Paid Fellowships
Gain valuable experience.
In 2015, an industry study revealed overwhelming homogeneity in the art museum field. The Phillips Collection fellowship program promotes greater equity and diversity, enhancing the museum experience and better serving our community while providing sustained opportunities for positive growth.
Following the year-long fellowship, the Phillips will continue to engage the fellows through alumni activities, including continued mentoring and networking to ensure lasting impact and sustained professional relationships.
ELIGIBILITY
All are welcome to apply for the fellowship program. Successful applicants will demonstrate how they will contribute to the diversity of the institution, including identifying with an ethnic, gender, or ability group that is underrepresented, or having overcome a disadvantage or other impediment to success in the museum field.
ELIGIBLE FIELDS OF STUDY*
- Art History
- Anthropology
- History
- Art and Design
- Music
- Arts Management
- Education
- Communications
- Business
- Digital Humanities
- *Other relevant fields may also be considered
REQUIREMENTS
Ideal candidates include students currently enrolled in undergraduate studies at a university within the Greater Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area. Fellows are generally selected in the spring of their junior year after their majors have been declared. In a few cases, fellows may be selected in their senior year, as a graduate student, or as a recent graduate.
The following criteria are evaluated in the selecting of participants for the fellowship program:
- Academic promise (minimum of a 2.5 GPA);
- Demonstrated interest and commitment to pursue a career in the museum field, whether with coursework or professional experience;
- Application materials which include resume, cover letter, complete transcripts, writing sample, and 1 letter of reference;
- Availability for, and commitment to, engaged participation in all aspects of the fellowship program, including attendance at conferences and meetings;
- Status as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
2026-27 Fellowship Program
Makeba Clay Diversity Fellow
The Makeba Clay Fellowship is a paid nine-month long, part‐time fellowship which combines museum priorities with each fellow’s interests to gain hands-on experience in all facets of the museum. The 2026-27 fellow will support the continued advancement of the museum’s Institutional History Project, a major initiative launched in 2021 to better understand the museum’s history, with a focus on docoumenting and uncovering more about artists in the permanent collection surrounding diversity and accessibility (i.e. ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, etc.). The fellow will build on and add to the research and critical thinking about the museum’s history, including the philosophical underpinnings and aesthetic vision of Duncan Phillips and his wife, Marjorie Phillips. The fellow will have the opportunity to develop and present a DIDS (Diversity Intergroup Dialogue Series) session on a diversity topic of their choice. The fellow will work closely with the ICCR department but also receive mentoring by other departments such as curatorial and library.
Application open through July 20
Fellowship period from September 7, 2026-July 30, 2027
The Phillips Collection is an equal opportunity employer of qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. All employment decisions and personnel actions are conducted without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic disposition or carrier status, marital status, veteran status, personal appearance, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other category protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
