Craft Research Fund Grant Program (United States)

The Craft Research Fund was created to encourage, expand and support craft research in the United States. Since 2005, the program has supported 244 projects in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia by distributing over $1,900,000.

Goals

• Encourage: To encourage innovative research on critical issues in craft theory and history
• Expand: To investigate neglected questions on craft history and criticism
• Support: To support new cross-disciplinary approaches to scholarship in craft

Funding Information

• Award Amount: $5,000 to $15,000
• Grant Period: 18 months

Eligible Funding

• Funding is intended to support craft research.
• At least eighty-five percent (85%) of funding must be used for expenses directly related to conducting research, such as travel and living expenses, attending relevant archives, workshops, conferences, or symposia, subcontracted research assistance, stipends for interviews, commissioning research in the form of essay contributions, other contracted research services (such as photography), cost for support documentation such as images or rights to use images or text, photocopies, transcriptions, or other reproductions, purchase of primary source materials, and other incidental research expenses.
  • For museums, galleries, universities, and organizations who are applying to the grant, please limit staffing and overhead costs to 15% of your total budget ask, i.e. if applying for $15,000 in support, total personnel and overhead costs should be a maximum of $2,250.
  • For individuals applying, please provide a rationale for your personal stipend or honorarium in the budget narrative.
• Fifteen percent (15%) of funding may be used for research dissemination. This may include publication printing costs, website development, and digital database development, exhibition production, workshop facilitation fees, and symposium and conference related expenses for research dissemination.
• Capital equipment purchases are not eligible for support. Examples of capital equipment may include laptops, recorders, printers, or other items not listed.
• When working with community members, the Center for Craft requires that all grant recipients provide financial remuneration for their time, labor, and services rendered towards the awarded project scope and goals.

Examples of Craft Research

• Research providing new insight into work by historical or contemporary craft in the U.S.
• Projects presenting a new understanding of the relationship between handmade production and digital technologies
• Providing a new contribution to the history of craft in the United States
• Projects that place American craft in a global context
• Or other topics that offer fresh perspectives within craft

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals are welcome from applicants including but not limited to organizations, curators, artist-researchers, independent and academic researchers, and scholars.
  • This grant is intended to support research and is not for the creation of artwork ‍
  • This grant is not provide funding for already completed research or the dissemination of already completed research
• Applicants must be:
  • Applicants must be able to receive taxable income in the U.S. for the duration of the grant and report this grant as income
  • Applicants must be 18 years of age or older
• Applicants cannot be:
  • Substantial contributors to the Center for Craft as well as current employees, consultants, or board members of the Center for Craft, or immediate family members of such person.
• 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 a grant or fellowship they are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants may only receive one Center for Craft grant and/or fellowship per year. Awards cannot be deferred to the next year due to outstanding applications or multiple awards.
• The Center encourages applications from historically underrepresented populations. 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. Applying does not constitute a promise or guarantee of being awarded a grant.

For more information, visit Center for Craft.