IDEAL Internship Grants

The IDEAL Internship Grants, offered by the Decorative Arts Trust, promote inclusivity and diversity within the museum field. With funding up to $5,000, the grants support internships aimed at students of color, fostering access to curatorial careers. This initiative encourages partnerships with museums and historic sites committed to serving diverse communities. By emphasizing mentorship and professional development, the Trust seeks to create systemic change and enrich the narratives in the decorative arts sector.

Decorative Arts Trust
Exchanging information through domestic and international programming;Collaborating and partnering with museums and preservation organizations; andUnderwriting internships, research grants, and scholarships for graduate students and young professionals.
Funding
The Trust is offering grants for up to $5,000 to museums and historic sites in support of internships that improve and promote inclusivity, diversity, equity, access, and leadership in the museum field by creating opportunities for underrepresented communities. The Trust seeks to fund summer and academic-year internships, ideally for disadvantaged high school and undergraduate students. Internships should focus on the decorative arts and object-based research, exhibitions, installations, and educational programs. There is an opportunity for a second year of funding if the grantee institution can demonstrate sufficient impact.

Eligibility

PartnersThe Trust seeks partners—including art museums, history museums, and historic sites—with a demonstrated commitment to serving the breadth of their local community, thereby allowing the Trust to contribute to their mission through an IDEAL internship. Potential partners should have an established track record of hosting successful inclusivity internships and the ability to offer internships that are led by or include the mentorship of museums professionals of color.AudienceMuseums and historic sites with established connections to high schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and public institutions of higher education that primarily serve communities of color should utilize those networks to promote an IDEAL internship.OutcomesInterns will work toward a defined end goal or capstone project that ensures their academic and professional growth. Whenever possible, the interns’ goals and expectations will be incorporated into the assigned work. The Trust expects partners to provide opportunities for broader professional development, peer-to-peer networking, and public outreach through tours and presentations. The Trust requires partners to evaluate and report on the success of the internships. Through the Trust’s magazine, bulletin, and social media outlets, the interns and their mentors and host organizations have a platform to share their research and projects.MentorshipIn the spirit of nourishing the students’ enthusiasm for and interest in museum careers, the Trust will ensure that each institution is sincerely dedicated to educating and advancing future museum scholars of color. Curatorial colleagues with a demonstrated interest in and ability to offer strong mentorship and a comprehensive experience are a must. Although these grants speak to diversity, they must also speak to the education and professional development of the students. Therefore, each internship should be led, in whole or part, by a colleague of color.The chance to have direct and meaningful contact with museum professionals of color creates opportunities for advocacy and relationship building that creates equity and reinforces the impact that the Trust seeks to make on the lives of students of color.FormatPartner organizations will host IDEAL internships tied to the study and interpretation of the decorative arts. The format and duration are to be determined by the prospective host institutions (e.g. full-time summer internship, part-time semester-long internship, or a part-time academic-year internship). By permitting such flexibility, the Trust will allow partners to select the model best suited for their needs and capabilities.