FY 2007 Awards: Renna Arts Scholarships

John Anthony Renna bequeathed his estate to the National Endowment for the Arts for the purpose of supporting scholarships for visual arts students of limited financial resources. Mr. Renna was concerned that students who had talent and wished to study visual arts practice could do so even if they did not have the resources. The Arts Endowment is allowed by law to award grants to individual artists only in literature and honorary awards in jazz and folks and traditional arts. Therefore, to fulfill the terms of this bequest, the NEA Renna Arts Scholarship initiative was developed to award grants to independent schools and colleges of art enabling them to provide the scholarships.  This one-time program (the entire bequest will have been distributed through these grants) will provide as many as 118 scholarships to talented students who otherwise would be unable to enroll at these art schools. 

Institute of American Indian Arts
Santa Fe, NM
$100,000
As many as four $5,000 scholarships per year for three years and as many as four $5,000 scholarships per year for two years will be awarded to undergraduate students. The three-year scholarships support the school's practice of requiring portfolio review after the first year of enrollment. The two-year scholarships support recruitment initiatives designed to attract students who have completed associate degree programs. Founded in 1962 as a Bureau of Indian Affairs high school, the Institute became a land-grant college in 1994, and in 2001 received accreditation for its four-year baccalaureate program. Since its accreditation, 58 students have received degrees, with the size of graduating classes increasing each year. 

Maryland Institute College of Art
Baltimore, MD
$254,274
As many as 64 scholarships of $7,500 each will be awarded to talented students with financial need. Awards will be paired with additional need- and merit-based aid to deliver full tuition to undergraduate art students. The program will support the Maryland Institute College of Art's Diversity Initiative that strives to increase scholarship aid, institutional support, and critical programming for high-need students. The college is a private institution with 1,600 undergraduate and 200 graduate students from 47 states and 46 countries. The college's fall 2006 enrollment was the largest in its history. 

Massachusetts College of Art (aka MassArt)
Boston, MA
$200,000
As many as 30 scholarships of varying amounts will be awarded to undergraduate students, and as many as six scholarships will be awarded to graduate students.  Awards will range from $5,000 to $15,000 based on academic achievement and financial need. Founded in 1873, MassArt is the oldest public college of art and design in the United States. The school serves 2,325 students: 70 percent are Massachusetts residents, 19 percent are from other New England states, and 11 percent are from other states and countries.  

Otis Art Institute
Los Angeles, CA
$200,000
As many as 12 scholarships of $20,000 per year for four years will be awarded to undergraduate students.Awards will made based upon academic performance and financial need. The program will support the school's efforts to diversify its student population in terms of geography, ethnicity, disability, gender, and culture. A private institution founded in 1918, the school serves 1,100 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. Of its enrollment, 50 percent of its students are from Southern California, and 55 percent of the students are minorities. 

Rhode Island School of Design (aka RISD)
Providence, RI
$250,000
As many as four scholarships of $30,000 per year for four years will be awarded to undergraduate students, and as many as two scholarships of $30,000 per year for two years will be awarded to graduate students.  Awards will be made based upon students' academic abilities and financial need. RISD, founded in 1877, enrolls more than 1,800 undergraduates and nearly 400 graduate students from throughout the United States and from nearly 50 countries. 

Ringling School of Art and Design
Sarasota, FL
$200,000
The school will award as many as 32 scholarships of varying amounts for four years to talented students with financial need. Awards will be matched three-to-one and will total between $56,000 and $70,000 per student. The program will support the college's efforts to diversify its student population in terms of geography, ethnicity, disability, gender, and culture. A private institution incorporated in 1933, the school serves 1,100 students from 46 states and 34 countries. 

Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art   (on behalf of Corcoran College of Art + Design)
Washington, DC
$200,000
As many as five full-tuition, four-year scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students at the Corcoran College of Art + Design.  Awards will be made based upon financial need and the students' artistic and academic merit.  One scholarship will be designated to a student of merit from the District of Columbia. In the past, even with need- and merit-based financial aid, many District of Columbia residents could not afford to attend the college. The only independent college of art in the nation's capital, the school is one of a few in the country that has maintained its historic partnership with a major museum. The Corcoran College of Art and Design was founded in 1890 and currently enrolls 482 students from 26 states and 19 countries in its programs. 

National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506