CCL Fellowship — Fellowship

The CCL Fellowship is the Center for Curatorial Leadership’s core program for experienced art-museum curators. It combines Columbia Business School instruction in New York City with museum-sector discussions, coaching, and practical assignments.

Each fellow also completes a five-day residency with a museum director outside the fellow’s home institution. The 2027 application cycle is closed, and CCL has not announced an exact opening date for the next cycle.

Benefits & funding

The 2027 Fellowship is tuition free.
CCL covers most program-related travel, hotel, and food costs; fellows pay a small number of taxi and incidental expenses.
For the five-day residency, CCL books and pays for hotel and travel and provides a daily stipend for meals, transportation, and incidentals.
CCL and Columbia Business School each award a certificate of completion.

Eligibility

Applicants must be full-time senior or established curators working in art museums in North America or elsewhere.
CCL seeks an established record of curatorial achievement, commitment to equity, leadership experience, and creative, entrepreneurial thinking.
Fellows must participate fully throughout the five-month program, including four intensive weeks of in-person sessions.
Institutional nomination is not required; self-nominations are accepted.
The official pages publish no nationality, residency, degree, age, or gender restriction.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

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Application process

1
When applications are open, create an online account and complete information about the applicant and their museum.
2
Submit responses to five prompts of 250 words each and a résumé of no more than three pages in PDF format.
3
Enter two recommenders: a museum director or senior supervisor and an external professional colleague.
4
Ensure both confidential recommendations are submitted through the online portal by the recommender deadline.
5
Applications are reviewed by CCL’s director and a committee of museum directors and CCL alumni.

Program timeline

May 2026
Applications for the 2027 Fellowship opened.
Application deadline.
June 30, 2026
Recommender deadline.
July 7, 2026
Two-week intensive in New York City.
January 11–22, 2027
Five-day residency, scheduled jointly by each fellow and host.
February–April 2027
Concluding week; exact dates will be set after the class is selected.
May or June 2027