Established by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Alumni Microgrant Program is dedicated to supporting the creative projects of alumni from the Awards. The Alumni Microgrant Program seeks to foster alumni development across various disciplines and regions by inviting clear and compelling proposals that advance pursuits in creative inquiry.

We define creative inquiry as any investigation that enhances our understanding of the human experience and serves as a catalyst for promoting racial and social justice.

Relevant projects can approach that inquiry through art, writing, performance, technology, math, and the social, natural, and/or physical sciences.

Qualifying projects and associated expenses may encompass a diverse range of possibilities, including (but not limited to) travel costs for research purposes, participation fees for conferences, writers’ retreats or residencies, production costs for exhibitions, public installations, print editions or films, funding for components necessary to complete a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation, and support for curatorial or community-based projects and events. For illustrative examples of alumni projects previously funded by our microgrant program, we invite you to visit our blog.

Six grants of $2,000 will be awarded following a review of proposals by the staff of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and our esteemed judge, Christell Victoria Roach. Exemplary proposals will demonstrate passion and dedication for the proposed projects. Applications will be accepted until January 31, 2025, at 11:59 pm EST.

The 2025 Alumni Microgrant Program is made possible by the Maurice R. Robinson Fund.

Eligibility

• Must be a past Scholastic Awards recipient.
• Previous recipients of this microgrant and currently enrolled high school or undergraduate students are not eligible.

How to Apply

Alumni must complete an online application to be considered for a microgrant. The application opens on January 2, 2025, and closes on Wednesday, January 31, 2025, at 11:59 pm EST.

Meet the Judge

Christell Victoria Roach is an Emmy-nominated poet and performer from Miami, FL. As a descendant of Miami’s Black Pioneers, she writes about Blackness, the Blues, and many different types of love. She was a 2022-24 Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and is now pursuing her PhD in Literature and Creative Writing at Florida State University. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Miami after graduating from Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing and African American Studies. She writes poetry that embraces and expands the Southern Gothic to the tropics. Her recent work has been published by the Academy of American Poets, Poetry Magazine, Obsidian Literary Journal, Scalawag Magazine, The Miami Rail, and SWIMM Magazine. She is currently working on her first book of poetry. She received multiple Scholastic Awards from 2012-14 and an Alumni Microgrant in 2023. 

Featured image: Shruthi Gowrishankar, Sour Pride, Drawing & Illustration. Grade 9, Cupertino High School, Cupertino, CA. Amber Steele, Educator; California College of the Arts, Affiliate. Silver Medal