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Greetings,

 

We are excited to share an overview of selected long-term fellowship opportunities for faculty planning sabbatical research. Because fellowship opportunities often have fall deadlines for awards starting the following year, early preparation is encouraged. Highlighted programs with upcoming deadlines include: ACLS Fellowship, Berlin Prize Fellowship, Wilson Center Research Fellowship, Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, National Humanities Center Fellowship, and the Suzy Newhouse Center Fellowship. More information about these awards can be found in the synopses and links below. For a full list of currently open opportunities that have been announced through our office, please visit our new Current Opportunities web page. As a reminder, our Research Development team is available to provide proposal development support to FAS ladder faculty.

 

American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Fellowship

  • OSP Deadline: September 10, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET (if opting to receive stipend payments through the University)
  • Application Deadline: September 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
  • Award Amount: $60,000 for 12 months. Awards of shorter duration will be prorated at $5,000 per month, with the minimum award set at $30,000. Awards can be made to the individual or the institution. If awarded via the institution indirect costs are not allowable. This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application. 
  • Program Overview: ACLS invites research proposals from scholars in all disciplines of the humanities and interpretive social sciences. Fellowships are intended to help scholars devote full-time research and writing. The ultimate goal of the project should be a major piece of scholarly work by the applicant, which can take the form of a monograph, articles, publicly engaged humanities project, digital research project, critical edition, or other scholarly resources. The awards are portable and are tenable at any appropriate site for research. Eligible applicants: 
    • Are U.S. citizens, residents, Indigenous individuals residing in the United States through rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, asylees, refugees, or individuals granted Temporary Protected Status in the United States. 
    • Have a PhD in the humanities or social sciences. 
    • In order for social sciences applications to be eligible, they must employ predominantly humanistic approaches and qualitative/interpretive methodologies. 
    • Applicants should review the ACLS AI Guidelines in the Eligibility section.  
  • Additional Information

 

American Academy in Berlin 2027-2028 Berlin Prize Fellowship

 
  • OSP Deadline: September 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET (if opting to receive stipend payment via the University)
  • Application Deadline: September 25, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET
  • Letters of Recommendation Deadline: October 2, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET
  • Award Amount: Fellowships consist of a monthly stipend of $5,000 for an academic semester (four months), round-trip airfare, accommodation at or near the Hans Arnhold Center, and partial board. Fellows may choose to receive their stipends directly or via their home institution. 
  • Program Overview: The American Academy in Berlin is an independent, nonprofit institute for advanced study with a primary mission to strengthen the cultural and intellectual ties between the United States and Germany. The Academy welcomes applications from a broad range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, law, journalism, and various areas of public policy. Projects addressing issues such as democracy, security, technology and society (especially AI) are also welcome. Berlin Prize recipients will reside at or near the Hans Arnhold Center, a historic lakeside villa located in the Wannsee district of Berlin. 
    • Berlin Prize Fellowships are restricted to citizens and permanent residents of the United States.
    • Dedicated fellowships are also available to support projects in Jewish studies, German studies, and public health and biotechnology. Although project proposals need not focus on topics related to Germany, candidates should explain how a residency in Berlin would enhance their work. 
    • Fellows include both established and emerging scholars who wish to engage in independent study within an interdisciplinary residential community. Emerging scholars should hold a PhD and a strong record of peer-reviewed work beyond the dissertation.
    • Project proposals in mathematics or the natural sciences are not accepted.
  • Additional Information
    • Each year, following a rigorous selection process, the Academy awards approximately two dozen semester-long fellowships.
    • Applicants may review General Fellowship and Fellowship Application FAQs on the program page. See a gallery of current and alumni Berlin Prize fellows. 
    • All candidates will receive notification of the competition outcome via email in late March 2027. The Academy will announce the 2027-28 Berlin Prize recipients in May 2027.
     
    Wilson Center Research Fellowship
    • Application Deadline: September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET 
    • Award Amount: $10,000 per month stipend for a 12-month fellowship
    • Program Overview: The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars aims to unite the world of ideas with the world of policy by supporting pre-eminent scholarship and linking that scholarship to issues of concern to policymakers in Washington. The Center is now inviting applications to its flagship Research Fellowship program for policy-relevant, nonpartisan project proposals that address key challenges confronting the United States and the world. Fellows conduct research and write in their areas of interest, while interacting with policymakers in Washington and other fellows. Topics and scholarship should relate to key public policy challenges and align with at least one of the following pillars of the Wilson Center: 
      • Strategic competition
      • Economic statecraft
      • Technology and innovation
      • Regional issues
    • Additional Information
    Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program
    • Application Deadline:
      • September 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET for for humanities, social sciences, creative arts, nonfiction and journalism
      • October 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET for science, engineering, and mathematics 
    • Award Amount: $78,000 stipend and $5,000 for project expenses. Stipends are paid directly to individuals; U.S. citizens or permanent residents from a U.S.-based home institution may opt to have their stipend paid through the institution. 
    • Program Overview: Radcliffe Fellows spend a full academic year (September through May) in residence at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, working on manuscripts, research, art, or digital projects. The Radcliffe Fellowship program awards 50 Fellowships each year and welcomes proposals from scholars, artists, and public intellectuals proposing innovative work that confronts pressing social and policy issues and engages audiences beyond academia. Proposals relevant to the Institute's multiyear focus area, which for 2024-2029 is academic freedom and connecting across difference, are welcome. 
    • Throughout the year, Fellows convene regularly to share their work in progress, supporting one another in various intellectual groups and building connections through social events.There are five Program Areas for the Radcliffe Institute Fellowship application. Applicants should confirm they meet eligibility criteria for their Program Area before starting an application in one of the five Areas. Former Harvard Radcliffe fellows (1999-present) are ineligible. 
    • Additional Information
       
      • Application Deadline: October 1, 2026 
      • Letters of Recommendation Deadline: October 8, 2026
      • Award Amount: Awarded stipend amounts are individually determined, according to the needs of the fellow and the Center's ability to meet them. In general, the Center attempts to replace half of the academic year salary with the expectation that the home institution covers the remainder. Fellows have the choice to receive their stipend directly or paid through their institution. 
      • Program Overview: The National Humanities Center (NHC) advances scholarship, education, and public engagement in the humanities. NHC Residential Fellowships offer scholars the time, space, and support needed to pursue their work and the opportunity to take part in the Center's vibrant intellectual community. Researchers are especially encouraged to apply when they expect to benefit from, and actively contribute to, an in-person community of other humanities researchers. Applicants must:
        • Have a PhD or equivalent terminal degree in their discipline at least five years prior to applying for the NHC Fellowship. 
        • Be engaged in humanities research that will result in publication. 
        • Have published at least one single-authored book or a substantial body of peer-reviewed scholarship.
      • Additional Information
        Wellesley College Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities Fellowship
        • Application Deadline: December 4, 2026 
        • Letters of Recommendation Deadline: December 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
        • Award Amount: Up to $50,000 stipend for two semesters. Residencies are for the full academic year.
        • Program Overview: The Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities hosts thee to five external fellows each academic year. Resident fellows devote themselves primarily to their own research, but they also participate actively in the intellectual life of the institution, attending fellows' lunches and sharing their work in progress with one another and with the larger Wellesley community. Fellows may also work with the director to develop programming for the center in the form of guest speakers, a faculty series, or a mini-conference. Eligible applicants:
          • Open to junior or senior faculty from institutions other than Wellesley.
          • Applicants must have a full- or part- time affiliation with an academic institution. Part-time Harvard applicants should discuss any eligibility questions with their department. 
          • Newhouse fellows may not teach at other institutions during the period of the fellowship. 
          • All Newhouse fellows are required to engage in Suzy Newhouse Center programs and give a public presentation in the spring. 
        • Additional Information

        Questions from FAS faculty about any of these opportunities may be directed to FAS Research Development.

        MAILING LISTS

        Sign up to join the mailing list for FAS Funding Focus, a resource series tailored to help FAS faculty and staff navigate the ever-evolving landscape of grants and funding. Previous editions of FAS Funding Focus (FFF) are accessible in the FFF archive. To receive additional announcements from FORA, including the monthly On Your RADAR (Research Administration Developments & Announcements Rundown) newsletter and invitations to the FORA Forum, a monthly meeting for Harvard research administrators, please sign up for the FORA listserv here.
         

        RESOURCES

        Research Development maintains a Sample Proposal Library of successful proposals from recent award recipients that are available to FAS and SEAS faculty by request; please email Research Development to request to view a proposal. For more information on Research Development's resources—including lists of internal funding programs, early career funding programs, and sabbatical fellowships—please visit the Funding Opportunities web page. 
         

        SEARCH FOR OPPORTUNITIES WITH PIVOT

        All Harvard affiliates can search for opportunities and set up alerts using Pivot, a searchable database of federal and private funding opportunities. Information on Pivot, including a one-page user guide, and other funding opportunity databases available to the Harvard community can be found on the Funding Databases web page.
         

        PIVOT CURATED SEARCHES

        Curated funding opportunity lists are funding search topics of broad interest. The following curated lists can be further refined in Pivot based on your funding needs. To view the results you must be on a Harvard network or logged in to your Pivot account. Information on setting up a Pivot account can be found in our one-page user guide. 

         

         

         

        Additional curated lists are available on the Funding Databases web page. We continue to add to and refine these lists based on feedback. Please feel free to reach out to us at research_development@fas.harvard.edu with any suggestions you may have.
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