Grants
The Alastair Swayn Foundation continues Alastair’s legacy, supporting and nurturing the Australian architectural and design community through our grants program. Proposals must demonstrate a benefit to Australia’s architecture and design industries and a willingness to openly share the research findings with the Australian community. Head to Swayn Open Research for winning research projects.
The Foundation will release details of grants available in 2025 soon!
Foundation purpose
The Foundation encourages grant applications focused on architecture or design, which emphasise research, promote education, demonstrate vision and innovation, and which have potential for further development and long-term outcomes.
Founded by Alastair Swayn AO, the Foundation was established for the public charitable objective of advancing architectural culture and education, including by:
- Providing grants for research into Australian architecture and design including housing
- Promoting and supporting education in architecture, design and technology
- Funding visits by overseas scholars to further advance and promote architecture, design and technology
Grants will be awarded accordingly to research, education, exhibition, or development activities, which demonstrate one or more of the following outcomes:
- Innovative approaches that build knowledge in design
- Implementing design ideas into practice
- Future thinking for the design industry
- Maximising national and global outreach
Guiding principles
1 Excellence
The Foundation supports individuals, groups or organisations who are outstanding in their respective fields of architecture or in other design disciplines.
2 Innovation
The Foundation seeks to fund projects that take a new approach to problem-solving, especially those that can be evaluated and have potential for expansion and further development within architecture and design practice. Supporting research is fundamental to this approach.
3 Collaboration
Foundation grants have greater impact when combined with financial or in-kind support from academic institutions, government, professional industries or philanthropists. The Foundation can be one of a number of supporters or collaborators of a project, and encourages applicants to establish co-design relationships that facilitate sharing knowledge and resources to achieve a common goal.
4 Progress
The Foundation funds projects that will continue to add value well beyond the period of the grant. Long-term sustainability of the project is an important consideration for the Foundation. Proposed project subjects are limitless, provided a benefit to architecture or design is evident together with a willingness to share research findings with the Australian community.
5 Leadership
The Foundation aims to cultivate highly motivated and skilled leaders in Australian architecture and the design professions and industries, positioning Australia as a leader in global design practice.
Header Image Credit: Second Skin (Mike Louw, Sally Farrah, Iain Maxwell, Sam Tomkins)