Funder: Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Due Dates: November 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EST (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $30,000 per year for 12 or 24 months, plus travel allowances
Summary: Supports doctoral dissertation research, travel, and completion on any topic in the history, theory, and criticism of the visual arts.
Key Information: Applicants must be nominated by their graduate department chair and have advanced to doctoral candidacy before the deadline.
Description
The Chester Dale Fellowships support the advancement and completion of doctoral dissertations on any topic in the history, theory, and criticism of the visual arts. Funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, they are administered by the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, the National Gallery of Art’s research institute. Both fellowships combine sustained dissertation work with support for research travel in the United States or abroad.
Two fellowships are awarded annually: one for 24 months and one for 12 months. The longer fellowship combines a year of dissertation research with a second year in residence at the Center to complete the dissertation. The shorter fellowship supports study in the United States or abroad without a Center residency requirement.
