Overview

Empowering emerging social justice artists and community-based impact.

The Center for Arts + Social Justice supports, equips, and elevates the impact of emerging artists in their communities for social good. Inspired by the belief that the arts "have the ability not only to reflect reality but also to create it," VCFA established the Center as a strategic initiative in 2019.

The Center endeavors to work in collaborative partnership with Center Fellows to leverage our collective expertise in providing unique remote mentorship, professional development, and community engagement opportunities that will result in establishing a cohesive network of artistic impact.

Fellowship Opportunities: The Center offers fellowships to current VCFA MFA students across all programs (Film, Writing, Graphic Design, Visual Art, Music Composition, and Writing for Children & Young Adults).

Center Fellowships were created to promote and support the creation and development of new creative work that demonstrates commitment to social change. The fellowship period will run from June 23, 2026 - July 1, 2027.

Fellows are expected to attend quarterly events organized to support professional development on topics such as: The Business of the Arts: Building Your Platforms and Promoting Your Work; Creative Communities: Engaging with Multiple Publics; and Arts Advocacy: Building Networks of Support.

Fellows also have the opportunity to present work during residencies or at other points during the year, showcasing the work of the VCFA community that advances social justice goals and inspires reflection on the role of art and the artist in contemporary society.

This year, the Center for Arts + Social Justice (CASJ) is proud to introduce a new and expanded fellowship model - one that intentionally invites cross-disciplinary collaboration among VCFA students for the first time.

Individual Fellowship (up to $1,000): Each CASJ Fellow receives up to $1,000 to support an interdisciplinary project rooted in arts and social justice. All fellowship funds are applied directly toward a student’s tuition, in two installments (split evenly among over two semesters). If fellowship funds exceed the tuition amount due, the remaining balance will be refunded directly to the student.

Collaboration Incentive (+$250 per fellow): Fellows who choose to partner with one other student, from a different MFA program at VCFA, on a shared project receive an additional $250 each, increasing individual awards to $1,250. These funds follow the same structure: applied to tuition first, with any excess refunded to the student, in two installments (split evenly among over two semesters). For the Collaboration Incentive, only one application should be submitted with both students' names included.

Interdisciplinary Fellowship (up to $5,250 total): For teams of three fellows collaborating on a single project, the combined award structure includes: $1,000 per fellow ($3,000 total), plus $250 collaboration bonus per fellow ($750 total), plus additional shared project support, for a maximum total award of $5,250. Each of the students should be from a different program at VCFA. All group awards are applied toward each student’s tuition, with any funds remaining after tuition obligations are met refunded to the participating students, in two installments (split evenly among over two semesters). For the Interdisciplinary Fellowship, only one application should be submitted with all students' names included.