Advancement

Ringling College of Art and Design is Inspiring Creativity. In order to prepare graduates for our expanding global economy, higher educational institutions must heavily invest in academic innovation and creative thinking. Thus, our Catalyst for Creativity campaign will encompass three essential priorities: Building Creativity, Igniting Creativity, and Connecting Creativity.

Ringling College is a world-class institution where your investment will mean the difference in the future of aspiring artists and designers. Leadership Giving is a powerful statement of commitment to the education of our students.  Meaningful ways to contribute include giving a current use gift or creating an endowed fund but are not limited to:

Scholarships

Scholarships bridge the gap between the cost of a college education and the resources of the college student. Education and success go hand in hand. But what if a deserving student misses the opportunity to become a successful entrepreneur, filmmaker, teacher, or artist due to financial constraints?

Scholarships empower students to pursue their dreams, motivate them to aim high, encourage them to pay it forward and prepare them for a lifetime of achievement. You can help make these dreams a reality.

More than 90% of our students qualify for need and merit based support, and most could not attend without assistance from donors. Your contribution to the Student Scholarship Fund will enable Ringling College to award scholarships to deserving students who have demonstrated significant need or experienced unexpected financial hardship.

Additionally, there are opportunities to establish an endowed scholarship at Ringling College to create a lasting impact in the lives of our students. Interest income generated annually by the endowment fund will be awarded in perpetuity as student scholarships to support deserving students for generations to come.

Our newest honor, the Masterpiece Scholarship, supports outstanding students with the innate talent and drive for art and design, but simply not the financial resources to make their dreams a reality, with a full-tuition award.

For more information about scholarships at Ringling College, download our scholarship guide.

Academic Programs and Student Experiences

Donors can support individual academic courses or areas of concentration, student services, visiting artists and scholars, lectures, research projects, Student Life programs, exhibitions, publications, awards, and travel grants, as well as new building resources which enable students and faculty to enrich their studies and college experience.

Sarasota Art Museum

Changing perspectives through contemporary art. 

Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design serves as a catalyst for appreciation and understanding of world-class contemporary art by artists both established and emerging. A platform for education and exposure, the Museum serves as a haven of the avant-garde for audiences of all levels of experience with contemporary artwork. Having no permanent collection, the Museum maintains flexibility and timeliness through an endless rotation of transformative, relevant, and pioneering new exhibitions and programs. At its core a learning institution, Sarasota Art Museum hosts community education programs and courses to immerse audiences in the conceptual power of contemporary art. The Museum also offers annual membership and Ambassador benefits for those interested. Donors can also support the Museum by endowing or sponsoring exhibitions or educational programming.

For more information, visit www.sarasotaartmuseum.org.

Ringling College Film Circle

The Ringling College Film Circle is dedicated to furthering the academic and artistic excellence of the institution’s Film Program, which was established in 2007.

When you join the Ringling College Film Circle, you help our students pursue an education that uniquely prepares them for industry careers through hands-on experience on academic and commercial projects.

Membership in the Film Circle provides funds in support of scholarships, film, and branded entertainment projects and helps ensure that students are trained using industry-grade equipment in the state-of-the-art Studio Labs Soundstage and Post-Production Complex.

Film Circle members enjoy behind-the-scenes engagements with our Film students, visiting artists and industry professionals, like film screenings, master classes, meet-and-greets, discussion programs, and observing the production process first-hand.

Planned gifts are an investment which can be made today with extraordinary returns for tomorrow. They offer an opportunity to build a legacy that’s personal and meaningful through a variety of easy to establish vehicles such as bequests, gifts of stock or life insurance policies, IRAs, or real estate—just to name a few. Planned gifts ensure the high quality of education at Ringling College will thrive for many years to come. Find more information about creating a Planned Gift online.

We welcome sponsorships for our Ringling College community events and programs. Each event offers our sponsors incredible exposure and exclusive access to our various friends, patrons, and communities.

Your sponsorship can underwrite any of Ringling College’s exciting events, such as art exhibitions and openings, golf tournaments, and our annual themed scholarship fundraiser, Avant-Garde. Additionally, we have a variety of sponsorship opportunities of countless engaging events through Sarasota Art Museum, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and Englewood Art Center. Regardless of the event you wish to support, know that your partnership is greatly valued!

Every sock tells a story—make every step count!

Support our student scholarships with a minimum gift of $25 online and receive a pair of our exclusive Ringling College socks.

Ringling College greatly values annual and recurring gifts, which are used to bridge the gap between tuition and the costs incurred to deliver a world-class art and design education. Unrestricted funds are designated where the need is greatest and are essential to providing support for academics, faculty, and students. Annual gifts can be made one-time or set up as a monthly recurring gift and designated to support a variety of needs at Ringling College including, but not limited to:

• Where the need is greatest (unrestricted)
• Scholarships
• Studio and Digital Arts
• Sarasota Art Museum
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
• Englewood Arts Center