The Joshua C. Taylor Fellowship is intermittently awarded and is supported by alumni and friends in memory of the museum's former director and founder of the fellowship program. Scholars from any discipline whose research engages the art, craft, and visual culture of the United States are encouraged to apply, as are those who foreground new perspectives, materials, and methodologies. Fellowships are residential and support full-time research in the Smithsonian collections. SAAM is devoted to advancing excellence in art history and encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply. In preparing the research proposal, applicants must provide and address the following: a description of the research they plan to conduct at the Smithsonian Institution, including the methodology to be utilized; the importance of the work, both in relation to the broader discipline and to the applicant's scholarly goals; justification for conducting the research at the Smithsonian and utilization of research facilities and resources; permissions to utilize non-SI collections or facilities or Smithsonian collections and facilities not associated with the applicant's advisor(s), if applicable; and identification of the member of the Smithsonian's research staff who might serve as the applicant's principal advisor/host, and potential co-advisor(s) and/or consultant(s), if applicable. Applicants must also submit references from two appropriate persons selected by them.