SVA Departmental Scholarships and Awards

The Visual Arts Foundation provides scholarships for deserving students to study at the School of Visual Arts; supports exhibitions, conferences, and competitions and promotes the study and improvement of the arts; encourages cooperation and exchange among artists, designers, students, publishers and others engaged in artistic activities; receives gifts, legacies and donations; and offers awards, appropriations and scholarships from these resources.

Please Note: All Third Year students are automatically considered for these scholarships except where otherwise indicated.

Development Program


Office of Admissions/BFA Advertising & Design Departments

Deutsch NY Fund the Change
This scholarship recognizes the academic achievement and creative potential of students who, through their varied cultural perspectives and ideas, are poised to make an impact on the fields of design, marketing or advertising. It was conceived to support the development of creative undergraduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, particularly BIPOC talent.

In 2021 two winners will each receive a $10,000 per year renewable merit scholarship for four years of study. Deutsch NY Fund the Change recipients will also benefit from mentorship opportunities and a paid internship each summer at Deutsch NY, one of the most innovative advertising, design and digital agencies in the US.

For full application information please see sva.edu/fundthechange.

$10,000

BFA Advertising and BFA Design Departments | Gail Anderson, Chair

Adam Zakin & Karen Duthie Zakin Scholarship
$500
Craig Adam Budin Memorial Award
$500
Frank Camardella Memorial Award
$750
Henry Wolf Foundation Scholarships
$25,000
Ruth & Ken Deardoff Scholarships in Advertising Three awards per year
$5,000
Jerry Ashkinos Scholarship Advertising Students
$1,250
Keith Gallagher Memorial Scholarship Design Students
$500
Rush Hinsdale Award
$1,000
Type Directors Club Scholarship Design Students
$1,000
Mitch Shostak Scholarship Sophomore, Junior & Senior Years of Study
$10,000

BFA Animation Department | Hsiang Chin Moe, Chair

John Gaug Memorial Scholarship
$500
Heroes of Color Grants Up to five awards of $200
$1,000

BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects Department | Jimmy Calhoun, Chair

Billy Sunshine Award
$500

BFA Film Department | Mary Lee Grisanti, Acting Chair

Dr. John Lidstone Scholarship
$1,000
Diana King Memorial Scholarship Five awards per year
$3,500

BFA Fine Arts Department | Suzanne Anker, Chair

Pamela Brown Roberts Memorial Scholarship
$1,500
Society of Scribes Award
$750

BFA Illustration and BFA Comics Departments | Viktor Koen, Chair

Archie Goodwin Memorial Award
$1,000
Harvey Kurtzman Memorial Award
$1,000
Joseph Orlando Memorial Award
$1,000
Robert Eric Farmer Award Sophomore year of study
$5,000
Robert Eric Farmer Materials Award Sophomore year of study
$1,000
Lou Stathis Memorial Award
$1,000
Robert Frankenberg Award
$2,000
Wally Wood Memorial Scholarship
$1,000
Thomas Woodruff Scholarship For outstanding third-year project
$10,000

BFA Interior Design: Built Environments Department | Carol Bentel, Chair

Neville Lewis Memorial Thesis Award
$1,000
ASID Education Legacy Fund Open Competition with Other Schools
Amounts Vary
Decorator’s Club Open Competition with Other Schools
Amounts Vary
IIDA Scholarship Award Open Competition with Other Schools
Amounts Vary
Donghia Scholarship Open Competition with Other Schools
Amounts Vary

BFA Photography and Video Department | Joseph Maida, Chair

Alice Beck-Odette Award Scholarship
$1,000
Robin Forbes Memorial Award
$1,000
The Venus Award
$1,000
Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation Award
$1,000
The Darrel Ellis Memorial Award Rising Junior or Senior
$2,500

MA Design Research, Writing & Criticism Department | Molly Heintz, Chair

Henry Wolf Foundation Scholarships
$25,000

MFA Design | Steve Heller & Lita Talarico, Co-Chairs

Paul Rand Thesis Venture R & D Awards
$1,000
Eva Doman Bruck Award
$5,000

MFA Fine Arts Department | Mark Tribe, Chair

Frieda Esikoff Scholarship
$750

MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Department | Riccardo Vecchio, Chair

Marshall Arisman Scholarship Fund Financial assistance in times of need
Amounts Vary
Coyne Family Foundation Award
Amounts Vary
Unalane Foundation Award
Amounts Vary
Frieda Esikoff Scholarship
$750
Robert Weaver Memorial Award
$500

MPS Art Therapy Department | Deborah Farber, Chair

Estelle Bellomo Award
$5,000
Ray Levine Memorial Award
$2,000
Irene Rosner David Medical Art Therapy Scholarship
$1,000
Valery Daniels Memorial Lecture
Amounts Vary

MFA Photography, Video and Related Media | Charles Traub, Chair

Flood Grant Faculty support and development
$5,000