Civita Institute Fellowships

The mission of The Civita Institute is to inspire and foster an interdisciplinary understanding of the unique qualities of Italian hill towns that remain pertinent to our contemporary experience, through the promotion of historic preservation, education and scholarly research, artistic creation, cultural exchange, and professional explorations.

Inspiring creative excellence, education, and cultural exchange through exploration of the Italian hill towns.

The Civita Institute was founded on the idea that architecture and preservation, environmental stewardship, agricultural heritage, and cultural exchange are all linked, and that Civita di Bagnoregio and other hill towns of Italy provide a unique setting to experience these connections.

Applications are due by February 2, 2024, 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time — No Exceptions!

Please visit this page for complete information about how to apply for these fellowships that are reviewed by an independent jury.

These fellowships have an open application period, with no deadline, and are reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. Please visit this page for The Civita Institute Creative Retreat Fellowship application process. Contact email: fellowships@civitainstitute.org 

The Civita Institute Drexler Family Diversity Fellowship intends to award one fellowship in 2024 to an applicant who self-identifies with an under-represented group. The award includes a one-month stay at the facilities of The Civita Institute and a stipend in the amount of $2,000.00 payable in two disbursements. Applicants must have three years of experience in their field and meet The Civita Institute's criteria for fellowship selection. It is required that proposals advance the Mission, Vision and Founding Principles of The Civita Institute. Read more about the Drexler Family Diversity Fellowship.

The Civita Institute Partners in Design Climate Action Fellowship is a sponsored fellowship that intends to award one fellowship in 2024 to an applicant who will explore Climate Action through architecture, landscape architecture, art, photography, activism, storytelling, or research. The award includes a one-month stay at the facilities of The Civita Institute and a stipend in the amount of $1,750.00 payable in two disbursements. Applicants must have three years of experience in their field and meet The Civita Institute's criteria for fellowship selection. It is required that proposals advance the Mission, Vision and Founding Principles of The Civita Institute. Read more about the Partners in Design Climate Action Fellowship.

The Civita Institute Cultural Landscape of Civita di Bagnoregio Fellowship is seeking architectural, engineering or scientific fellowship proposals, from either American and Italian candidates, which will emphasize five, specific criteria regarding the geomorphology of Civita and the preservation of its architecture, history and culture. The award includes a one-month stay at the facilities of The Civita Institute and a stipend in the amount of $1,750.00 payable in two disbursements. Read more about the Cultural Landscape of Civita di Bagnoregio Fellowship.

The Civita Institute Creative Retreat Fellowships are open to architects, planners, designers, artists, writers, and other professionals. The ability to communicate effectively in English is required and a basic knowledge of Italian is encouraged. Creative Retreats provide a unique opportunity for recipients to undertake a project of their own inquiry, that does not require jury review, and are reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. Creative Retreat Fellowships do not receive stipends. They are self-funded at a favorable rate of membership in The Civita Institute. Read more about Creative Retreat Membership and Rebate, below.

The Civita Institute's Creative Retreat Fellowships may be applied for at any time. Applications will be reviewed by the Board of Directors during regular monthly meetings according to when they are received. The intent of the Creative Retreat Fellowships is nevertheless to promote rigorous self-inquiries on par with applicants awarded Juried Fellowships. Consequently, the Evaluation of Proposals, Deliverables and Expectations, and the application requirements are the same for both Juried and Creative Retreat Fellowships.

Fellowships (both Juried and Creative Retreat) will be scheduled around the idea of "seasons" to cluster creative minds together, generating greater opportunities for cross-disciplinary exchange, and strengthening a sense of community. The following seasons are available for 30-day fellowship stays:

• June 21 – August 20, 2024
• January 1 – March 31, 2025

Fellowships may be postponed only by prior Civita Institute Board of Director approval and only under extraordinary circumstances, but in any event must be completed within two years after notice of the award, or the Fellowship offer will be rescinded. The membership benefits of your application fee will be extended, at no cost to you, to cover the allowable timeframe for your Fellowship.

Each Fellow will stay in one of three Renaissance-era tufo stone houses with a restored kitchen, bath, bedroom and workspace at The Civita Institute's historic properties and grounds in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy. Read more about the facilities of the Civita Institute.

Fellows must be able to attend the full one-month program. Fellows are expected to reside at the facilities of The Civita Institute for their entire 30-day fellowship period unless the approved fellowship project stipulates that overnight travel elsewhere is necessary for completion of the project. Family members, partners or pets cannot be accommodated, unless the fellowship proposal clarifies that their presence is required for completion of the project. 

Visitors are limited to a two-night stay that must be pre-arranged per The Civita Institute Visitor Conditions form and paid for in advance. Read more about The Civita Institute's Visitor Conditions. 

Each Fellow will receive a stipend according to the benefit of their fellowship. Stipends will be disbursed in two installments: 50% will be provided one month prior to the scheduled stay and the remaining 50% will be disbursed after anticipated deliverables are received by The Civita Institute (see the ‘Fellowship Deliverables’ section below).

Creative Retreat Fellowship stays are granted to accepted applicants as member benefits and require a minimum member contribution to The Civita Institute of $43 per day. Creative Retreat Fellowship minimum stays are 21 days (equaling a membership donation of $903); maximum stays are 30 days (equaling a membership donation of $1,290). A full membership donation of $2,000, however, must be submitted at least 60 days in advance of the stay in Civita di Bagnoregio. Once the deliverables of the Creative Retreat Fellow have been received and accepted by The Civita Institute, the difference between the initial $2,000 membership donation and the rate of Creative Retreat membership donation at $43/day will be returned as a rebate to the Creative Retreat Fellow.

• $0.00 for current members of The Civita Institute at the time of the application’s due date—2/2/24
• $45.00 for non-members of the Civita Institute. Fee is non-refundable and includes a one-year membership in The Civita Institute, which enables Fellows to stay in the facilities of the Civita Institute upon award of a Fellowship.

Fellowship applications will be assessed for their compatibility with and illumination of the Mission, Vision and Founding Principles of The Civita Institute. Fellowship proposals will be evaluated by an independent jury consisting of three to five professionals or persons with relevant expertise, who are not affiliated with The Civita Institute Board of Directors, and two members from The Civita Institute Board of Directors. The jury will be moderated by a non-voting director of the Board. The jury will decide upon finalists for presentation to the Board of Directors, which has the responsibility to ratify finalists and award fellowships. The decision of the Board shall be final.

The following criteria will be used by the jury in the selection of Juried Fellowships and by the Board of Directors in the selection of Creative Retreat Fellowships. Please note that all proposals must meet the first two threshold criteria before receiving further consideration:

• Relevance of the fellowship proposal to The Civita Institute's Mission, Vision, and Founding Principles and its potential to beneficially impact The Civita Institute (Threshold Criterion)
• Applicant’s fit with the unique requirements of the fellowship(s) being applied for (Threshold Criterion)
• Abstract of the fellowship proposal
• Feasibility of proposed methodology
• Final form of the fellowship proposal
• Demonstrated ability to complete the fellowship proposal within a realistic timeframe
• Relevance of the applicant’s experience
• Authenticity and strength of the Statements of Support
• Potential for the fellowship experience to beneficially impact the applicant’s professional trajectory or stated goals
• Applicant’s interest in maintaining a long-term relationship with The Civita Institute

• Satisfy the originally approved fellowship proposal or, if an unforeseen situation prevents conducting your approved proposal, have your new proposal approved by the Board of Directors prior to activation.
• Provide a short-written description and a digital image of your fellowship project within 30 days of your fellowship stay in Civita.
• Provide documentation of your fellowship project in a digital medium best suited to The Civita Institute within 3 months of your stay.
• Provide the deliverable(s) as noted in your application for the Archive and Collections of The Civita Institute within 3 months of your stay.
• Present your fellowship project at a Civita Institute hosted event, either in person or via virtual media within 2 years of your stay.
• Presentation of fellowship projects to the local community in Civita di Bagnoregio prior to departure is optional but encouraged.
• Completion of all deliverables will activate the final fellowship disbursement or rebate.
• The Civita Institute plus the name of the Fellowship shall be clearly credited in any display, exhibit, or publication (whether online, in print, physical exhibit, or otherwise) that includes all or part of the product(s) of the Fellowship.
• The Civita Institute shall be permitted to publish all or part of the product(s) of the Fellowship in its nonprofit communications, marketing, publications, and events (live or otherwise), giving credit to the Fellow who originated the work, and without the necessity of obtaining additional permissions.