Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowships

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline and, as such, has awarded more than $6 million in Fellowships to Virginians.

The Fellowship Program was established in 1940 through a generous contribution made by the late John Lee Pratt of Fredericksburg. The year 2025 marked the program’s 85th anniversary! Offered through VMFA Statewide, Fellowships are still largely funded through the Pratt Endowment and supplemented by the J. Warwick McClintic Jr. Fellowship Fund.

2026–27 Fellowship Timeline

Application Opens: June 1, 2025

Application Closes: 5 pm November 7, 2025

Applicants Notified: By the third week of February 2026

No application fee

Apply online. 

Please be sure to start the application process early. Contact the Fellowship Office if you need any assistance completing the online application or have a question that is not answered in the FAQ.

Paper applications, incomplete applications, and applications not received by the deadline will not be considered.

Fellowship Categories

• The 2026-27 Fellowship period runs from May 2026 through May 2027.
• When selecting the category to which you wish to apply, please remember to base your decision on what your student status will be during the Fellowship period, rather than your status at the time you submit your application.
• Art History is only included as a discipline in the Graduate category.

Professional Individual  $8,000

An artist can apply to the Professional category as long as they will not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program during the Fellowship period of May 2026 through May 2027.

Current Undergraduate and Graduate students graduating May 2026 who do not plan to enroll in a degree-seeking program within the following year must apply to the Professional category.

Professional Collaborative $8,000

Professional artists who can clearly demonstrate a history of ongoing collaboration may apply together for one fellowship. Collaborating winners will receive one $8,000 fellowship to divide among themselves.

Each artist in a collaborative group must submit an application and list the other group member(s) with whom they are collaborating. Only the first artist in the group to apply will submit work samples.

Graduate (Individual only)  $6,000

Graduate 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 college, university, or school of the arts.

If you plan to graduate May 2026, and do not plan to enroll in a degree-seeking program within the following year, you must apply for a Professional Fellowship.

Undergraduate (Individual only) $4,000

Undergraduate 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 college, university, or school of the arts.

If you plan to graduate May 2026, and do not plan to enroll in a degree-seeking program within the following year, you must apply for a Professional Fellowship.

High school seniors, graduating in May/June 2026 and planning to be enrolled in a full-time degree-seeking program the entire academic year of Aug 2026 through May 2027, are eligible to apply for an Undergraduate Fellowship.

Eligibility

Professional Artists

1. You must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, as well as a current legal resident of Virginia, and have been so for at least 24 consecutive months prior to the application deadline.
2. You must continue to be a legal resident of Virginia for the Fellowship period of May 2026 through May 2027. A legal resident has a valid Virginia driver’s license, and/or pays income taxes in Virginia, and/or is a registered Virginia voter. Applicants must be able to provide verification of residency upon request.
3. You cannot be a degree-seeking student during the Fellowship period of May 2026 through May 2027.

Artists who are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply to the Professional category include the following:

1. Recipients of a VMFA Professional Fellowship in the last 5 Fellowship cycles (2025-26, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22)
2. Recipients of three or more Fellowships
3. Full-time VMFA employees
4. Undergraduate and Graduate students who will be enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking program during the academic year of Aug 2026 through May 2027.

Students (Graduate and Undergraduate)

1. You must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, as well as a current legal resident of Virginia, and have been so for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the application deadline.
2. You must continue to be a legal resident of Virginia for the Fellowship period of May 2026 through May 2027. A legal resident has a valid Virginia driver’s license, and/or pays income taxes in Virginia, and/or is a registered Virginia voter.
3. Students paying in-state tuition to an accredited Virginia college, university, or school of the arts qualify as legal residents of Virginia. If you do not qualify for in-state tuition in Virginia, you may not apply for a VMFA Fellowship until you establish Virginia residency. If you are a legal Virginia resident but attend school full-time outside of Virginia, you may still apply. Applicants must be able to provide verification of residency upon request.
4. You must be planning to be enrolled full-time and qualify as a Virginia resident as outlined above for the entire academic year Aug 2026 through May 2027 at an accredited college, university, or school of the arts.

Artists who are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply to either of the student categories include the following:

1. Recipients of three or more Fellowships
2. Full-time VMFA employees
3. Undergraduate and graduate students who will NOT be enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking program during the academic year Aug 2026 through May 2027.