Tile Heritage Foundation established the Doty Research Grant in 1992 to stimulate research in the field of ceramic tile history and conservation.
Grants range from $500 to $5,000 for any eligible person who wishes to engage in primary research or in a preservation endeavor for the enhancement and protection of ceramic surfaces in the United States. Thus far, we've granted more than $35,000.
The Doty Research Grant is named in honor of Riley Doty, a tile setter, collector, and historian. In recent years, he has dedicated much of his life to primary research. His willingness to share his knowledge and information with others freely and openly has been a continuing source of inspiration.
The Doty Research Grant is funded entirely by donations from individuals and businesses. These members of the Tile Heritage Foundation community specifically contribute funds for this purpose in addition to their annual membership dues.
Grant assistance is offered to qualified individuals who, in the spirit of sharing, wish to engage in primary research for the enhancement and protection of ceramic surfaces in the United States:
- To research and document ceramic surfaces, both historic and contemporary, as an integral part of this country’s cultural heritage
- To encourage the growth of organized information regarding the history and preservation of ceramic surfaces in the U.S.
- To demonstrate that through continued research, the information gathered can be effectively added to the growing store of knowledge in the Tile Heritage library, archives, and elsewhere, providing the public with a workable resource to enhance tile-related education nationwide
- To strengthen the network of people willing to share information, with the common goal of promoting and preserving ceramic surfaces in the U.S.
- To enhance the visibility of the Tile Heritage Foundation as an organization dedicated to the research and preservation of this important artistic medium
Grants are available from the Tile Heritage Foundation to all qualified people. There is no discrimination regarding gender, age, or national origin.
THF gives preference to people who embrace collaboration and who are one of the following:
- Students or teachers in ceramics, art history, or the decorative arts
- Curators, museum technicians, art and ceramic historians, preservationists, or conservators in the decorative arts
- Artists, potters, tile makers, and architectural ceramists
Ineligible applicants and projects include the following:
- Any 501(c)(3) organizations or like institutions, companies, corporations, or government agencies
- Anyone who has secured more than $5,000 in personal grants in the past 12 months
- Anyone intending to pay off an existing loan or expenses involved in seeking further funding
- Anyone involved in cause-related or political marketing or wanting to travel outside the U.S.
- Anyone involved in publisher-financed research for publication and personal gain
- Anyone seeking financial support for personal art projects
The following policies outline how the Committee awards, administers, and reports the Doty Research Grant:
- The Grant Committee prefers to provide, but is not limited to, one-time research grants.
- The Committee is under no obligation to grant money during any single year.
- Grants will range from $500 to $5,000 for any one individual per year.
- The Committee expects progress reports as well as a post-grant report from all recipients.
- Grants will be disbursed in two or three increments, depending on dollar allotment and receipt of timely progress reports.
- Tile Heritage Foundation expects to share in the information the grantee gathers and may choose to publish it.
- Grant applications must be postmarked by November 30 of a given year.
- Grants will be made by May 31 of the following year.
- Grants should not be construed as establishing a precedent for future support.
All work completed under the auspices of a Doty Research Grant becomes public information, a part of the public domain.
If after careful review of these guidelines you believe you qualify for funding from the Doty Research Grant, you are welcome to submit a grant application.
Grant Review Procedures
Please submit applications by November 30 of each year. The Doty Research Grant Committee initially screens each application. The Committee is a group independent of Tile Heritage Foundation.
Applicants with ineligible applications will be informed only after the November deadline passes. The Grant Committee will thoroughly evaluate the remaining applications and notify applicants by May 31 of the following year.
THF cannot accept phone calls, faxes, or emails regarding the disbursement of grants. All communication must be by mail.
Please send communication to the following address:
Doty Research Grant Committee
Tile Heritage Foundation
P.O. Box 1850
Healdsburg, CA 95448
All applications remain the property of the Tile Heritage Foundation.
Previous Doty Grant Recipients
Melanie Bazil
$1,500 for documenting the influences of Byzantine art and mosaics on the work of Mary Chase Stratton at Pewabic Pottery in Detroit
Alexander Bevil
$1,745 to research the California China Products Company in National City, California, later published by the San Diego Historical Society
Margaret Carney
$4,000 to document the contents of the Arthur E. Baggs Memorial Library collection at Ohio State University, from which a catalog was published, and later $4,466 to study the Flint Faience Company, the results of which are in the THF library
Jane Swan
$1,700 to publish a map of tile installations in the Twin Cities
Karin Kraemer
$3,717 to publish a tile map of the "Twin Ports" in Minnesota/Wisconsin, both of which are available in full color from Tile Heritage or from the Handmade Tile Association in Minneapolis
Kristin Henderson
$1,500 to produce a tile map and website of historic tile installations in Martinez, California
Scott Anderson & Judith Wells
$5,000 to research and document the Robertson Art Tile Company of Morrisville, Pennsylvania
Jay Shockley & Susan Tunick
$5,000 to continue their extensive research into American-made terra cotta in the Northeast from the 1850s
Lawrence Adrian
$2,000 to assist in educating young people on the history of mosaic and the importance of preserving existing installations
Vance Koehler
$5,000 to complete his research on the Enfield Pottery and Tile Works
Notes on Grant Success
There are never any guarantees for grant funding. However, there are specific procedures that, if followed, will put you in a position to have the Committee seriously consider your application and potentially grant you funds:
- Read and reread the grant guidelines, and carefully follow the directions provided.
- Submit a well-written proposal, always maintaining the specified guidelines.
- Respect the spirit of the Doty Research Grant. No funding goes toward personal art projects, hourly wages or per diems, or private enterprise. The public must be the ultimate beneficiary.