Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowships

Scholarship Sponsored by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) Fellowship Program is a crucial financial resource for the visual arts and art history within the state of Virginia. The VMFA is dedicated to supporting both professional artists and students of art and art history who exhibit exceptional creative talent in their chosen field. To date, the VMFA has awarded over $6 million in Fellowships to Virginians.

The Fellowship Program was initiated in 1940, thanks to a generous donation from the late John Lee Pratt of Fredericksburg. In 2025, we celebrated the program's 85th anniversary! The Fellowships, offered through VMFA Statewide, continue to be primarily funded by the Pratt Endowment, with additional support from the J. Warwick McClintic Jr. Fellowship Fund.

Let's delve into the Fellowship categories:

The 2026-27 Fellowship period spans from May 2026 to May 2027. When deciding which category to apply for, consider your student status during the Fellowship period, not at the time of application. Note that Art History is only included as a discipline in the Graduate category.

Professional Individual Fellowship offers $8,000. Artists can apply to this category provided they will not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program during the Fellowship period. Current Undergraduate and Graduate students graduating in May 2026, who do not plan to enroll in a degree-seeking program within the following year, should apply to this category.

Professional Collaborative Fellowship also offers $8,000. Professional artists with a proven history of collaboration can apply together for one fellowship. The winning collaborative group will receive one $8,000 fellowship to share. Each artist in the group must submit an application and list their collaborating partners. Only the first artist in the group to apply needs to submit work samples.

Graduate Fellowship (Individual only) offers $6,000. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking graduate-level program for the entire academic year of Aug 2026 through May 2027 at an accredited institution. If you plan to graduate in May 2026 and do not plan to enroll in a degree-seeking program within the following year, you should apply for a Professional Fellowship.

Undergraduate Fellowship (Individual only) offers $4,000. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking undergraduate-level program for the entire academic year of Aug 2026 through May 2027 at an accredited institution. If you plan to graduate in May 2026 and do not plan to enroll in a degree-seeking program within the following year, you should apply for a Professional Fellowship. High school seniors graduating in May/June 2026 and planning to be enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking program for the entire academic year of Aug 2026 through May 2027 are eligible to apply for an Undergraduate Fellowship.

Eligibility criteria for Professional Artists and Students (Graduate and Undergraduate) are outlined in detail, including residency requirements, restrictions on degree-seeking students, and limitations for previous Fellowship recipients and VMFA employees. Please review these carefully to ensure you meet the criteria before applying.