Fellowships, assistantship & work-study opportunities

The application period for funded opportunities runs December 1 to 31. There are several fellowship, assistantship and work-study opportunities available for those who could not otherwise attend PBI for financial reasons. Applicants may apply for all awards for which they are eligible. These awards are selected through by a jury, based on specific criteria described for each award.

• Black, Indigenous, People of Color Full Tuition Fellowship: This fellowship is offered to a BIPOC individual whose interests align with studies in the book arts. The fellowship covers full tuition, room, and board.

• The Book Explorer Fellowship: Awarded to an applicant with a primary interest in bookbinding and/or conservation, this fellowship is supported by Pamela Spitzmueller, conservator and long-time PBI co-director. Pam’s book work was largely inspired by historical structures and she was constantly experimenting and exploring. The fellowship covers full tuition, room, and board.

• Nell Mel­dahl Work-Study Half Scholarship: PBI offers several half-tuition work-study awards in honor of Nell Mel­dahl. Accepted recipients will pay half of the cost of tuition to attend PBI. Work study recip­i­ents help with stu­dio set up and take down for each ses­sion, assist with var­i­ous mid-session tasks, and orga­nize the auc­tion and clos­ing banquet. Work-Study Award recipients are expected to arrive Saturday, the day before PBI general attendees do. While at PBI, work study recip­i­ents live together in charming but rustic group dormitories, with bath­room facil­i­ties in nearby buildings.

  Recipients pay half-tuition of $900, with a deposit of $450 due within two weeks upon notification of acceptance and the remaining $450 due at PBI registration in May.

  Nell Mel­dahl was an inspir­ing PBI instruc­tor and con­ser­va­tor of East Asian art who passed away far too early in her career. Her fam­ily and friends, with addi­tional funds raised each year from the PBI auc­tion and friends of PBI, have cre­ated a schol­ar­ship pro­gram in her honor to aid those who can­not afford PBI tuition.

To apply for any funding opportunity:

• Be prepared to indicate first through last choices for all workshops for each session in priority order.

• You will be asked to submit work samples; your resume or CV; a statement of interest; and a statement of financial need.

• Applications must be filled out completely. Incomplete applications will not be considered, so please read the requirements of this application carefully.

• Do not use this application if you are also applying for general admission

Deadline: December 31 at midnight CST.

Acceptance letters will mailed starting in early February.