Bard Graduate Center is a leading research institute in the fields of decorative arts, design history, and material culture. Your gift may be designated to an area of our work that is most meaningful for you.


Greatest Needs

Gifts designated to Greatest Needs are deployed on an organization-wide basis, giving Bard Graduate Center the flexibility to direct resources to areas where they will have the greatest impact. Gifts in any amount are welcome.

Named funds and endowments can be established with contributions of $10,000 or more. For more information, please call 212.501.3071.



Scholarships and Financial Aid

Since its founding in 1993, Bard Graduate Center has attracted top students who are passionate about pursuing advanced study in the decorative arts and design history. Students choose Bard Graduate Center for the scholarly rigor of the MA and PhD programs, the diverse curriculum, the substantive internship opportunities, and the practical experience provided by the Focus Project initiative, a curricular component that provides hands-on exhibition training to students in the Bard Graduate Center Gallery. To date, we are proud to have graduated over 400 alumni/ae, many of whom have gone on to careers in academia, museums, galleries, auction houses, and cultural institutions around the world.

Our students’ success is due in no small part to the many individuals who support scholarships and financial aid. Over 75% of students at Bard Graduate Center qualify for need-based scholarship support. Your donation helps ensure that financial aid continues to be available for all students who qualify.

Named scholarship funds and named fellowships can be established with contributions of $10,000 or $30,000. For more information call 212.501.3071.


Academic Programs and Research

Gifts designated to Academic Programs and Research ensure that Bard Graduate Center maintains an innovative and rigorous curriculum led by the highest caliber faculty. These gifts also support critically important resources for research including a digital media lab, a research library with access to hundreds of academic journals, and numerous public forums for the presentation of research conducted by students, faculty, and visiting scholars.

Named funds and endowed professorships are available. For more information call 212.501.3071.



Exhibitions and Catalogues

Bard Graduate Center is recognized for its acclaimed exhibitions and award-winning catalogues that bring together ground-breaking research in the fields of decorative arts and material culture with the highest standards of exhibition design.

More than eighty exhibitions have been presented in the Gallery since 1993. Ranging in subject from Chinese cloisonné to contemporary design and craft in Colombia, William Kent’s Georgian style to Balinese textiles, our exhibitions present new perspectives on the history of material culture throughout the world.

Designating gifts to Exhibitions and Catalogues supports Bard Graduate Center’s exhibitions from conception through realization including catalogue production and design.

Corporate and Individual Sponsorships are available starting at $5,000. Sponsor benefits include the following:
  • Visibility opportunities on the website, on-site signage, and in printed materials
  • Invitations to the opening events
  • Invitations to related public programs and symposia
  • Private exhibition tour
  • Custom benefits available
For more information call 212.501.3071.