Adobe Foundation

OVERVIEW: Adobe conducts grantmaking through its corporate responsibility program, which runs a robust scholarship and fellowship program. This work centers on women and girls, global development, crime and violence, housing, and public health. It also supports the communities where its employees live and work in the U.S. and abroad. Grants are based on employee interest and involvement. 

IP TAKE: Adobe’s scholarship and fellowship programs are an accessible source of educational and financial support for aspiring creative and technology students and professionals. Adobe’s community grantmaking program, however, is steered by its employees, and tends to change focus from year to year. Access to these grants will likely require connection to Adobe personnel. Across all programs, recent giving has prioritized financial need, economic development and diversity. The company’s social responsibility program also offers in-kind giving, which may be useful to nonprofits in some cases.

PROFILE: Based in San Jose, California, the software giant Adobe Inc. began its corporate responsibility program in 2007. Its philanthropic works aims to create “positive outcomes in the communities” where its parent company maintains operations. Adobe invests in education, professional development in technology and visual arts through several scholarship and residency programs, many of which prioritize women and individuals from underrepresented groups. It also makes grants in areas of community development based on the interests of its parent company’s employees.

Grants for Higher Education and Visual Arts

Adobe runs several scholarship, fellowship and other programs that support students pursuing careers in visual arts and technology. Current offerings include the following:

The Design Circle Scholarship Initiative focuses on increasing diversity for the future of the design industry by awarding ten annual $25,000 scholarships to students from unerrepresented backgrounds who will study product, web, UX or interaction design at relevant colleges and universities. Awardee are eligible to renew their scholarships annually for a maximum of four years.

Adobe Women in Technology Scholarships support “outstanding female computer science undergraduate and masters students around the world” with $10,000 scholarships. Undergraduate and graduate level students pursuing studies in fields including artificial intelligence, data science, computer science and web development at universities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are eligible to apply.

The Adobe Digital Academy targets nontraditional students and “career switchers” and provides scholarships, living stipends, apprenticeships and career counseling. Areas of focus include user experience design, data science, software engineering and digital marketing. This signature program has also developed a “playbook” that helps other companies “build their own modern apprenticeship programs.”

The Adobe Creative Residency Program runs two subprograms that aim to enable creators to “share their stories and unique and diverse voices with their communities.” The Annual Residency “honors people whose work elevates the role of visual content in our culture.” Adobe provides these exceptional creators with a “full salary commensurate with their experience and geographical location,” as well as access to Adobe creative and technology tools, mentoring and networking support. In exchange, residents are tasked to share their creative projects with their communities. The residency program’s community fund supports “creators during extraordinary times of hardship” with “access to the tools, inspiration and support they need.” Recipients generally receive $10,000 plus access to adobe software, technology, mentoring and networking support.

Adobe’s Gem Fellowships is a collaboration between Adobe and the National GEM Consortium, which aims “to help students from underrepresented groups pursue graduate degrees in STEM fields.” Each year, Adobe awards ten fellowships consisting of scholarships and summer internships in relevant fields.

The Adobe Stock Artist Development Fund, which does not run every year, awards 40 grants of $7,500 to creators who “who identify with and depict underrepresented communities.” Stipends are intended “to provide meaningful financial support to help artists overcome barriers to mounting creative productions” including production- or exhibition-related expenses.

Grants for Film

Adobe collaborates with the Sundance Institute on two of its fellowship opportunities that pertain specifically to creators working in film. Sundance Ignite Fellowships support documentary and narrative filmmakers between the ages of 18 and 25 with one-year artists development programs that include mentoring, education and apprenticeships with the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival. The second fellowship program, the Women at Sundance Adobe Fellowship, supports five women-identifying film artists annually with a $10,000 grant, participation in Sundance programs and mentoring by Sunance and/or Adobe staff and executives.

Additionally, in early 2024, Adobe and the Adobe Foundation created the $6 million Adobe Film & TV Fund, which will support creators and filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds by helping to develop career opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Grants for Public Health, Human Rights, Housing and Community Development

Adobe’s Community initiative is employee driven and therefore changes focus from year to year. However, recent grantmaking and contributions from this program have supported initiatives for public health, human rights and community development, among other areas of interest. The program’s mandate is simply to “make things better in the places where we live and work.” Support has gone to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the Santa Clara County Homeless Prevention System Financial Assistance Program and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Important Grant Details:

Adobe runs open application systems for all of its scholarships and fellowships, which are generally awarded in set amounts. According to tax filings, Adobe’s national and international community development grants range from $5,000 to $150,000; however, grants can reach over $1 million. Average grant size total about $25,000. These grants are awarded through an employee selection process. 

Adobe does accept unsolicited proposals, but the company provides an email address for contacting its social impact teams. 

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