Funder: Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Due Dates: November 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (Application) | September 1, 2027 (Fellowship begins)
Funding Amounts: $30,000 per year for 36 months, plus travel allowances; residency housing as available
Summary: Supports doctoral dissertation research in European art through two years abroad and a final year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts.
Key Information: Applicants need graduate department chair nomination and must be U.S. citizens or enrolled in a U.S. university.
Description
The Paul Mellon Fellowship supports the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation in European art. Funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, it is administered through the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, the National Gallery of Art’s research institute. It belongs to the Center’s predoctoral dissertation fellowship program, which supports graduate research in the history, theory, and criticism of the visual arts.
One fellowship is awarded annually. Fellows spend two years abroad developing expertise in a specific city, locality, or region related to their dissertation. The third year is spent in residence at the Center completing the dissertation. During residency, fellows participate in lectures, colloquia, and discussions and maintain regular contact with the Center’s professors and other fellows.
