The Sustainable Cities Design Academy
To help support and advance good sustainable design practices, the American Architectural Foundation, in partnership with United Technologies Corporation (UTC), created the Sustainable Cities Design Academy (SCDA). This initiative provides leadership development and technical assistance to local community leaders who are engaged in planning a sustainable building project in their community.
The Mayors’ Institute on City Design
The Mayors’ Institute on City Design is a National Endowment for the Arts leadership initiative in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors. Since 1986, MICD has helped transform communities through design by preparing mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities. More than 850 mayors nationwide have participated in the program.
Architecture + Design Education Network
To advance public interest and education in design and architecture, the American Architectural Foundation and the Chicago Architecture Foundation established the Architecture + Design Education Network. A+DEN is a collaborative association of like-minded organizations committed to promoting innovative architecture and design education for teachers and students in grades K-12.
Accent on Architecture Gala
For the past twenty-three years, national leaders in design, government, and education have gathered in Washington, DC, for this black-tie event hosted by the American Architectural Foundation. With a program rich in ideas, the Gala has become the nation’s premier celebration of leadership in architecture and urban design. The 24th-annual Gala took place on March 22, 2013, at the historic Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.
Accent on Architecture Grants
AAF’s Accent on Architecture grants assist local, non-profit organizations in producing innovative design-education programs for children. Accent grants have supported creative programming initiatives including television programs, symposia, design workshops, and teacher education. They enhance the visibility and public understanding of architecture and strengthen relationships between communities and local design groups.
Keystone Award
Presented by the American Architectural Foundation, the Keystone Award is an annual national award that honors an individual or organization from outside the field of architecture for exemplary leadership that increases the value of architecture and design in our culture. NYC Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden was honored as the tenth Keystone laureate in 2011.
Joseph P. Riley Jr. Award for Leadership in Urban Design
In 2010, the American Architectural Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors created the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Award for Leadership in Urban Design to recognize mayors whose commitment to excellence in urban design reflects the outstanding example set by the award’s namesake. The inaugural Riley Award went to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2011.
Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship
Since 1990, the Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship, co-sponsored by the American Architectural Foundation and the French Heritage Society, has offered mid-career American and French design professionals an intensive six-month exchange experience that showcases the latest scholarship and practice around historic preservation and architectural heritage. The Hunt Fellowship is named for Richard Morris Hunt, the first American architect to study at Paris’ renowned École des Beaux-Arts.
Design for Learning
An initiative to develop and advance knowledge, strategies, and solutions for supporting new modes of teaching and learning through architecture and design. At the heart of this initiative is the Design for Learning Council, which AAF is in the process of establishing. The Council is being formed through an invitation-only process, and it will be composed of an influential cross-section of leaders in education, technology, philanthropy, and design.
Great Schools by Design
Each day across the United States, more than 59 million students, teachers, and education employees spend substantial time in our country’s 120,000 school buildings. AAF established Great Schools by Design in 2005 with the belief that a well-designed learning environment is an important, perhaps essential, contributor to successful teaching and improved learning. By promoting collaboration, excellence, and innovation in school design, AAF seeks to improve the quality of America’s schools and the communities they serve.
George M. White Award
The award is named for the late George M. White, FAIA, retired architect of the Capitol, who, during his nearly 25-year tenure, oversaw key construction and restoration projects around the nation’s capital. On Thursday, October 11, 2012, the American Architectural Foundation (AAF) honored David M. Childs, FAIA, as the inaugural recipient of the George M. White Award for Excellence in Public Architecture at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
AIA/AAF Minority/Disadvantaged Scholarship
The AIA/AAF Minority Disadvantaged Scholarship provides assistance to high school graduates, college freshmen, and community college students from a minority and/or financially disadvantaged background who intend to pursue a NAAB-accredited professional degree (5-year BA or BA + MA) in architecture.