The 2026 Grant application site is open! Join the interest call on March 20th.
2026 AIA Future Forward Grant
A project presented by the Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT) and the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF), this grant supports students, emerging professionals, and early career architects in the testing of new ideas that disrupt the traditional conception of practice, process, and product in the field of architecture. The primary objective of the Future Forward Grant is to perpetuate innovation in the practice of architecture by empowering students, emerging professionals, and early career architects to do things they would not otherwise have the capital or resources to accomplish. This grant seeks to fund untested ideas and advance exploration, innovation, and disruption in the architecture profession.
Applicants may submit proposals within the following categories:
PRACTICE: supports programs that foster leadership development, advance the organizational effectiveness of professional practice, and redefine firm management strategy
PROCESS: supports programs that promote firm culture, streamline workflow, and establish new methods of project delivery
PRODUCT: supports the development of new prototypes, programs, or technologies that advance the practice of architecture
Grant Sponsors
The Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT) is a 501c6 member organization. (Independent of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)); and which collaborates with the national and local chapters of the AIA as appropriate.
The Young Architects Forum (YAF) is a member group of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and is organized to address issues of particular importance to recently licensed architects (within 10 years or less of first licensure)
Eligibility:
The AIA Future Forward Grant is open to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) members who have been licensed to practice architecture for fewer than 10 years, Assoc. AIA members, and members of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS). All applicants must be in good standing with the AIA or AIAS, whichever most directly applies.
Grant Amount:
There is a maximum of $10,000 in grant money available to one or more proposals. Grant proposals may be made in increments of $1,000. Proposals with matching funds are encouraged.
Submission Details
Review the full application for details. But in short, you will need:
- Executive Summary (500 word max)
- PDF proposal: Title, Purpose, expected benefactors, proposed budget, schedule, and amount of funds requested
- Contact information for one reference
Criteria & Selection
The jury panel is comprised of five professionals from the AIA Young Architects Forum and the AIA Large Firm Roundtable.
The jury selects the grant awardees based on the following five criteria, scored on a scale of 1 (low) to 3 (high), no weighting. Please consider these when preparing your application.
- Disrupts the architecture profession and/or the traditional conception of practice, process, and product in the field of architecture;
- Clearly and satisfactorily articulates a plan for the use of funds;
- Serves the Profession (at any scale);
- Overall Assessment (This grant seeks to fund untested ideas and advance exploration, innovation, and disruption in the architecture profession. Overall, how well does this project meet that goal?)
Schedule:
The application period for the Future Forward Grant is March 6, 2026, through April 17, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET. Grant proposals will not be accepted after the April 17, 2026 deadline. Incomplete applications will be immediately disqualified.
An interest call will take place on March 20, 2026. Register now!
The Grant Jury will meet during the month of May 2026 and recipient(s) will be announced in June 2026.
The AIA shall pay Grant Recipient(s) fifty percent (50%) of the Grant Amount within thirty (30) days after the execution of a grant agreement. The AIA shall pay Grant Recipient(s) the remaining fifty percent (50%) of the Grant Amount within thirty (30) days of receipt of an invoice following completion of the Grant Project.
Grant Recipient Deliverables & Expectations
The selected recipient(s) will be expected to:
- Participate in monthly calls to report on Grant Project progress with a YAF representative, pending YAF representative availability. Time and schedule to be determined by need and between Grant Recipient and YAF representative; and
- Provide a monthly written project update, no more than one paragraph with any additional media or materials, as needed, to YAF representative; and
- Provide a final report, minimum 2-page in length, including successes, lessons learned, and benefits upon completion of the Grant Project; and
- Make a virtual presentation to report out Grant Project findings. This presentation will be given to the Large Firm Roundtable during a meeting in 2027; and
- As requested, contribute to YAF social media as agreed to by both Parties; and
- Grant Recipient is required to provide one written article for publication in an AIA media vehicle by end of Q3 2027. Length of publication to be determined at a future date depending on where the article will be published; and
- Submit a proposal to present Grant Project as a session at the 2027 AIA Conference on Architecture & Design. If the session proposal is accepted, costs associated with travel to and from Conference and all related costs for the session are the sole responsibility of the Grant Recipient. Additionally, a separate speaker agreement will be signed for the commitment to present at Conference.
- Submit a proposal to present Grant Project as an AIAU course by June 30, 2027. If the course proposal is accepted, a separate speaker agreement will be signed for the commitment to present on AIAU.
Additional information
2026 Jury
Kaylyn Kirby, AIA | YAF Strategy Director | Jury Chair
Anastasia Markiw, AIA | YAF Vice Chair
Rio Namiki, AIA | Young Architect Representative - Washington
Alyson Steele, FAIA | LFRT CEO
Hemanshu Parwani, Allied AIA | LFRT CEO
Please email YAF Staff Ambassador, Rachel Gresham, AIA, (RachelGresham@aia.org) to request additional information.