| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | November 15, 2026 (2027 cycle) |
|---|
| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): Limited travel and food aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available to some students who demonstrated financial need; award amounts and counts were not published.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Fellowship project grant: $0–$1,000. Need- and merit-based, discretionary, and not guaranteed; eligible uses include project expenses or compensation for paid work forgone.; Later Research Scholar award: $2,000–$10,000. Historical 2026 Scholar-stage terms: top three received $10,000 and other selected Scholars at least $2,000. This is not guaranteed to a Fellow and 2027 terms are not announced.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 application fee: $30. Nonrefundable; applicants with financial need could request a waiver.; 2026 triple-occupancy hotel housing: $0. Included for full-time participants; not provided to local piano or percussion participants in the limited track.; Food during the institute: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Not included; students prepared food in the hotel kitchenette or purchased meals. Limited need-based aid could help.; Round-trip transportation to Washington, D.C.: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Not included; limited need-based aid could help. Local program transportation was covered.; Limited travel and food aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available to some students who demonstrated financial need; award amounts and counts were not published.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Application: $0. No application fee.; Fellowship project grant: $0–$1,000. Need- and merit-based, discretionary, and not guaranteed; eligible uses include project expenses or compensation for paid work forgone.; Later Research Scholar award: $2,000–$10,000. Historical 2026 Scholar-stage terms: top three received $10,000 and other selected Scholars at least $2,000. This is not guaranteed to a Fellow and 2027 terms are not announced.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Additional eligibility | Ages 15–20; Requirement: Be at least 15 by June 7, 2026 and no older than 20 on June 29, 2026 for the completed cycle; Requirement: Be seriously considering music as a career and able to commit to the full program; Requirement: Audition on an eligible orchestral instrument with the required excerpts and solo; Requirement: Participate in all scheduled institute activities if accepted; Exclusion: Full-time fellowships were not listed for percussion or piano in 2026; locally based percussionists and pianists could apply for specified limited, non-residential components; Exclusion: Housing was not provided for the local piano and percussion tracks; Exclusion: The 2027 age cutoff and instrument roster are not yet verified | Ages 14–20; Residency: Applicants may be based almost anywhere, except where UK sanctions or operational payment restrictions prevent participation; Requirement: Meet the age 14-20 and pre-university requirements on the dates stated for the selected Foundations and Fellowship stages; Requirement: Have not started university or other tertiary education; gap-year applicants and applicants who left a course may apply; Requirement: Be able to participate in English; Requirement: Commit at least 10 flexible hours per week for eight weeks; Exclusion: Current university or tertiary-education students; Exclusion: Non-Trivial Ventures employees and their family members; Exclusion: Applicants whose location or status is restricted by applicable UK sanctions |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 7, 2026; Ends June 29, 2026; 3.1 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 8 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person | Online |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Location | Washington, District of Columbia; Kennedy Center and the D.C. metropolitan area | Applicants from almost anywhere; UK sanctions and payment restrictions apply |
|---|
| Selection and application | Selection: Competitive recorded audition with musical proficiency as the primary standard; essays and one recommendation inform the review, and instrument balance affects selection. No current acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Two essay responses; One recommendation letter | Selection: Non-Trivial plans approximately 600 Research Foundations finalists and about 200 Research Fellows for 2027; final cohort sizes may change and no acceptance rate is published for the cycle. |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09Source 4 · checked 2026-10-09Source 5 · checked 2026-08-21Source 6 · checked 2026-08-21Source 7 · checked 2026-08-21 |
|---|
