The Cranbrook Academy of the Arts outside of Detroit announced that they have received a $30m donation from the Michigan-based billionaire couple Jennifer and Dan Gilbert. The gift is one of the largest ever made to a graduate level art programme in the US.
The funding will support the creation of full-tuition fellowships for ten students per incoming class from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. An endowment will be established to cover the Gilbert Fellows in perpetuity. The donation will also increase financial aide for other eligible students, as well as fund visiting faculty artists over the next five years, with a focus on artists of colour. It will also support inclusion, diversity, equity and access consultants at the school and help fund the Cranbrook Art Museum’s public engagement projects, which are held both on the campus and throughout the Detroit area. Finally, the gift aims to allow the university to launch other initiatives that will help reduce its reliance on tuition.
As the coronavirus surged last year, cash-strapped colleges made drastic cuts to their budget. Admissions were delayed for art history Ph.D. programs, humanities programs were consolidated, hiring freezes were put in place, and schools made layoffs and furloughs. So, the historic gift comes at a fraught time for arts education.
“Our ultimate goal is to drive lasting financial stability while creating a more diverse and equitable community,” Jennifer Gilbert said in a statement. “We know it’s not a silver bullet, but a step in the right direction. Dan and I hope that the gift grants the Academy space to develop long-term solutions, and that it encourages others to join us in giving.”