Innovation Grant

The Georgia Innovation Grant Program is funded by the American Institute of Architects, Georgia Association (AIA Georgia) and administered by The Architecture Foundation of Georgia (AFGA). The intent of this program is to foster innovative ideas to promote architecture and the profession, raising awareness of the value of architecture, or the value of the work that AIA members bring to their communities across the State of Georgia.

Grants are offered in two categories:

Organizational Grants
Individual/Small GroupGrants

FOUNDATIONS IN DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IN COORDINATION WITH ATHENS COMMUNITY CAREER ACADEMY’S GREAT PROMISE PROGRAM

Funding

The program will provide up to six grants of $2,500–$5,000* in 2021 for projects/programs to be completed in a 6 to 9-month period. Organizations can receive up to $5,000, while Individuals/Small Groups can receive up to $2,500 for projects or programs to promote Architecture/Design and engage with the Community in Georgia.

Recipient selection and funding amounts will be based on the merits of the submission. Awards will be granted at the sole discretion of the Architecture Foundation of Georgia Board, and all selection Committee decisions are final. More funds may be allocated to exemplary submissions.

ligible entities can include programs by:

Georgia-based AIA Components and Chapters
allied organizations like ADC, NOMA, AIA Students, NOMA Students, ACCI and CAAD in the state of Georgia
design or community-based projects proposed by individuals, small groups of Georgia-based architects, educators and students.

Existing programs that focus on expansion and/or targeting new audiences in innovative ways are encouraged to apply as well.

Projects can be awarded an Innovation Grant no more than twice.

Note

Architectural firms/practices cannot be the recipient of these funds, they must be distributed to non-profit organizations or individuals. Current Board Members of the Architecture Foundation of Georgia and AIA Georgia are not eligible for the individual grants. Georgia based AIA Chapters and Component Board members and staff are eligible for individual grants. Grant applicants who are not selected this year are invited to resubmit their proposals in the following year.

Grant Applications should be made in electronic form. The electronic submission should include the following information:

Project title
Category (Individual/Small Groupor Organization)
Project Description: Describe the proposed project in detail. Define the communities served, as well as expected results by identifying the immediate and long-term benefits of the project/program. Include the type of expected attendees, participants, audience, etc. who will be impacted by the program (e.g.,member, public, etc.) and the estimated number. Indicate other funds obtained, identified or requested if the project requires funding in addition to this Grant Program. Provide a clear plan detailing how the project will be completed including a timeline reflecting critical dates and an allocation of project dollars.
Budget: State the amount requested from the Grant Program. Provide an itemized budget showing detailed expenses required for the project, a fund withdrawal schedule and any revenues anticipated.
Images
Contact information for (2) references (for individual/small group submissions)

Note

Individual/Small Group Submissions: Please omit any identifying information from project description before submitting.Please contact Architecture Foundation of Georgia with any questions or requests for clarification. Any questions shouldbe addressed to Jay Silverman, AIA or Tangela Monroe at the following address: foundation@aiaga.org.

Schedule

Call for Submissions Open: January 25, 2021
Submissions must be received by 5:00 PM, Monday, March 8
Recipients will be notified week of March 29, 2021
Grant Funds will be released upon request after April 15 at the discretion of the AFGA board
Project/Program must be completed by December 31, 2021; final report due no later than January 31, 2022.

APPLY HERE

EXAMPLE APP

Example Report

Scholarships Available

Architecture Foundation Scholarship

This scholarship program was previously named the Dorothy Spence Memorial Scholarship in recognition of the longtime Executive Director of AIA Georgia and eloquent advocate of architecture in Georgia. The program assists students during one of their final two years of professional architecture studies in the state of Georgia.

Award Range: $750 – $2,500

John D. Mulford Scholarship

This scholarship program honors the late John D. Mulford III. John D. Mulford, III was a graduate of Southern Polytechnic State University with a Bachelors degree in Architectural Engineering Technology. The program assists students during one of their final three years of professional architecture studies at his alma mater, Southern Polytechnic State University.

Award Range: $1,000 – $2,000

Earthshare Fellowship Fund

Marci B. Reed, former Executive Director of the Architecture Foundation of GA and Robert E. Reed, III, her husband an a graduate of the Georgia Tech Architecture Program endowed the Foundation to support graduate students in architecture at Georgia Tech focusing their studies on sustainable design and construction practices.

Sarah Cowart Leadership Fund

This scholarship program endowed by Savannah architect, Gerry Cowart, honors the late Sarah Hall Cowart and helps to remove the financial burden of students attending Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) who want to attend the national AIA Student leadership conferences but do not have the means to do so on their own.

College of Fellows Scholarship

This new scholarship program is initiated and in partnership with the Georgia College of Fellows.

Award Range: N/A

“One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time it is like life starting all over again. “
― Renzo Piano

“Architecture is inhabited sculpture“
― Constantin Brancusi

“Whatever good things we build, end up building us”
– Jim Rohn

About us

The Architects Foundation leads philanthropic efforts that lay the foundation of architecture’s future, by attracting, inspiring and investing in new and diverse generations of architects who will create inclusive spaces and places of tomorrow.