bmifoundation.org/programs/info/bmi_student_composer_awards

Working in conjunction with nominating schools and non-profit companies, the Princess Grace Awards recognize the talent of individual artists in theater, dance, and film. This unique collaborative process fills vast voids in the artistic community: scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships give emerging artists the financial assistance and moral encouragement to focus on artistic excellence; monetary support for the nominating organizations eases fund raising challenges, directing resources toward the creative process.

Since 1995, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance has awarded scholarships to outstanding undergraduate and graduate student members. The Ruth Abernathy Presidential Scholarship, developed by the past presidents of AAHPERD to honor deserving students, is awarded to three undergraduate students and two graduate students in January of each year. All scholarships are presented at the AAHPERD National Convention & Exposition held in the spring.

Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships benefit minority and economically disadvantaged students who are studying the design/arts disciplines in colleges and universities in the United States. Among the Scholarships’ primary aims are to increase diversity in the creative professions, and to foster social and environmental responsibility in the artists, designers, and studios of tomorrow.

In honor of Naomi Rabb Winston, NSAL established an annual scholarship fund for young visual artists between the ages of 16 and 22. Applicants must demonstrate exceptional talent and promise of future success. The scholarship funds are only for private study, for special training or for personal advancement in the applicant’s art career. They can be used for workshops, museum programs, summer programs, etc. The funds cannot be used for college tuition, housing or travel. In most years, as many as eight to ten scholarships are awarded in varying amounts.

http://arts-nsal.org/scholarships/winston-art-scholarships/

In honor of Shirley Rabb Winston, NSAL established an annual scholarship for young classical singers between the ages of 16 and 22. Applicants must demonstrate exceptional talent and promise of future success. The scholarship funds are only for private study, special training or personal advancement in the applicant’s vocal career. They can be used for workshops, voice teachers, summer programs, etc. The funds cannot be used for college tuition, housing or travel. In most years, as many as eight to ten scholarships are awarded in varying amounts.

http://arts-nsal.org/scholarships/winston-voice-scholarships/

Golden Key dares its members to dream big, and never, ever stop. The Society not only offers education-based scholarships to make those dreams a reality, but awards for service and leadership achievements, as well. Golden Key grants give advisors the opportunity to develop their skills professionally, while the fellowships offer graduate students a once-in-a-lifetime chance to further their knowledge through foundation-backed research. Some scholarships target specific fields of study, allowing members to study alongside those with similar interests. Others focus on countries or regions, affording members the luxury of studying abroad or participating in a faraway internship program.

Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarships are awarded annually to up to four graduate and postgraduate American students in the visual fine arts (painting, graphic design, print-making, sculpture, or photography) and music (composition, or instrumental or vocal performance). Successful candidates propose a detailed project related to their study that requires a year-long residency in Paris.

The David A. Hicks Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000 non-renewable scholarship to be used at a U.S. college/university (2-4 years) or a vocational/technical institute school. Students must have at least a 2.5 GPA and plan to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in the Arts – this includes performing, visual, and graphic arts. All applicants must also demonstrate evidence of financial need.

https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarship-directory/special-attributes/adopted-foster-child-orphan/david-a-hicks-memorial-scholarship#

The Scholarship was created to support underrepresented student groups in the arts and to promote diversity in the profession. Open to applicants who are at least one of the following ethnicities: African American, Native American, Hispanic, Latino, or Asian & Pacific Islander. The LWP Life Academy will award this $5,000 scholarship to a student with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who is pursuing a degree in, or closely related to, the arts.

https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarship-directory/artistic-ability/art-visual-arts/the-ralph-carter-art-scholarship-promoting-diversity-in-the-arts