Fellowship Funding Doubled to $50K!

Graphic by Sahara Defrees, AfroVillage PDX, in partnership with Marta Petteni, 2024 VEB Fellow

Van Evera Bailey Fellowship Funding Doubled to $50,000

July 16, 2024

Beginning in 2025, Van Evera Bailey Fellows will now receive $50,000 for their pursuits in advancing the design and building profession, a 100% increase in funding for one of AFO’s long-running programs, the Van Evera Bailey Fellowship.

In 2001, AFO established a partnership with the Van Evera Bailey Fund at the Oregon Community Foundation in awarding $20,000 to an individual or group encouraging greater contributions to their profession and community. The Fellowship was increased in 2012 to $25,000. In over two decades, we have bolstered 24 Fellowship awards to make impact in our communities in a variety of ways, from establishing the Portland Winter Lights Festival (Jeff Schnabel, 2015 Fellow) to researching gender inequity within the architecture profession (Jennifer Wright, AIA, 2019 Fellow). Read more about our past Fellows here.

Winter Light Festival, established by Jeff Schnabel, 2015 VEB Fellow

As part of our work to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of our programs, we took a closer look at the Fellowship to determine who might be excluded from applying. We also evaluated the economic and societal changes since 2001, including inflation, tax implications, and work-life balance. As a result, we have again partnered with the Van Evera Bailey Fund and the Oregon Community Foundation to double the Fellowship funding.

This increase should allow for more impact when it comes to growing costs of materials, labor, living, and more. Additionally, this increase ensures that the funding awarded is more impactful for individuals across economic backgrounds and lived experiences without requiring additional applicant privilege, aligning with our goals to be a JEDI-informed organization.

“It is likely that all design and building professionals, and possibly members of the public, have been touched by the accomplishments of past VEB Fellows. We are at a time when a deeper investment in creative thinkers is essential to the vibrancy of our state. With this funding increase, we invite even more individuals to take a chance on their design inquisitions and curiosities and apply for the Fellowship!”

- Erica Rife, Executive Director, AFO

The Van Evera Bailey Fellowship is an opportunity for professionals in the field to examine not only what they think, but how they think. Applications open in August and recipients will be announced in December. Please join us in celebrating this enormous increase in impact for today’s leaders in the designed and built industry!

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Applications open August 1

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