Global Executive Arts Management Fellowship Grant

Global Executive Arts Management Fellowship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: University of Maryland
Last Updated: October 22, 2025

Summary

The Global Executive Arts Management Fellowship, hosted by the University of Maryland, supports executives in the arts and cultural sector. This immersive program offers three years of fully-subsidized training, including strategic planning, leadership, and fundraising. Participants engage in cohort-based activities and residencies, fostering collaboration and personal reflection. Designed for leaders at pivotal career moments, it strengthens their impact within their organizations and communities by sharing best practices and experiences.

Overview

Background The DeVos Institute Executive Fellowship serves entrepreneurial executives in the arts and cultural sector who are prepared to look critically at their work, challenge assumptions, and develop rigorous strategies to address the most pressing challenges facing their organizations, regions, and art forms at large. Led by DeVos Institute Founder & Chairman Michael M. Kaiser and President Brett Egan, this high-intensity program serves executives of arts, culture, heritage and humanities non-profits worldwide. It provides training and guidance in strategic planning, leadership, fundraising, marketing, board governance, human resources, and financial planning coupled with peer learning, networking, and time for personal reflection. It is designed as both a catalyst for leaders at critical points in their careers, as well as a high-touch, long-term investment in a generation of leaders who will support one another, and their fields of service, for a lifetime. Individuals engage in the Fellowship at a point of career inflection when they are well-positioned to make a significant investment in their work at their organization and their role as a leader in their field. Fellows pursue the program through the lens of their current organization, developing, implementing, and refining strategies for their organization through its curriculum. It serves both top organizational leaders (CEO, Executive Director, and similar) and members of senior management (Deputy Director, General Manager, Director of Development or Marketing, and similar). Past Fellows have come from a range of backgrounds – many are founders and executive directors of organizations which they have grown to a point of maturity, while others are leaders within iconic institutions or contemporary platforms. All Fellows share a deep commitment to the role of arts, culture, and creative practice in their respective societies and an inquisitiveness that drives them to engage deeply in the immersive and collaborative environment. On average, Fellows bring 10-20 years of professional experience to reflect upon. The program provides three sequential years of fully-subsidized training, travel, housing, and living support. Fellows attend a four-week residency in July for three consecutive years and engage in cohort-based activities between residencies. It introduces a new cohort and matriculates a returning cohort each summer, allowing each Fellow to engage with five cohorts over the three-year engagement. 5-7 Fellows are selected to begin the program each year through a competitive application process. Each residency serves approximately 20 Fellows across 1st year, 2nd year, and 3rd year cohorts. Fellows receive: Air and ground transportation between the Fellowship residency location. and their state or country of residence. The residency is held in Washington, D.C. at least once every three years. Other U.S. East Coast locations may be used in alternate years.Lodging during the FellowshipPer diem to cover living expenses during the FellowshipVisa sponsorship (for international applicants)Program materials

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The fellowship is designed to be pursued through the context of each Fellow’s current organization. As such, applicants must:Currently serve as the executive director (or equivalent) or the head of a major department within an arts or cultural organization in a paid, permanent capacity. While the program is equally impactful for leaders working in large and small organizations, the applicant’s organization must have a minimum of three full-time staff members (or equivalent), three years of consistent programming history, and an operating budget of at least the equivalent of $250,000 USD/€220,000 EUR.Have an excellent command of business English, orally and written; and Be able to commit to the full term of the Fellowship. (Four weeks beginning in early July for three consecutive years.Upcoming dates are: July 7 - August 1, 2025; July 6 - 31, 2026; and July 5 - 30, 2027)