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.

Alternative Funding Sources for Residences and Houses

Alternative Funding Sources for Individual Students

Projects and events must meet all of the following criteria:

Funds are awarded only for events or projects taking place on the Stanford campus during the 2026-27 academic year.

Extracurricular, collaborative projects that center and feature current Stanford students.

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).

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 to apply for funding on behalf of a VSO.

Attendance at the grant-funded event is open to all Stanford students.

Project aligns with the Office of Student Engagement's (OSE) policies for registered student organizations.

Additional Criteria for Public Art Projects

What Student Arts Grants can fund:

VPA Student Arts Grants fund only these types of project expenses.

VPA Student Arts Grants cannot be used for the following types of expenses:

Ineligible for Student Arts Grant funds

Parties of any kind and other predominantly social events.
Projects and events fronted by VSOs for residences.
Projects an events fronted by VSOs for individuals or independent student groups.
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

What you'll need for the application:

Basic event information (date, time, location)

1-3 sentence project summary

Short response (500 words or less): Why have you chosen this project? How will you make this project happen? What is your project timeline?

Details about how you will use the requested grant funds.

For projects with total costs greater than or equal to $5,000: Please submit a copy of your full project budget (not just the items you're requesting for this grant) as a pdf.

Projects requesting to use any of these venues will also be required to upload an estimate from the venue manager.

Some application requirements (such as venue cost estimates) may take a few weeks to obtain. Make sure to factor this into your application preparation timeline!

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 early, out-of-cycle, or late applications.

Cycle A

Application Opens: September 14, 2026
Application Deadline: October 15, 2026 @ 4pm (Pacific)
Applicants Notified: Week 6 Fall Quarter

Cycle B

Application Opens: November 30, 2026
Application Deadline: January 27, 2027 @ 4pm (Pacific)
Applicants Notified: Week 6 Winter Quarter

Cycle C

Application Opens: February 11, 2027
Application Deadline: March 2, 2027 @ 4pm (Pacific)
Applicants Notified: Week 9 Winter 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.

Grant amounts will not exceed your group's financial contribution, and are capped at $3,500.

Examples

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.

VPA Student Arts Grant funds cannot be combined with any of the following:

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).

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

Review Process

After each deadline, the Grants Team will review submissions to verify project eligibility and completeness.
- Your team may be requested to submit additional/revised materials after the deadline. The Grants Team may also contact your project sponsor for additional information.
Funding decisions are typically finalized within 14 days after each deadline. There are four possible outcomes:
- Award: Your project receives full or partial funding.
- Declined: Your project has not been awarded funding.
- Ineligible: Your project does not meet the eligibility criteria for a VPA Student Arts Grant

Tips for Preparing Your Project Budget

Think about all of the materials it will take to realize your project. Do some internet research to estimate costs.
Explore using free campus equipment programs (such as the Equipment Lending Library, Lathrop Media Lab, etc.) before deciding that you need to rent equipment from an external vendor.
VSOs are expected to contribute funding to the project (either from their 2800 account, annual ASSU allowances, or TSF). VSOs should expect to contribute at least 30-50% of the total project cost.
- Other campus sponsors are not required/obligated to provide any financial support for this project.
Projects should utilize multiple campus funding sources.
- If you are planning to apply (or have confirmed) funding from other sources (such as ASSU, TSF, community centers, departments, etc.), please include that information in the budget template.

Additional Campus Funding 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.

Application Opens September 2026

Purpose
Eligibility Guidelines
- Public Art Projects
Application Materials
Application Timeline
Grantee Expectations
Application Resources
- Disability Accommodations

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Reach out with questions:

Sabrina Wilensky

(she/her)

Director of Program Operations and Project Management

swilensk@stanford.edu

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