Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowship Program Grant

Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowship Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Smithsonian Institution (SI)
Amount: Up to US $62,000
Last Updated: August 22, 2025

Summary

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.

Overview

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

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and senior scholars from any field who are pursuing research on American art are eligible to apply.