AEPG RFP & Application Guide

The Artistic Excellence Programming Grant (AEPG) supports public programming that brings H&A teaching, research, creative practice, and artistic production into meaningful engagement with SJSU students and broader communities.

Application Available: November 9, 2026
Application due: Feb 25, 2027 @ 5pm
Project Period: Aug 15, 2027-May 30, 2028
Funds must be expended by: April 1, 2028
Standard maximum request: $8000 
Eligibility: SJSU H&A Faculty & Staff
Notification: April 2027
Submission: AEPG 2027-2028 Google form (opening soon)

Applicants should review the proposal requirements and evaluation criteria below before beginning the application. Preparing an AEPG proposal requires advance planning with collaborators, confirmation of proposed locations or venues, and development of a project budget. The application also requires a completed AEPG Budget Worksheet and Budget Rationale.

New or returning applicant? Start with “What You Will Submit” and the 2027–2028 Applicant Orientation before drafting your proposal.

Before You Apply: What AEPG Supports

AEPG supports public-facing humanities and arts programming that connects the College’s teaching, research, scholarship, and creative practice with meaningful experiences for students and broader communities. Competitive proposals present a well-developed project, identify what participants will encounter or do, demonstrate that the project can be carried out successfully, and explain how the proposed activities advance the goals of AEPG.

The Awards Committee evaluates the proposal submitted for the current funding cycle. Previous AEPG funding, the reputation of an artist or work, or the established success of a recurring program does not substitute for a fully developed proposal.

Artistic Excellence and Project Quality

AEPG understands artistic excellence expansively across the humanities, performing and visual arts, literary and cultural work, interdisciplinary practice, and other forms of public programming represented within H&A.

The committee evaluates the quality of the proposed project as it is described in the application: the ideas the project explores, the experiences it creates for participants and audiences, the artistic or intellectual choices that shape it, and the opportunities it creates for sustained engagement with the humanities and arts.

Inviting an accomplished artist, presenting a significant work, or producing an established event may contribute to the quality of a project. Applicants should also explain what this particular program will make possible for students and audiences. For recurring programs that have previously received AEPG support, the proposal should make clear what is distinctive about the proposed iteration.

Student and Public Engagement

AEPG programming should create meaningful opportunities for students to encounter, participate in, interpret, discuss, or contribute to the work presented. Applicants should identify the participants and audiences they hope to reach and explain how the design of the project will support that engagement.

Student engagement may take many forms depending on the project. It may occur through curricular connections, workshops, performances, exhibitions, conversations with artists or scholars, creative participation, research, or other activities appropriate to the project. Applicants should describe the actual experience rather than relying primarily on projected attendance numbers.

AEPG also encourages projects that extend the College’s teaching, research, and creative activity into public life and create opportunities for engagement with communities beyond an individual classroom.

Collaboration

AEPG encourages substantive collaboration across the College, university, and surrounding communities. Strong collaborations bring different forms of knowledge, practice, or perspective into the conception and experience of a project. Because interdisciplinary exchange is one of the goals of AEPG, proposals seeking full points for collaboration should ordinarily demonstrate meaningful participation beyond the applicant’s immediate disciplinary area.

Collaborations must be established before the proposal is submitted. The application will ask applicants to identify collaborators and explain the specific role each collaborator has agreed to undertake.

For purposes of AEPG evaluation, collaboration involves active participation in the development or delivery of the project. Promotion of an event, attendance by another class, endorsement of a proposal, or distribution of educational materials does not by itself constitute substantive collaboration.

Project Readiness

A competitive AEPG proposal should be sufficiently developed to demonstrate that the project can be carried out during the proposed funding period. Before submitting, applicants should have identified an appropriate location or venue, initiated any required venue conversations, confirmed proposed collaborators, investigated performance or screening rights when applicable, and developed a realistic timeline and budget.

Some proposed events require additional feasibility review before proposals are considered by the Awards Committee. Projects proposed for the Hammer Theatre, for example, are reviewed for scheduling and venue feasibility as part of the AEPG review process.

Applicants are not expected to have completed every logistical arrangement before applying. The proposal should demonstrate that the essential planning has begun and that its assumptions about location, collaborators, rights, staffing, and project scope are realistic.

2026-2028 College Themes

The College themes for 2026–2028 are Belonging and Free Expression. Applicants may propose a project connected to one or both themes. Alignment with a College theme is optional.

A proposal that convincingly demonstrates that a theme is integral to the project may receive one additional point in the committee evaluation. Naming a theme or making a general connection to it is insufficient. Applicants seeking the additional point should explain how the theme shapes the project’s ideas, activities, or participant experience.

Explore the 2026-2028 College themes

What You Will Submit

The AEPG application is submitted through a single Google Form. Applicants should prepare the project narrative and supporting materials before beginning the form. The proposal asks the Awards Committee to evaluate the quality, engagement, collaboration, and feasibility of the proposed project. Separate budget materials are used by the AEPG administrative team to determine allowable expenses and final award amounts.

Applicants should provide all information required for review directly in the proposal and required supporting materials. Links to external websites or supplementary materials should not substitute for information requested in the application.

Project Proposal

Applicants will describe the proposed project, the artistic or intellectual ideas shaping it, and the experiences it is intended to create for participants and audiences. The proposal should explain why the project is appropriate for AEPG support and how it advances the goals of the program.

The proposal should focus on the project being carried out during the 2027–2028 funding period. The reputation or accomplishments of an invited artist, scholar, performer, or other participant may provide useful context, but should not substitute for an explanation of the project itself.

AEPG does not provide funding for the same project in more than one funding cycle or for a later phase, component, or continuation of a project that has already received AEPG support. A new project produced within an established series, season, festival, or recurring program is eligible for consideration. Applicants should describe the specific project for which they are requesting support in the current funding cycle.

Project Activities

Applicants will describe the specific activities that will take place as part of the proposed project. The committee should be able to understand what participants will actually experience and what work will occur during the funding period.

For example, a film festival proposal should explain the structure of the festival, the screenings or related programming being planned, and how students or public audiences will participate. A proposal for a new musical composition should explain the commissioning or creative process, how students will rehearse or perform the work, and what public or educational activities will accompany the performance. A guest artist proposal should explain what the artist will do with students, faculty, or community participants during the visit rather than relying primarily on the artist’s professional stature.

A reader unfamiliar with the project should be able to identify the principal activities, who will participate in them, and what participants will be doing.

Participants, Audiences, and Educational Engagement

Applicants will identify the students, public audiences, or other participants the project is designed to engage and explain how those participants will encounter or take part in the proposed activities. Proposals should make clear whether participation will occur through curricular integration, public programming, community engagement, or another intentional connection to the project.

Applicants should explain what they hope participants will gain from the experience and how the design of the project supports those goals. Educational engagement may include opportunities to interpret, discuss, create, perform, research, collaborate, or otherwise engage actively with the ideas and practices at the center of the project. Attendance or exposure alone does not demonstrate educational engagement; the proposal should describe what the experience makes possible for participants.

Applicants should also provide realistic participation or audience goals appropriate to the scale and format of the project. These estimates help establish the anticipated reach of the program, while the proposal’s primary emphasis should remain on the nature and quality of the participant experience.

Collaboration

Applicants will identify collaborators who have agreed to participate before the proposal deadline and describe the specific role each collaborator will undertake in developing or carrying out the project. Applicants seeking collaboration points should use the standards described in Before You Apply.

Collaboration should be integral to the proposed project rather than added primarily to satisfy an application requirement. Promotion of an event, attendance by another class, endorsement of a proposal, or distribution of educational materials does not by itself constitute substantive collaboration.

Location, Venue, and Project Readiness

Applicants will identify the proposed location or venue and provide enough information for the College to determine whether the project can reasonably take place there. Projects proposed for the Hammer Theatre require advance consultation with Hammer staff regarding prospective dates, venue requirements, and applicable rental rates. Other projects may require evidence of preliminary planning related to space reservations, performance or screening rights, exhibitions, specialized facilities, or other project-specific requirements.

Project Timeline and Implementation

Applicants will provide a planning and implementation timeline that identifies the major stages required to complete the project. The timeline should reflect the actual work necessary for the proposed program and demonstrate that the project can be completed during the AEPG funding period.

AEPG Budget Worksheet

Every applicant must complete the AEPG Budget Worksheet using the provided template. The worksheet should include only expenses for which AEPG funding is being requested. Other confirmed or anticipated sources of support should be identified separately rather than incorporated into the AEPG request.

Because available funding may not permit every competitive project to receive its full request, applicants will also identify the expenses or activities that are most important to carrying out the project if the award is lower than the amount requested.

Budget Rationale

Beginning with the 2027–2028 competition, every applicant will also submit a Budget Rationale as part of the Google Form submission.

The Budget Rationale should explain the major expenses included in the AEPG Budget Worksheet, identify what each expense supports, explain why the expense is necessary to carry out the proposed project, and indicate how the estimated amount was determined. Applicants may refer to artist or speaker fees, vendor estimates, venue costs, travel estimates, or other appropriate sources used to construct the budget.

The rationale should explain the relationship between the proposed expenses and the project rather than simply reproduce the figures appearing in the Budget Worksheet.

How Budget Materials Are Used

The AEPG Awards Committee evaluates the quality of the proposed project using the published evaluation criteria. Committee members do not determine award amounts. Budget materials are reviewed separately by the AEPG administrative team to determine whether proposed expenses are allowable, whether the project can be supported with available resources, and what final award amount can be offered.

How Proposals Are Reviewed

AEPG proposals are reviewed in several stages so that project quality, feasibility, and budget considerations can be considered separately.

Awards Committee Review

The AEPG Awards Committee evaluates eligible proposals using the published 11-point Evaluation Rubric. The committee considers the quality of the proposed project, the activities that will take place, projected impact, student engagement, substantive collaboration, and, when applicable, effective integration of a College programming theme.

Committee members evaluate proposals on behalf of the College as a whole. They do not serve as representatives or advocates for individual departments or disciplines. Proposals are evaluated on their merits according to the published criteria; previous levels of funding to a department and the distribution of AEPG funds among departments are not part of the committee’s evaluation.

The Awards Committee is advisory. Its role is to evaluate the quality of proposals and recommend projects for funding. Committee members do not determine award amounts and do not review proposals for the purpose of allocating funds among departments. This separation reflects the review process already established in AEPG, in which the committee focuses on proposal quality while final funding decisions take account of additional administrative considerations.  

Committee members must recuse themselves from reviewing, scoring, or discussing any proposal for which they are an applicant, co-applicant, collaborator, or have another direct conflict of interest.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the 2027–2028 AEPG Evaluation Rubric while developing their proposals.

View the 2027–2028 AEPG Evaluation Rubric — SJSU login required

Feasibility and Administrative Review

Some proposals also require feasibility review before final funding decisions are made. Projects proposed for the Hammer Theatre, for example, are reviewed with Hammer staff to determine whether the proposed dates, venue, and production requirements are workable. The application therefore requires applicants to provide information about location, venue planning, rights or permissions, and other arrangements relevant to carrying out the project. The current application already uses these questions to establish project readiness before awards are finalized.  

The AEPG administrative team separately reviews the Budget Worksheet and Budget Rationale to determine whether proposed expenses are allowable, sufficiently explained, and appropriate to the activities described in the proposal. Budget materials are not used by the Awards Committee to determine the quality ranking of a proposal. 

Final Funding Decisions

Final funding decisions are made by the Dean’s Office in consultation with AEPG leadership after considering the Awards Committee’s recommendations, project feasibility, allowable expenses, available funding, and the College resources required to support the project.

A competitive proposal may therefore receive full funding, partial funding, conditional funding, or no funding. The amount requested does not determine the proposal’s score, and the Awards Committee does not determine the amount ultimately awarded.

Prepare a Competitive Proposal

Applicants are encouraged to review the evaluation criteria and examples below before drafting a proposal. These materials illustrate how successful applicants have connected a project’s artistic or intellectual goals with specific activities, student and public engagement, collaboration, and a realistic plan for carrying out the work.

Examples of Successful AEPG Proposals

AEPG projects take many forms across the humanities and arts. Previous successful proposals can help applicants see how faculty have developed performances, exhibitions, workshops, public humanities projects, interdisciplinary programs, and community-engaged work within the AEPG framework. 

• "Picturing Freedom Dreams: Poetry & Comics in Conversation/Community"
• "The Art of a Sustainable Future: From Climate Anxiety to Community Action"
• "Translate San Jose"

Explore Previous AEPG Projects
Explore AEPG “Best of…” Projects

Sample proposals are provided as examples of effective project development and proposal writing. Applicants should develop their proposal around the particular activities, participants, collaborations, and goals of the project they are proposing rather than reproduce the structure or language of a previous application.

Proposal Assistance and Resources

Applicants are encouraged to use the resources below while developing their proposals. These materials provide guidance on proposal requirements, budgeting, venue planning, and other project-specific questions. 

Proposal Support

AEPG offers informational sessions and limited individual consultations during the application period. These sessions are designed to help applicants understand the proposal requirements, evaluation criteria, project planning expectations, and budget process.

[View AEPG Information Session Dates]
[Schedule an Individual Consultation]

Application Resources

AEPG Proposal FAQ
Guidance on eligibility, proposal requirements, collaboration, student engagement, and other application questions.

AEPG Budget FAQ
Guidance on allowable expenses, budget preparation, and common budget questions.

AEPG Budget Worksheet
Required budget template for all proposals. 

[Budget Rationale Guidance]
Instructions and examples for explaining the purpose and basis of proposed expenses.

Hammer Theatre FAQ
Information for applicants proposing events at the Hammer Theatre, including scheduling, rates, and venue planning requirements.

Event Planning Guide
Guidance on planning public-facing events, timelines, promotion, and implementation.

If Your Project Is Funded

Receiving an AEPG award includes responsibility for managing the project throughout the funding year. Project coordinators work with AEPG and College staff to finalize the approved budget, complete required event and purchasing processes, coordinate publicity and audience engagement, assess the funded programming, and report on the completed project.

Award recipients also participate in AEPG coordinator meetings and other required planning activities during the funding period. Applicants should consider the time and project-management responsibilities associated with carrying out an AEPG project when developing their proposals.

Complete post-award requirements, timelines, planning tools, and administrative resources are provided to successful applicants and are available through AEPG Grant Resources.

View AEPG Grant Resources

Updated 10/10/26 (Katherine D. Harris)