Last updated January 3, 2023
These 12 fellowships offer an array of opportunities for scholars of American history, from undergraduates to postdoctoral researchers and writers. There are short- and long-term fellowships, unrestricted cash awards to pursue projects and residency programs allowing scholars access to exclusive libraries and other resources. Be sure to bookmark any fellowships that catch your eye to your ProFellow account.
Hertog Political Studies Program
Hertog Fellows study classic texts in political thought and some of the seminal documents of American politics with an outstanding faculty. In addition, students study selected public policy issues with some of those who helped formulate and implement those policies. Fellows participate in a seven-week summer program in Washington, DC and receive housing and some meals, plus a stipend. Undergraduates and recent graduates are eligible.
American Antiquarian Society Fellowships
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) maintains a major research library in American history, literature, and culture through 1876 in Worcester, MA. The AAS-NEH fellows are part of a community that includes the AAS staff, area college and university faculty, and the recipients of AAS short-term fellowships (including scholars from all over the U.S. and abroad, PhD candidates, and creative artists and writers producing work for the general public) and other long-term fellows. Twenty-eight months of AAS-NEH fellowship support are available.
James Madison Graduate Fellowships
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation offers $24,000 James Madison Graduate Fellowships to a select group of individuals desiring to become outstanding secondary level teachers of the American Constitution. Fellowship applicants compete only against other applicants from the states of their legal residence. Generally, one Fellowship per state is awarded each year.
Salvatori Fellowship
The Salvatori Fellowship is granted to current graduate students or applicants to graduate schools in a field related to the American Founding. Each Fellow receives a grant of $10,000. Candidates must be members of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Those attending pre-professional (medical, law, divinity, business, etc.) schools are ineligible. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, who are enrolled in a full-time graduate program. Graduate Fellowship applicants must engage in graduate studies for the purpose of teaching at the college level.
Patrick Henry History Fellowship
Applications from published writers and established scholars are welcome. Dissertation projects will not be considered. Applicants should have a significant book-length project currently in progress. The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the American Revolution and the nation’s founding ideas. It might focus on the founding era itself, or on the myriad ways the questions that preoccupied the nation’s founders have shaped America’s later history. The fellowship includes a $45,000 stipend, health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency.
JMC Research Fellowships
JMC is partnered with four of America’s foremost independent research libraries: the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Huntington Library in San Marino, the John D. Rockefeller Library in Colonial Williamsburg, and the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. In collaboration with these libraries, JMC provides 1- to 3-month research fellowships primarily for early and mid-career scholars engaged in projects that advance the study of American political thought and history. JMC research fellowships provide scholars the rare opportunity to explore unparalleled collections of documents and manuscripts from the Founding era.
JMC Postdoctoral Fellowships
Working with established professors at top universities, JMC postdoctoral fellows teach classes on the great ideas of the Founding and prepare scholarly works essential to their success in an increasingly competitive academic job market. Fellows gain valuable teaching experience and are mentored by leading scholars in their fields. The mentors’ advice prepares them for the rigors of the interview and publication processes. Fellows leave their appointments ready to begin long-term academic careers. Check website for opportunities.
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.
Baird Society Resident Scholar Program
The Baird Society Resident Scholar Program was established to support the study of some of the Smithsonian Institution’s most unique and valuable holdings: its Special Collections. Stipends of $3,500 per month for up to six months are available for individuals working on a topic relating to these collections. Historians, librarians, doctoral students, and post-doctoral scholars are welcome to apply. Scholars must be in residence at the Smithsonian during the award period. While the Libraries’ extensive general collections may be used to support scholars’ research, the focus of their projects must center around Special Collections located in Washington, DC and NYC.
Kislak Fellowship for the Study of the History and Cultures of the Early Americas
The Kislak Fellows Program supports scholarly research that contributes significantly to a greater understanding of the history and cultures of the Americas. It provides for a period of up to 8 months, at a stipend of $4,200 per month, for residential research at the Library of Congress. The program supports research projects in the disciplines of archaeology, history, cartography, epigraphy, linguistics, ethno-history, ethnography, bibliography and sociology, with particular emphasis on Florida, the circum-Caribbean region and Mesoamerica. Applicants may be of any nationality and must possess a PhD degree or equivalent terminal degree.
Pre- and Post-Dissertation Fellowships at LancasterHistory.org
LancasterHistory.org will make available several short-term research fellowships for scholars utilizing the collections during the academic year. Our extensive archival, library, and object collections are capable of supporting research in a variety of fields and disciplines relating to the history of Lancaster County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and America from the late 17th century to the present. Fellowships are available for periods of one to four weeks ($500 per week; a total pool of $5,000) and must be used within 12 months of the award notification. There are two opportunities to apply each year.
Library Resident Research Fellowship
The American Philosophical Society Library offers short-term residential fellowships for conducting research in its collections. The Library is 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 PhD or its equivalent, PhD candidates who have passed their preliminary examinations, and degreed independent scholars. A stipend of $3,000 per month is awarded for 1-3 months.
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