20,000 dollars for you
TL;DR: AIA Oregon received a $20,000 grant to make architectural licensure more accessible in Oregon and nationally. The new fund provides candidates up to $1,500 to assist in getting licensed, creating in person and on demand courses on ARE subject areas as well as an online ARE study platform to create community.
We’re always working on adding value to your membership, and as a continuation of that work we applied for and won a $20,000 grant from AIA (10 percent of the overall available funds), offered as a part of their 2026-2030 strategic plan to make licensure more accessible for AIA Associate Members. The application effort was led by AIA Oregon’s Committee for Practice and Licensure (CoPAL) Leader Savannah Sinowitz, AIA. Savannah was AIA Oregon’s 2025 “Emerging Professional Award” winner, and previous recipient of a Chris White Scholarship. Savannah is also supported in the effort by the other members of CoPAL Quinten, Associate AIA and Valeria, Associate AIA along with staff member Paul Davis.
With this $20,000:
We will create a Finish Line Fund:
This fund will provide up to $1500 to each applicant to purchase any tools of support they need to get licensed.
This fund is designed to be non-specific with what qualifies as a tool for support. A tool for support could be funds to cover child care during your testing so you can focus on your test without stress, hiring a coach to help you get over the hump, or two months of a study platform. Whatever you need we want to provide.
This fund will be first come first serve so if you know of someone who will benefit from this program please spread the word about it.
Funds will be prioritized for people who have already passed exams
This fund will be limited to AIA Oregon members.
We will create licensure courses:
Which will dive deep into specific knowledge categories that are notoriously difficult for test takers.
Which will make it so we can contract with subject area experts and pay them a speaker fee to host these licensure courses. Preference will be given to members of AIA Oregon.
These courses will also have prizes associated with joining in-person and virtually.
We will create a nationally accessible study platform
To host discussions and mentor test takers.
To host all past courses with interactive questions and explanations to the answers built in.
To host an exhaustive licensure document covering everything a test taker would need to know to go from uncertain to licensed.
To host a list of all firms in Oregon that have become Emerging Professional Friendly Firm Certified.
Licensure shouldn’t be easy but it should be accessible to all who want it and we’re excited that AIA Oregon is leading the charge to make licensure achievable nationally.
Have questions? Email pdavis@aiaoregon.org