Through a partnership with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the AIAS is granting $30,000 to nine different schools to implement accessible design. The grants are being offered as part of the partnership through the Freedom by Design (FBD) program that aims to improve accessibility (physical, economic or social) through design and architecture. The recipients include programs at the following schools:
- Clemson University
- Montana State University
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- North Carolina State University
- Syracuse University
- University of Kansas
- University of Minnesota
- University of Nevada-Las Vegas
- University of Virginia
Five other schools will be receiving grants totaling an additional $10,000 to fund elementary school initiatives, which are part of a new AIAS Board of Directors initiative. A number of proposals for FBD focused on elementary school initiatives, which the AIAS Board saw as indicative of a true interest of the membership and should be rewarded as a natural expansion of Freedom by Design. The following schools will receive funding for such projects:
- Roger Williams University
- University of Hawaii
- University of Minnesota
- University of North Carolina-Charlotte
- University of Texas-Arlington
The programs are encouraged to complete their builds in the spring of 2017.