Decorator's Club Discover Design Precollege Scholarship

New York state high school-aged residents, interested in Interior Design, may be eligible for a scholarship based on the criteria listed below. BIPOC high school students are encouraged to apply. This is a full scholarship award covering the entire tuition cost for one, in-person class, either in Interior Design or related area, within FIT’s Precollege Programs. 

This scholarship is awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis provided the student supplies all the required supplemental documents within the deadline. Students must submit a completed application with support documents. Award recipients will be notified by email and at that time asked to select their course  of choice related to Interior Design (in-person only) or equivalent. 

Please note:

  • Students may need to purchase personal supplies for the class in the estimated amount of $60, except for darkroom photography courses with an estimated supply cost of $130.
  • Reimbursements for  Precollege courses purchased independently are not available through this scholarship opportunity.
  • Only high school Precollege classes qualify for this award.
  • Precollege students may only receive one FIT Scholarship award per semester, whether it is the The Decorator’s Club Discover Design Precollege Scholarship or any other scholarship.
  • Students who fail to attend the first two sessions of their program will forfeit their award.

Application Deadline

  • The deadline for summer applications is May 20, 2024.

Decorator's Club Scholarship Application

The following support documents will be required as part of the application:

  1. A copy of your current high school transcript
  2. A third-party document indicating your need for financial assistance (free or reduced lunch form awards can be submitted as proof)
  3. A 200-400 word essay discussing your interests for Interior Design and how you've overcome challenges and obstacles to get to where you are today.
    • Please be mindful of grammar and spelling as it will be considered in our decision (this essay question will be included in the scholarship application)
  4. The student is a New York state resident 

The transcript and a third-party document indicating need must be sent in ONE email to [email protected] using PDF or JPEG formats within 24 hours of submitting the application form, with a subject line: First Name Last Name:  Decorator’s Club Scholarship Documents.

About:
Founded in New York City in 1914, The Decorators Club is the nation’s oldest women’s professional organization dedicated to interior design. In the 1920s it participated in union negotiations for upholsterers and painters, introduced public decorating clinics and exhibited the first model rooms at Grand Central Galleries. The 1930s saw the club develop the first standardized interior design contracts as well as play a key role in the founding of the country's first national interior design organization. During World War II members designed drydocks and USO clubhouses. Continuing the momentum, it mounted an American-Italian design exchange in Florence in the 1970s and was the first design group invited to visit the People’s Republic of China before it was opened to the West. Past members include decorators Rose Cumming, Elisabeth Draper, and Betty Sherrill; textile pioneer Dorothy Liebes; and historic preservationist Nancy McClelland.