NCARB ESTABLISHES GRANT PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE
INTEGRATION OF PRACTICE IN THE ACADEMY
Up to $10,000 in Seed Money to Be Awarded Per Academic Year
Washington DC—The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards is expanding the reach of its successful
and well-received NCARB Prize initiative by establishing the NCARB Grant program, which is expected to
award up to $10,000 per academic year.
The NCARB Prize for Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy debuted in 2001 as a
response to Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education, a report drafted by Lee Mitgang and
the late Ernest Boyer for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education. The NCARB Prize encourages,
rewards, and showcases diverse programs and activities that integrate practice and education in an academic
setting.
Now in its fifth year, the NCARB Prize has awarded more than $310,000 to NAAB-accredited schools of architecture.
Since the inaugural 2001 competition, NCARB has received 175 submissions that represent 78 of the 115
accredited programs in architecture. The new NCARB Prize Grants will build on the momentum of the original
Prize initiative.
As a separate funding venture, NCARB Grants will assist in the creation and implementation of new ideas and
methods of integrating practice and education. The objective is to support and encourage concepts that may be more risk-taking than a school can initially afford on its own. Ideally, an NCARB Grant will help to develop a
project that has not been implemented but which the grant will make possible.
Schools receiving NCARB Grants are encouraged
- to explore different venues or innovative curricular methods/programs to increase the practice/education
link or
- to support efforts that, for a variety of reasons, have not materialized into for-credit curricular activities
and, therefore, have not been submitted to the NCARB Prize program.
Under current guidelines, an NCARB Grant may not be used for university indirect costs or overhead, salary for
adjuncts to teach proposed class, or expenses for existing courses. NCARB does not place additional restrictions
other than to suggest that the grants are to be used for work that results in interaction between students and practitioners. Grants are not intended for individual faculty enhancement activities. Budget items may include, but are
not limited to, items such as:
- faculty release time to create the program (The studio/class will need to be part of their teaching load
when initiated.)
- cost of new technology providing long-distance interconnectivity with architectural or other
appropriate offices
- cost of materials
- travel costs for students
Each academic year, the Council anticipates awarding a total of $10,000 through one, two, or three grants to a
NAAB-accredited school(s) to support the creation of a new curricular initiative(s) at the institution(s). NCARB
reserves the right not to make any awards, based on the quality of proposals received. Members of the Council’s
Practice Education Committee will review all proposals, which will comprise an application form, a narrative no
longer than five pages, a supporting letter of commitment, an itemized budget, and a letter from the dean authorizing
the project. Written notification of the Committee’s decisions will be mailed at the beginning of December
so that project(s) can start in January with the implementation of the studio/class being offered in the Fall at the
latest. The selected institution(s) will receive a check and an award letter that outlines specific terms and conditions
for the grant including a project report after the project is completed that will be published in NCARB
reports.
For more information about the NCARB Prize Grant program, visit the NCARB Prize section of our website for a
downloadable application and detailed instructions.
NCARB Prize Grant submissions for the 2006-2007 academic year are due in the NCARB offices, on or before
5:00 PM EST, on Wednesday, November 1, 2006.
