Smithsonian Institution logo

Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowship Program Grant

Smithsonian Institution

Funding Amount

Up to US $62,000

Deadline

Deadline not published

Grant Type

Foundation

Can we apply?

Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.

Eligible organizations

  • PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and senior scholars
  • PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and senior scholars from any field who are pursuing research on American art are eligible to apply.

Overview

The Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowship Program invites applications for its prestigious fellowships, which support full-time research in American art. This program is open to PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and senior scholars. Fellowships have varying stipends, with senior fellowships offering $57,000 per year, and predoctoral fellowships offering $45,000. Applicants are encouraged to align with a research advisor from the museum's staff to enhance their application. The deadline for submission is November 1st.

NOTE:  The Audrey Flack and Betsy James Wyeth Fellowships have unique applications, tenure lengths, stipend levels, and deadlines and thus require a separate application. If you would like to be considered for the Flack or Betsy James Wyeth Fellowship in Native American Art and SIFP (or one of SAAM’s other named awards), you must submit multiple applications.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and its Renwick Gallery invite applications to its premier fellowship program, the oldest and largest in the world for the study of American art. Fellowships are residential and support full-time research in the Smithsonian collections.
The museum hosts a number of fellows each year through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP), and also awards its own named fellowships to candidates from this general pool. All candidates should apply to the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP) by the November 1st deadline. Applicants must identify a member of SAAM’s research staff to serve as primary fellowship advisor in order to hold a residency at this museum. They are encouraged to notify the potential advisor in advance of their application. To find a potential advisor whose research interests match yours, browse the museum’s staff listings in the Smithsonian Opportunities for Research and Study (SORS) guide or search our Staff Bios. Applicants to the SIFP who propose a SAAM primary advisor will automatically be considered for the museum’s named fellowships (descriptions available here):
The Will Barnet Foundation Fellowship The Joe and Wanda Corn FellowshipThe Douglass Foundation Fellowship in American ArtThe Patricia and Phillip Frost FellowshipThe Audrey Flack Short Term Fellowship The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation FellowshipThe George Gurney FellowshipThe Joshua C. Taylor FellowshipThe Terra Foundation FellowshipsThe William H. Truettner FellowshipThe Windgate Foundation FellowshipThe Wyeth Foundation Predoctoral FellowshipThe Betsy James Wyeth Fellowship in Native American Art
Award
Senior Fellowships: for scholars at least seven years beyond the Ph.D.; $57,000 per year stipend and  up to $5,000 per year research allowance.Postdoctoral Fellowships: for scholars up to seven years beyond the Ph.D.; $57,000 per year stipend and up to $5,000 per year research allowance.Predoctoral Fellowships: for doctoral candidates to conduct dissertation research; $45,000 per year stipend and up to $5,000 per year research allowance.

Eligibility

PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and senior scholars from any field who are pursuing research on American art are eligible to apply.

What Smithsonian Institution actually gave

Source: IRS Form 990, 2025

Grants in 2025
11
Total given
$609K
Median grant
$64K
Range
$5,100–$100K
  • By dollars: Florida 27%, Massachusetts 16%, Alabama 14%. Top recipient cities: Tallahassee, FL; Boston, MA; Tuskegee Institute, AL.
  • 0% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
  • 55% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.

Example grants

  • Florida State University · Tallahassee, FL

    Academic appt. stipends

    $100K

  • Harvard College · Boston, MA

    Academic appt. stipends

    $99K

  • Tuskegee University · Tuskegee Institute, AL

    Academic appt. stipends

    $86K

  • Clark Atlanta Univ · Atlanta, GA

    Academic appt. stipends

    $64K

  • Jackson State Univ · Jackson, MS

    Academic appt. stipends

    $64K

IRS Form 990, 2025. Amounts as reported by the funder. Full 990 history →

Focus Areas & Funding Uses

Fields of Work

  • Arts
  • Humanities

Categories

Browse similar grants by category

Related Grants

Open grants from this funder and similar programs

Your AI grants department

Ready to apply for Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowship Program Grant?

Grantable helps you assess fit, draft narratives, and track deadlines — so you can submit stronger applications, faster.

You found Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowship Program Grant. Now let's win it.

Start writing