There’s good news! Hundreds and hundreds of art and design scholarships are available to students, and you’re probably eligible for more than a few of them. Get ready, though, because there’s a lot to do before you can even think about filling out applications and putting together a portfolio. You will need to search.

A great starting place for a search is to explore professional organizations for your art discipline. There are national groups for every craft imaginable in the arts, dealing with painting, sculpting, graphic arts and more on a local, regional, national and international basis. Keep in mind that you may need to be a member of some groups to be eligible for financial awards.

National businesses and foundations are the next place to look. Many contribute to the arts, and offer scholarships as well. In particular, you may want to explore businesses that manufacture art supplies or equipment as some may offer scholarships for art students. The competition for scholarships from charitable foundations may be particularly stiff, but you have nothing to lose for trying. Remember…its free money!

Meanwhile, for your “scholarship ideas list,” here’s a list of the groups that we know offer art scholarships:

• American Architectural Foundation
• American Society of Interior Designers
• Andy Warhol Foundation
• Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
• Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts
• International Furnishings and Design Association
• General Mills
• Jackie Robinson Foundation
• Kodak
• National Sculpture Society
• Printing and Imaging Association of MidAmerica
• Printing Industries of Wisconsin
• Southwestern Association for Indian Arts
• Stained Glass Association of America
• Target All-Around Scholarships
• Two Ten Footwear Foundation
• Walmart Foundation

The best place to look for scholarships are schools themselves!

Search for degree programs using the top right yellow box