Membership:

• Be a current individual member of AAM at time of application or submit a membership application with the required dues payment and attach it to your fellowship application.
  
• Should not be a board affiliate or applying for a position on a museum board.

Applicants:

• Applicants must be a full-time employee of a museum or, a full-time student engaged in a museum-related course of study in the United States or Puerto Rico.
• Fellowships include a complimentary registration for the AAM Annual Meeting in Philadelphia and a partial stipend for travel, hotel, and meals. (Students should include a copy of their valid ID with their application)

Essay:

• Submit an essay as an attached document, please address all of the questions on page (2) of your application in 500 words or less, you may submit your essay in a pdf format.
  
  

Budget:

• Prepare a budget and estimate your travel and lodging by itemizing the cost for you to attend the annual meeting. If you are receiving support from your institution or any other source, please provide that information in the appropriate section of your application. Do not include in your budget the fee for annual meeting registration. Your registration fee will be comp to you as a recipient.
  
  

Reference Letters:

• Attach two letters of reference from your employer, direct supervisor, or academic advisor. The letter should focus on how your participation at the annual meeting program will benefit your institution or course studies and address your contributions to the broader museum community. Letters from Board Affiliates, or if you hold a position as a museum Board member, will not be accepted.
  
• Preference in allocating funds will be given to applicants who did not receive a Diversity Fellowship to an AAM seminar or Annual Meeting in the past year and to those who are residents of Cleveland, Ohio, the County of Los Angeles, California, and the state of Maryland.
  
  

Selection Criteria:

The selection committee encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds and from all types of museums and universities to apply. Applications will be reviewed and recipients selected based on the following criteria:

• Eligibility
•  Comprehensiveness and relevance of essay answers
•  Demonstrated interest in issues related to diversity
•  Demonstrated financial need
•  Reference letters that support the candidate’s achievements

Award recipients will be expected to:
Attend various programs during the annual meeting and participate in several specific diversity functions, which will be outlined in the award letter. Follow appropriate guidelines in submitting reimbursement forms, including collecting receipts and detailing use of fellowship funds.

Attachments:

• application
• current resume
• essay
• budget
• reference letters
• student identification
• new member/renewal application/member ID#
• meeting registration form

Please submit your application, registration form, and documents to: By mail: Linda Barnes-Pretlow, Diversity Fellowship Program, 1575 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20005 Email: diversityinfo@aam-us.org

More Information To Come Fall 2009