Fellowships are awarded to individuals who will make significant contributions to the study of Chinese or Korean art history prior to the twentieth century. The ideal candidate is someone with stellar grades, outstanding recommendations, and a demonstrated commitment to art historical scholarship.

Beyond commitment, we are looking for purpose: a clear plan for continuing one’s art historical training (ideally in the same country as the language program) during the year following the fellowship, and a sense of the topics the candidate ultimately hopes to pursue for their PhD.

• A clearly articulated plan to pursue a PhD in Chinese or Korean art history.

• The potential to make a significant contribution to the field.

• Demonstrated commitment to the professional study of Chinese or Korean art history prior to the twentieth century.

• Outstanding academic record.

To be eligible for a Blakemore Kingfisher Fellowship, an applicant must:

• Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada or a foreign national studying in a college or university in the United States or Canada.

• Have demonstrated intent to pursue an academic career in Chinese or Korean art history, with a focus on art made prior to the 20th century.

• By the start of the grant, have (at minimum) a bachelor's degree.

• By the start of the grant, applicants must have completed (at minimum) the second year of language classes at the college level, through formal classroom study in rigorous college-level language programs. Applicants who have completed only two years of language study may be expected to participate in an intensive summer program at a relevant language program before the academic year.

•. Be able to devote oneself exclusively to full-time intensive language study during the term of the grant. Grants are not made for part-time study or research.

• Applicants need to apply independently to the approved language program. Follow the language school’s posted deadlines for applications for study during the 2025/2026 academic year.

• Fellowships are awarded contingent upon the applicant's acceptance by the language program for which the fellowship is awarded. This means that an applicant may receive a grant offer for a fellowship before the notification of admission by the language school involved; should the grantee subsequently not be admitted, the grant offer will be rescinded.

No grants are available for study in the United States or Canada.

Blakemore Kingfisher Fellows are expected to remain in the study country during the entire period of their grant, except in the event of an emergency, required visa renewal travel or for absences approved in advance by the Foundation. Therefore, a Fellow should not plan to return to North America for holidays.

We encourage Fellows to use holidays and school breaks for travel within their study country to sites of art historical interest, and to participate in other activities to expand their language usage outside the classroom.

Blakemore Kingfisher Fellows must devote full-time to language study and not engage in any conflicting activities during the period covered by their grant.

Part-time employment, teaching English, extensive research on a dissertation or involvement in other projects which could hamper full-time study are not permitted.

Recreational, educational and cultural activities that do not interfere with full-time language study are encouraged, particularly during school and holiday breaks.

Study will normally start in summer or fall 2025, but must start no later than the spring term of the language program involved. Grant start dates may not be deferred beyond March 2026.

Fellowships are intended to cover basic expenses at a graduate student level necessary to pursue an academic year of full-time intensive language study in Taiwan, China or Korea, including tuition and/or tutoring fees, plus a stipend for travel, living and study expenses.

Tuition for the language program, and tutoring fees (if applicable) are covered in full.

The stipend may be used for the following types of expenses:

• Airfare (any carrier)

• Books, equipment and study materials related to language study

• Housing/furnishings/utilities/cell phone/internet access

• Food and ordinary daily living expenses

• Local commuting

• Travel within country during holidays and school breaks

• Recreational, educational or cultural activities

• Health insurance/medical evacuation insurance

• Immunizations appropriate for country

• Visa application and renewal expenses

• Income taxes due on taxable portion of grant

• Other expenses incurred during study abroad or approved by the Trustee.

It is up to each Fellow to budget the stipend funds to cover necessary costs. Stipend funds may not be used to cover expenses of an accompanying dependent.

The stipend for travel, living and study expenses is disbursed to the Fellow at intervals over the course of the grant. Adjustments to stipend may be considered if exchange rates or living expenses alter significantly during the period covered by the grant.

A grantee may not accept other scholarships, fellowships or grants concurrently with a Blakemore Kingfisher Fellowship unless such funds are for assistance in meeting family expenses of the grantee or other expenses not covered by the Fellowship.

Fellows must submit a monthly letter reporting on their activities during the preceding month. They must also submit three longer progress reports during their fellowship, one at the end of each academic term (semester or summer). The reports could include personal updates alongside reporting on language training and art historical experiences. Financial reports regarding the use of stipend funds on forms provided by the Blakemore Foundation must also be submitted at intervals during the grant and at the end of a Fellowship. At the end of the grant, the Foundation must be provided with an official transcript from the language program at which the student was enrolled for each academic period covered by the fellowship. The transcript should list courses taken and grades received or progress made.

All grant funds are taxable for U.S. or Canadian income tax purposes unless the recipient qualifies for some type of exclusion or deduction.

Determining if any portion of the grant may be non-taxable is the recipient's individual responsibility. Because of the variety of personal situations, we recommend applicants discuss their own individual case with a qualified tax advisor.

No income tax is withheld from the grant and recipients are responsible for making any required estimated tax payments.

The Blakemore Foundation does not issue IRS Form 1099-T, Form W-2 or Form 1099-Misc to recipients.

Please refer to IRS Publication 970 Tax Benefits for Education or Canadian Revenue Agency Publication P105 Students and Income Tax for further information.

An applicant must not be related to a member of the Blakemore Foundation Board of Managers.

Click here to download a paper application form in Word format.

Click here to download a paper application form in pdf format.

Click here to download a pdf of the language grant guidelines.