Office of the Vice President for the Arts
Student Arts Grants – How to Apply
Purpose
VSOs can apply for grants to support in-person (on-campus) and virtual events that are student-led, student-centered, and student-featured, including: student performances, exhibitions featuring students, arts-related workshops for students and arts-related speakers.
Eligibility Guidelines
Who can apply:
- All actively registered student organizations (VSOs) that serve undergraduates are eligible to apply.
- Residences and Houses: Projects led by campus residences are not eligible for VPA Student Arts Grants. Project teams should work with their Community Coordinator to secure adequate funding from other campus opportunities.
- Individual Students: VPA Student Arts Grants do not fund individual student projects. Visit our student resources page for resources and communities that can support your artistic vision, as well as our list of alternate campus funding opportunities for individual students.
- Funds are awarded only for events or projects taking place on the Stanford campus during the 2025-26 academic year.
Projects and events must meet all of the following criteria:
- Extracurricular, collaborative projects that center and feature current Stanford students
- Proposed project has a direct connection to the VSO’s mission.
- Project is led by at least one currently enrolled undergraduate or co-term Stanford student. Students on Leave of Absences are not eligible.
- Center and incorporate at least one form of artistic expression (e.g. music, dance, theater, spoken word, performance art, film, visual art, fashion/textiles, heritage arts, digital media, interactive art, creative writing). Projects by students of all forms and levels of artistic experience are encouraged to apply.
- Attendance at the grant-funded event is open to all Stanford students.
- Project aligns with the Office of Student Engagement (OSE) policies for registered student organizations.
Student Arts Grants for VSOs do not cover the following types of projects or events:
- Parties of any kind and other predominantly social events.
- Project and events fronted by VSOs for residences.
- Activities related to a capstone project, thesis, or coursework.
- Projects that are considered part of a department's official season. (Typically, these events will include the department as one of the official sponsors and receive marketing support from the department.)
- Projects and events that are just for group members.
- Any travel-related activities (local, national, or international).
- Activities falling outside of OSE policies.
Application Materials
Applications are only accepted through our online form.
- Check out our application guide for step-by-step instructions.
- Sample application form
Application Timeline
Apply at least 4-6 weeks before your event to allow for sufficient time for application review and the transfer of grant funds to your ASSU account. We do not consider out-of-cycle or late applications.
Cycle A
- Application Opens: September 15, 2025
- Application Deadline: October 15, 2025 @ 4pm (Pacific)
- Applicants Notified: Week 6 Fall Quarter
Cycle B
- Application Opens: December 1, 2025
- Application Deadline: January 28, 2026 @ 4pm (Pacific)
- Applicants Notified: Week 6 Winter Quarter
Cycle C
- Application Opens: February 11, 2026
- Application Deadline: March 4, 2026 @ 4pm (Pacific)
- Applicants Notified: Week 1 Spring Quarter
Grantee Expectations
Award
- Awards range from $250 - $3,500 and are directly transferred to the VSO’s ASSU account. The transfers are typically initiated within 3 weeks of completing your grant agreement.
- Each registered student group can receive one (1) grant per academic year (September-June).
- Projects involving multiple student groups will only be considered for a single grant (groups cannot pool Student Arts Grant funds.)
- Funding (full or partial) is not guaranteed.
- Funds cannot be combined with Undergraduate Research grants (Small Grant, Major Grant, Chappell Lougee, Conference Grant) or funding from other VPA organizations (e.g. IDA, Stanford Live, Cantor, Anderson, SAI).
Use of Grant Funds
- VPA Student Arts Grants can fund these types of project expenses.
- VPA Student Arts Grants are awarded for specific project-related costs based on the information provided in the application. Grant recipients will be notified in their award letter about which items can be funded by their grant. Grant recipients are not allowed to use grant funds for other items without obtaining prior approval from our program team.
Reports and Project Documentation
- All grant recipients are required to submit a final report within 14 days of completing their event/project. Your project contacts will receive an automated reminder to complete the online form.
- Groups that do not submit a report may be given lower priority for future funding requests.
Application Resources
Disability Accomodations
If you need a disability-related accommodation and/or need to receive any program information/application in alternate format, please contact the Diversity & Access Office at, at phone: (650) 725-0326 or email: disability.access@stanford.edu.
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