SPCUNY Faculty Fellows Application and FAQ
For questions not addressed below, please write spcuny@gmail.com
What is SPCUNY?
Social Practice CUNY (SPCUNY) is an educational network that amplifies the collective power of socially engaged artists, scholars, and advocates throughout the City University of New York’s rich tapestry of faculty, staff, and students working for social justice. Based at the CUNY Graduate Center and working with students and faculty across CUNY’s 25 campuses, SPCUNY’s theory of educational transformation fosters structures for diverse creative leaders who will empower New York City as an inclusive, justice-driven cultural landscape.
What are Faculty Fellows?
A significant number of CUNY faculty at all levels make public-facing work at the intersection of art and social justice, collaborating with diverse communities at CUNY campuses and throughout the city. This kind of labor complements and informs faculty members’ scholarly and pedagogic work, but remains largely unassisted, unacknowledged, and isolated. The SPCUNY grants for faculty aim to change this by assembling a cohort of faculty and students who are working to develop an independent project at the intersection of art and social justice. Fellows will receive $4,000 stipends towards the fulfillment of their public-facing project, access to Materials for the Arts, and communications/publicity support. (Please note: stipends are subject to taxes and fringe deductions, which vary by CUNY campus and employment status).
For examples of past and current projects, visit our Projects page and our Events page. You can hear from our Fellows in their own words on episodes of our podcast, Part of the Practice.
What will be required of SPCUNY Faculty Fellows?
Faculty will propose and implement a creative/collaborative project at the intersection of art and social justice, to be carried out and presented publicly in the 2025-2026 academic year. The faculty fellows will meet with the larger SPCUNY cohort (which includes CUNY graduate students) twice per semester for project feedback, networking, and conversations related to socially engaged art, and will participate in a Social Practice CUNY Faculty/Student Buddy System in which they are paired with a graduate student from the cohort for peer feedback and mutual support. All cohort members should plan to share their work at least once with the public (beyond CUNY) during the academic year; application proposals should reflect this.
Who is eligible?
All CUNY faculty (in any discipline/s) affiliated with any campus who want to develop a project at the intersection of social justice and art are eligible to apply, regardless of title or rank. Applicants can be teaching (including adjunct) or non-teaching faculty, but they must have an active CUNY appointment in at least the fall semester of their fellowship year. Previous experience in creating social practice work is not required, but applicants should have a project idea that clearly incorporates both art and social justice. Our website showcases work from previous cohorts that will give you an idea of appropriate projects. If you think this program might be a fit for you but you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact us!
Special eligibility note for PhD candidates: Doctoral candidates are eligible for the Faculty Fellowship, whether they are teaching or not, if they are no longer in coursework for the entire 2025-26 academic year—i.e. if you were not eligible for a Student Fellowship because of the coursework requirement, you may apply for a Faculty Fellowship.
What kinds of projects are we looking for?
While social practice has many possible definitions, and our own understanding of the term is always evolving, SPCUNY is focused on work that has both an artistic component (in any discipline of the arts) and a social justice component. Submissions that propose a recognizable academic format should show an intention to play with that format. Importantly, proposed projects should center partnership with a non-CUNY public or publics. This means that, while your students can optionally be involved, they cannot be the only public for the project. SPCUNY is eager to support faculty projects that do not involve teaching. We do, however, encourage work within communities where our Fellows are already connected—no need to reinvent the wheel. The best way to get an idea of what we consider to be social practice is to check out examples of past and current projects from our Fellows by visiting our Projects page and our Events page.
How do I apply?
Required application materials will all be submitted via the application form, and include a project proposal and a sample of your work, either from your proposed project or past work relevant to this project. Application deadline: June 30, 2025.
