CURATORIAL INTERNSHIP GRANTS

The Decorative Arts Trust underwrites curatorial internships for recent Masters and PhD graduates in partnership with museums and historical societies. These internships enable host organizations to hire a deserving young professional who will gain firsthand experience with the responsibilities and duties central to the curatorial field while working alongside an accomplished mentor. The Trust’s Curatorial Internship Program is designed to foster mutually beneficial opportunities that will nurture the next generation of curators while providing support for the host institution’s key initiatives. Preference is given to internships that offer meaningful opportunities for interns to make consequential contributions to exhibitions, publications, public programs, and community outreach.

Deadline

Potential museum and historical society collaborators should apply by September 30.

Amount and Funding Timeline

We currently offer two 24-month internships with one grant cycle opening annually. The Trust currently awards a two-year grant of $40,000 per year to support the intern’s salary, with additional funding available to offset cost of living adjustments. The Trust aims to announce its selection by October 31, with grant funds available as early as January 1 of the following year.

Guidelines

Please review these specifications before applying:

• The Trust encourages projects that advance diversity in the study of American decorative arts and demonstrate a clear impact on the professional development of early-career scholars.
• The Trust requires the host organization to provide the intern’s health insurance and any additional staff  benefits that may be available to employees.
• Please note that mentorship is a significant consideration in this program. Applications should detail the training and supervision that interns will receive.
• Interns must work toward a well-defined capstone project that supports their professional growth. Applications should clearly outline the objectives and tangible outcomes of the project. The Trust expects partners to provide opportunities for broader professional development, peer-to-peer networking, and public outreach through tours, presentations, and the authorship of articles, posts, and other printed and online content.
• As part of our funding guidelines, institutions receiving a Curatorial Internship Grant are expected to have one staff member maintain a Trust membership for the duration of the project. Additionally, the selected intern or fellow will maintain a paid Student & Young Professional membership in the Trust during the internship and for five years following. Our website provides an overview of all our membership levels.

Please combine these sections of your application into one single PDF file and email to grants@decorativeartstrust.org:

• Section I (no more than six pages)
  • A formal letter of interest
  • Supporting narrative that describes the nature of the project(s) in which the intern will be engaged throughout the two-year period and identifying the staff member(s) who will supervise and mentor the intern
  • A timeline of the hiring process and the project(s) described above
• Section II (no more than two pages)
  • At least three images of objects that represent the proposed focus of the intern’s work. Please include at least one image for which the applicant has existing permission to publish or that is in the public domain or creative commons, and please indicate this image in the caption.
  • Applicants should use the following image caption format to the best of their ability for each photo: Maker (if known), Object name or title (italics if title; only first word capitalized if two-word object name; indicate if it is a detail of larger object), date of manufacture (using c. or a range when applicable), place of manufacture. Materials. Owner, credit line, accession number. Photo credit.
• Section III (no more than two pages)
  • A draft of the job description
• Section IV (no page limit)
  • Brief curriculum vitae (CVs) or resumes of staff who will supervise the intern

Download PDF template document

Past Recipients

• 2026–28: Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI

Read about the impact of the internship experience here.

Listen to a podcast with 2010-2011 Trust intern Sarah Parks and Trust Governor Brock Jobe about the creation of the Curatorial Internship Grant program: