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Finding Funding for Arts Faculty & Grad Students

1. Arts Funding Snapshot

List of major grants and fellowships for creative and scholarly research, updated monthly with upcoming deadlines.

February 2021 Snapshot
Rolling Deadlines

Previous Snapshots:
January 2021 Snapshot
December 2020 Snapshot
November 2020 Snapshot

2. UCSC Arts Funding Opportunities

UCSC Grants for Faculty

Arts Research Institute

Committee on Research (COR) Faculty Research Grants - February
Committee on Research (COR) New Faculty Research Grants - November
COR Travel Grants -  rolling
Foundation Board Opportunity Fund - rolling
Hellman Fellowship for Assistant Professors - February
Humanities Institute - multiple
ORD Seed Fund Initiatives - multiple
Porter College - multiple
Porter Research Fellow - Undergraduate application to work for faculty
Research Center for the Americas - multiple

UCSC Grants for Graduate Students

Arts Dean’s Fund for Excellence – rolling (not offered for 2019-20 academic year - more info forthcoming)
Graduate Division Fellowships Listmultiple
Humanities Institute - multiple
Porter College Teaching Fellowship - April (not offered for 2019-20 academic year - more info forthcoming)
Research Center for the Americas - multiple

Additional opportunities announced throughout the year.

3. External Arts Funding Opportunities By Field (Faculty and Grads)

These funding opportunities are field-specific. We include approximate dates as these grants and fellowships are recurring. For updated dates, visit the pages linked.

4. Fellowships & Postdocs for Creative Practice and Scholarly Inquiry

5. Office of Research & Pivot

Sign up for an account for this service to customize national and international searches for all funding opportunities.

6. Summer Internship and Research Opportunities for Students

Smithsonian Institute
Katzenberger Foundation Art History Internship (undergraduates only)
Virtual
Deadline: February 14
The Katzenberger Foundation Art History Internship Program is a need-based program supporting internships for undergraduates in research and collections projects at the Smithsonian Institution. The program is generously funded by the Katzenberger Foundation and administered by the Office of Fellowships and Internships. Six internships are offered each summer.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
2021 Summer Internships
Virtual
Deadline: February 15
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s internship program offers students behind-the-scenes exposure to the day-to-day operations of one of the country’s leading modern and contemporary art museums. An internship at SFMOMA is an excellent first step if you are a college student or recent graduate interested in learning more about how museums work, are considering pursuing academic credit for an undergraduate or graduate-level program, or hoping to pursue a career at the museum.

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Summer Intern Program
Virtual or in-person TBD

Deadline: February 15
The Summer Program is an introduction to museum work, designed for students who have little or no previous museum experience. Instead of moving through different museum areas, interns in the Summer Program concentrate on one assigned department or office, compatible with his or her interests or career goals. Students with a four-year college degree and undergraduate college seniors and juniors (students completing their sophomore year at the time of application) may apply. Graduate students will be considered for this program on an individual basis.

Center for Curatorial Leadership
CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar in Curatorial Practice
New York City (or virtual if needed)
Deadline: February 21
The CCL/Mellon Seminar in Curatorial Practice provides art history Ph.D. students in all fields of specialty with an in-depth introduction to working in museums. The two-week intensive combines exhibition and collection tours, conversations with curators and cultural leaders, and group exercises at New York City institutions. With support from a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Seminar provides a critical training opportunity for emerging curatorial professionals. Twelve to fifteen students annually receive the extraordinary opportunity to observe, analyze, and engage in the critical responsibilities of museums through a range of institutional contexts.

Getty Institute
Getty Post-Baccalaureate Conservation Internships, 2021-22
Los Angeles (may begin virtually)
Deadline: February 22
Getty Post-Baccalaureate Conservation Internships aim to increase diversity in the field of art conservation. Launched in the fall of 2020 as a pilot program, the internships are the first nationwide effort to provide yearlong financial support and hands-on conservation experience to post-baccalaureate young professionals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds preparing to apply to conservation graduate programs.

University of Michigan
Michigan Humanities Emerging Research Scholars Program

Ann Arbor, MI
Deadline: February 22
This program is designed to encourage rising seniors, recent B.A.s and terminal master’s students from diverse cultural, economic, geographic, and ethnic backgrounds to consider pursuing a doctoral degree in the humanities at the University of Michigan. Our goal is to attract diverse scholars with unique experiences who foster innovation and push the humanities to meet today’s challenges. For 2021, students interested in the fields of Asian Languages and Cultures, Classical Studies, English, History, Linguistics, Sociology (qualitative), and Women’s and Gender Studies (any humanities field) are eligible.

Archives of American Art
Summer 2021 Internships
Deadline: February 25
The Archives of American Art offers internships year-round to students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs who wish to learn and gain professional experience in various fields including archival science, information management, museum studies, art administration, art history, and cultural studies.

National Gallery of Art
2021 Virtual Summer Internships
Virtual
Deadline: February 28
Nine-week virtual summer internships provide opportunities to work on projects directed by a Gallery curator or department head. Biweekly museum seminars introduce interns to the broad spectrum of museum work, and to Gallery staff, departments, programs, and functions. Interns will learn about the collection by developing and presenting live art talks on Zoom. At the beginning of the summer, interns will participate in an intensive training about online public speaking. They will learn how to talk about original works of art in a way that is relevant, engaging, and accessible. Interns then develop tours that incorporate their own interests and offer online audiences an insider perspective on the National Gallery of Art and its collection.

National Gallery of Art
John Wilmerding Internships, 2021–2022 (post-MA/MFA)
Washington, DC (may be virtual or hybrid)
Deadline: February 28
The John Wilmerding Fund for Education in American Art supports two nine-month internships: one in American art and one in digital interpretation. The internships provide institutional training to students interested in pursuing a museum career. The John Wilmerding Interns work on projects directed by a Gallery curator or department head. Biweekly museum seminars introduce the interns to the broad spectrum of museum work, and to Gallery staff, departments, programs, and functions.

National Museum of American History
Summer 2021 Internships
Virtual, in-person, or hybrid, depending on intern’s preference and museum’s staffing capacity
Deadline: March 1
NMAH offers internships in every department of the museum, including (but not limited to) curatorial and collections management, education and audience engagement, exhibition design and production, communications and marketing, special events and donor relations, and museum operations. However, the specific internships offered each cycle (spring, summer, or fall) depend on mentor availability and upcoming possible internship projects.

National Museum of African American History and Culture
Summer 2021 Internships
Virtual
Deadline: March 15
Internships at the National Museum of African American History and Culture offer college and graduate students and recent graduates opportunities to work closely with professionals and scholars in the museum field. The museum provides a dynamic learning environment and access to supportive mentors that help interns reach their educational and professional goals. Interns can gain practical museum skills and program development experience in a variety of positions from education to collections to public relations.

National Museum of the American Indian
Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships
Washington, DC, and New York City
Deadline: March 15
Andrew W. Mellon fellowships are intended to cultivate practical skills as well as foster a solid understanding of the contexts of material culture, the philosophies of conservation at the NMAI, and the ethics of the conservation profession. Museum programming involves collaboration with Native people in developing appropriate methods of caring for and interpreting cultural materials. Andrew W. Mellon fellowships involve work on the Conservation Office’s major projects and research related to projects and collections. Current projects include the preparation of artifacts for loans and for exhibits at NMAI sites in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Smithsonian Institute
Conservation Internship for Broadening Access (undergraduates only)
Virtual
Deadline: March 15
CIBA aims to help diversify the field of museum conservation by introducing students to the field who come from varied economic, cultural, social, and educational backgrounds.  Students and recent graduates from Minority Serving Institutions of higher education such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions are encouraged to apply to this program.

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Summer 2021 Internships
Virtual
Deadline: March 19
Internships usually last anywhere between 10-15 weeks. The museum encourages part-time internships of 20-30 hours per week and is flexible with start & end dates, duration, and number of hours worked per week. APAC offers modest internship stipends every semester—funding is limited and highly competitive. Interns may also receive academic credit through their universities.

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Summer 2021 Internships

Virtual
Deadline: TBD, check for updates
The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives welcomes current or recent undergraduate and graduate students who wish to gain archival experiences, capturing, preserving, and sharing the history of the Smithsonian. Internships are available in the following teams: Archives, Institutional History, Preservation, and Virtual Projects.

Disney Animation Studios
Technology Research Graduate Intern, Summer 2021
Burbank, CA
Deadline: Open
As a Walt Disney Animation Studios Technology Intern, you will have the unique opportunity to work directly with a Disney mentor as you explore all aspects of technology in relation to filmmaking. This immersive program offers hands-on experience focused on individual craft and multidisciplinary team collaboration.

Google
Research Intern, PhD, Summer 2021
Mountain View, plus other locations
Deadline: Open
This internship is intended for students who are pursuing a PhD with an anticipated graduation date on or after December 2021, depending on their program and unique circumstances.