ACLS Fellowships

The ACLS Fellowship Program supports outstanding scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences through competitive research fellowships. Administered by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the program offers awards to scholars at all postdoctoral career stages, including those on or off the tenure track, and independent researchers. In the 2025–2026 cycle, up to 60 fellowships will be awarded, with approximately half designated for early-career scholars. Fellowship recipients receive up to $60,000 for a tenure of six to twelve months, which must begin between July 1, 2026 and July 1, 2027, and conclude no later than December 31, 2027. The fellowship supports full-time research and writing and may be held at any location suitable to the scholar’s work. The minimum fellowship term is six consecutive months, with the remainder of the term flexible within the eligible timeframe. Shorter fellowships are prorated at $5,000 per month, with a $30,000 minimum award. Additional supplements of $3,000–$6,000 are available for independent scholars, adjunct faculty, and those in teaching-intensive roles to cover research support, conferences, health insurance, or caregiving expenses. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, Indigenous persons with Jay Treaty rights, DACA recipients, asylees, refugees, individuals with Temporary Protected Status, or long-term U.S. residents (three or more years). A PhD in the humanities or interpretive social sciences is required by the application deadline. Faculty members in tenure-track roles must have at least a two-year gap since their last semester-long research leave as of September 1, 2026. Applications must be submitted online via the ACLS portal by 9:00 PM EDT on September 25, 2025. Required components include a project proposal, bibliography, publications list, personal statement, writing sample, and work plan. No reference letters are required for this cycle. An ORCID iD is mandatory. ACLS fellowships are highly flexible and support a range of scholarly outputs, including monographs, digital projects, critical editions, and public humanities initiatives. Projects must have a clear contribution to the field and demonstrate scholarly originality. The fellowship cannot be used to fund fiction, textbooks, basic translations, or pedagogical initiatives. All applicants are automatically considered for additional named fellowships funded by ACLS donors, including the Carl and Betty Pforzheimer, Oscar Handlin, and Susan McClary and Robert Walser fellowships. Applicants from teaching-intensive institutions are also considered for $5,000 ACLS Project Development Grants. Additionally, ACLS/NYPL Residential Fellowships offer joint opportunities at the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center, with a separate application due September 26, 2025. Awards will be announced in late March 2026.

Follow exact formatting rules. Ensure clarity in intellectual goals and contribution to scholarship. Include a feasible work plan.