Gap Year Options: Fellowships and Residencies in Arts, Media, & Entertainment
Fellowships and Residencies provide structured opportunities to develop specific skills, whether in research, the arts, public service, or other fields. These programs often offer mentorship and hands-on experience, helping students gain clarity on their future career paths.
MacDowell Fellowship: MacDowell encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and all countries in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theater, and visual arts.
NXTHVN Studio and Curatorial Fellowships: NXTHVN welcomes up to seven artists and two curators to participate in its paid 10-month intensive Fellowship Program. Fellows receive studio or office space, a stipend, and subsidized housing.
Kala Fellowship: Each year Kala provides fellowships to six artists from a variety of disciplines based on conceptual creativity, originality, and artistic excellence.
The Fulbright-National Geographic Award: The Fulbright-National Geographic Award Program is seeking proposals that undertake an in-depth examination of a globally relevant issue as an add-on to the applicant’s Fulbright Open Study/Research project. Funded projects will incorporate science, storytelling, and/or education, and must align with one or more of the Society’s five focus areas: Ocean, Land, Wildlife, Human Histories and Cultures, or Human Ingenuity.
Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (SARF): The (SARF) program provides visual artists from across the world the opportunity to work with Smithsonian museums, research sites, collections, and scholars in self-directed research leading to the creation of new artwork. SARF Fellows spend one to two months in residence at the Smithsonian immersed in its unparalleled collections and multidisciplinary scholarly expertise, building connections between art, science, history and culture.
Headlands Center for the Arts: The artist in residency and fellowship programs provide opportunities for research, experimentation, professional development, and peer-to-peer exchange that foster creative breakthroughs and innovations in work and thinking.
Yaddo: Residencies for professional creative artists from all nations and backgrounds working in one or more of the following disciplines: choreography, film, literature, musical composition, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video.
I-Park Residencies: hosts intimate, multidisciplinary, fully funded residencies to artists from around the world.
Ragdale Residency Program: Ragdale provides up to 150 residencies annually to artists working in a variety of disciplines including dance, music, writing, and visual art.
Hearst Journalism Fellowship: A two-year program focusing on journalism in a changing digital world. The Fellowship program consists of two 12-month rotations at our top metro papers.
Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program offers a 6-month crash course in investigative journalism. Fellowships, including Editorial, Online Editorial, Social Media, Digital Media, and Strategic Communications, are full-time positions paid by monthly stipend with the opportunity to extend the position for an additional six months.
NBCUniversal Page Program: A rotational learning and development program that gives early career talent a well-rounded experience along with unmatched exposure to the media industry.
The American Prospect’s Writing Fellows Program offers journalists at the beginning of their careers the opportunity to spend two full years at the magazine in Washington, D.C., developing their journalistic skills. Each fellow benefits from an intensive mentoring program and is expected to contribute regularly to the website and to the print edition.
NBCUniversal Internship Program allows students to unlock their potential by contributing to big projects in meaningful ways that matter. To thrive as an NBCU intern, you are ready to bring your passion for media, entertainment, and technology along with your desire to learn each day.