Deadline: February 29th
In partnership with the AIA Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT), the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) is proud to announce the sixth cohort of the NOMA Future Faces Fellowship (formerly the NOMA Foundation Fellowship). Cohort 6 will be a 8-week internship that will provide currently enrolled students and recent graduates access to internships with top architecture firms across the country. Applicants must be registered members of NOMA and demonstrate active engagement with a chartered NOMAS chapter. Students from the 7 NAAB-accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities are highly encouraged to apply.
Fellowship Details:
- Program Duration: June 3 – July 26, 2024 –The program will consist of a full-time, in-person internship for the duration of 8 weeks from June 3 – July 26, 2024. Firms may extend the duration of their fellows program at their discretion. Fellows are expected to work 40 hours/week.
- Compensation: Host firms will compensate and hire their fellow directly, following onboarding procedures according to their firm policies including but not limited to overtime, paid time off, holidays, employee benefits, etc. NOMA will not provide additional compensation for labor.
Eligibility: To be eligible for the NOMA Future Faces Fellowship, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Applicants must be (a) currently enrolled in their final 2 years of a 4-year undergraduate program, (b) currently enrolled in their final 3 years of 5-year undergraduate program, (c) currently enrolled as a graduate student in an M.Arch program, or (d) a Fall 2023 graduate of an undergraduate program.
- Eligible majors include architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, or urban design. Students from both NAAB-accredited and non-accredited architecture programs may apply.
- Applicants must be active student members of NOMA in good financial standing with the national organization as of February 29th, 2024 and demonstrate active membership with a chartered NOMAS chapter. Non-members will not be considered.
- Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents eligible to work in the United States. International students should refer to the requirements for Student & Exchange Visitors by the State Department to confirm their eligibility: (https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/optional-practical-training-opt-for-f-1-students).
In-person Fellowship: The 2024 NOMA Future Faces Fellowship will prioritize in-person and/or hybrid fellowships only. Virtual fellowships will only be made available at the discretion of the firm but cannot be guaranteed at the time of application.
Application and Selection Process:
- Applications will be accepted from January 22 – February 29th. The NFF Fellowship Selection Jury will review each application for quality, completeness and eligibility, and select the finalists to move on to the Interview Round.
- Applicant resume, portfolio, and location preferences will be distributed to host firms. During this period, it is strongly encouraged that firms conduct virtual interviews to assist with the selection process and should reach out to applicants directly to schedule interviews.
- Fellowship Matching: Upon notification to finalists of their status, candidates will be informed of the participating firms. Finalists must submit a ranked list of preferred firms to NFF Fellowship staff based on their own research and interview experience. Note that all firms may not participate in virtual interviews. Firms must submit a ranked list of preferred candidates to NFF Fellowship staff based on their review of application materials and virtual interviews. The NFF Fellowship Committee will match firms and finalists based on preference alignments.
- Upon notification of their matched fellow, host firms will provide full-time internship employment contracts to their candidate, hiring their fellow directly. Students hired outside of the NFF process will not be considered NOMA Future Faces. Confirmed fellows will then be eligible to apply for the NOMA Reimbursement Stipend.
Licensure Support: To encourage fellows to pursue licensure and to support the goal of doubling the number of African-American architects by 2030, fellows who complete the requirements for licensure (education, experience, examination) within 5 years of completing the fellowship will be eligible to receive an additional $1,000 stipend. Fellows must contact NOMA directly to claim their stipend.
Email questions to nff@noma.net
