If you’re an independent scholar looking for research funding, here are ten programs that will pave the way for you! These fellowships cover all disciplines and offer opportunities in over 100 countries around the world. Many are for self-designed projects. If one of these sounds like a match for you, make sure to bookmark it to your ProFellow account!
Camargo Core Program
The Camargo Foundation, located in Cassis, France, is a residential center offering programming in the Arts and Humanities. It offers time and space in a contemplative environment to think, create, and connect. Applications from all countries, nationalities, and career levels are welcome. Scholars & Thinkers (including professionals and practitioners in creative fields such as curators, critics, urban planners, independent scholars, etc.) should be connected to the Arts and Humanities working on French and Francophone cultures, including but not limited to cross-cultural studies that engage the cultures and influences of the Mediterranean region. Artists, in all disciplines, who are the primary creators of a new work/project. Round trip transportation and a stipend of 1,000 USD per month is available.
Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers
The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers is an international fellowship program open to people whose work will benefit directly from access to the collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building—including academics, independent scholars, and creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets). The Center appoints 15 Fellows a year for a nine-month term at the Library, from September through May. In addition to working on their own projects, the Fellows engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas within the Center and in public forums throughout the Library.
Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program
The Core Fulbright Scholar Program offers over 500 teaching, research or combination teaching/research awards of 2-12 months in over 125 countries. Opportunities are available for college and university faculty and administrators as well as for professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, independent scholars and many others. In addition to several new program models designed to meet the changing needs of U.S. academics and professionals, Fulbright is offering more opportunities for flexible, multi-country grants. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply.
Hodson Trust-John Carter Brown Fellowship
The Hodson-Brown Fellowship supports work by academics, independent scholars and writers working on significant projects relating to the literature, history, culture, or art of the Americas before 1830. Candidates with a U.S. history topic are strongly encouraged to concentrate on the period prior to 1801. The fellowship is also open to filmmakers, novelists, creative and performing artists, and others working on projects that draw on this period of history. The fellowship award supports two months of research and two months of writing. The stipend is $5,000 per month for a total of $20,000, plus housing and university privileges.
Library Resident Research Fellowship
The American Philosophical Society Library offers short-term residential fellowships for conducting research in its collections. We are a leading international center for research in the history of American science and technology and its European roots, as well as early American history and culture. The fellowships, funded by generous benefactors, are open to both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Applicants may be: Holders of the Ph.D. or its equivalent, Ph.D. candidates who have passed their preliminary examinations, and degreed independent scholars. A stipend of $3,000 per month is awarded for 1-3 months.
Linda Hall Library Fellowships
The Linda Hall Library offers funding to graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and independent scholars in the history of science and related areas of science and technology studies. Scholars may apply for travel grants to support short (1-3 week) research visits to Kansas City or residential fellowships that provide more time (1-4 months) for in-depth engagement with the Library’s collections. In addition, fellows participate in a rich intellectual community of in-house experts, fellows, and scholars from nearby Kansas City institutions, including the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), the University of Kansas (KU), and the Clendening History of Medicine Library at the KU Medical Center. Fellowships cover travel and living expenses up to $750/week for travel fellows, $3,000/month for doctoral residential fellows, and $4,200/month for postdoctoral residential fellows.
New America Fellows
New America’s Fellows Program invests in thinkers—academics, journalists, independent scholars, and public policy analysts—who offer fresh and often unconventional perspectives on the major challenges facing our society. Fellows advance big ideas through research, reporting, analysis, and/or storytelling. Fellows benefit from a financial stipend, engagement with each other and with New America’s various policy programs, and the expanded audience and exposure from New America and its media partners. Precise terms and stipend levels of fellowships vary widely, as some fellows work full-time at New America in pursuit of their research, while many others have other professional commitments during the term of their fellowship.
Program in Law and Public Affairs (LAPA)
The Program in Law and Public Affairs (LAPA) invites outstanding faculty members of any discipline, independent scholars, lawyers, and judges to apply for residential fellowships of 10 months at Princeton University. LAPA Fellows devote the major portion of their time to their own research and writing on law-related subjects of empirical, interpretive, doctrinal and/or normative significance. All applicants must have received a doctorate, juris doctor, or an equivalent professional degree at the time of submission of the fellowship application.
Title VIII Research Scholar Program
The program offers support for graduate students, faculty, Ph.D. candidates, post-doctorate, and independent scholars to conduct policy-relevant research for 3-9 months in Central Asia, Russia, the South Caucasus, Ukraine, Southeast Europe and Moldova. The total value of Title VIII Research Scholar fellowships ranges from $5K to $25K each. Typical awards include: international round trip airfare from the scholar’s home city to his/her host city overseas, academic affiliation at a leading local university, visa(s), opportunity for housing with a local host family and a living stipend. Scholars in the social sciences and humanities are eligible.
Yale LGBT Studies Research Fellowship
The one-month fellowship is offered annually, and is designed to provide access to Yale resources in LGBT Studies for scholars who live outside the greater New Haven area. This fellowship supports scholars from any field pursuing research in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer studies at Yale University, utilizing the vast faculty resources, manuscript archives, and library collections available at Yale. Graduate students conducting dissertation research, independent scholars, and all faculty are invited to apply. The fellowship provides an award of $4,000, which is intended to pay for travel to and from New Haven and act as a living allowance. The fellowship must take place between September and April.
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