Annual Fund
Your gifts to MIAD’s Annual Fund, regardless of size, support the people and programs that propel MIAD’s growth and excellence as an educational institution and an agent of change in our shared community.
Wherever you direct your Annual Fund gift, and whatever amount you generously donate, you will make a significant difference.
Ways to direct your funds
Immediate Needs and Priorities
Unrestricted gifts allow MIAD to say “Yes!” to bold new ideas, including new programs like Animation and Fashion and Apparel Design; innovative technologies and facilities like the Lubar Centers for Innovation and Emerging Technology; equity and inclusion (E&I) initiatives like the AICAD Fellows program and expanded E&I Center and programs, and more.
Scholarships
Scholarships help bridge the gap between talent and financial need, allowing students to focus on their studies. From First in My Family Scholarships to Housing Scholarships and General Scholarships, your gift is a direct investment in a student of promise. A gift of $1,000 minimum allows you to name a scholarship.
Senior Thesis Awards are one way that alumni can help students complete their capstone projects. Looking for other ways to get involved as an alum? Let us know.
MIAD is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Gifts may be tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. If you have any questions about contributing to MIAD, please contact us.
News
Meet Mac Bronnson and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project MENd
Mac Bronnson ’26 (Communication Design) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Milwaukee and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. MENd – No Bro Left Behind is a men’s mental health app that is not designed as a mental health app.
MIAD faculty designs for Brewers Wisconsin Artist Series
Faculty member Ric Stultz, who teaches Illustration at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, has designed what is sure to become iconic apparel during the Milwaukee Brewers 2026 season.
Meet Cyrill Reyes and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project NECROZOIC
Cyrill Reyes ’26 (Illustration) is a President’s (Honor) List student from the Greater Chicago area. My thesis is game concept art and visual development of the world of NECROZOIC, a prehistoric fantasy that retells the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Meet Bailey Staerkel and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Stitched Together
Bailey Staerkel ’26 (Fashion and Apparel Design) is a Dean’s List student from Vancouver, Wash., and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. My thesis, Stitched Together, is an exploration of Gothic horror through fashion, taking classic horror archetypes and reinterpreting them into a collection of fully realized couture looks.
MIAD faculty Yi receives Wisconsin Academy Fellows Award
Multidisciplinary artist, curator, mentor and Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) professor Jason S. Yi has been named a 2026 Fellow of the prestigious Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters. Yi is one of “16 extraordinary Wisconsinites who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to intellectual discourse and public service,” the Academy said in its awards announcement.