Greetings,

We are excited to share this opportunity, which is funded by the Mellon Foundation and managed by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S). The Emerging Faculty Leaders Award program supports early-career faculty members in the humanities and social sciences who are making a significant impact on their campus communities and beyond. Given this program's eligibility requirements related to the tenure track, prospective applicants are asked to contact one of the following individuals to discuss their eligibility before submitting a proposal: Kendra Barber, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the Arts & Humanities Division or Kimberly O'Hagan, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the Division of Social Science.  More information about the award can be found in the synopsis and links below. For a full list of currently open opportunities that have been announced through our office, please visit our Current Opportunities web page. As a reminder, our Research Development team is available to provide proposal development support to FAS ladder faculty.

Mellon Foundation Emerging Faculty Leaders Awards

• OSP Deadline: Review not required for awards made directly to individuals
• Sponsor Deadline: December 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
• Award Amount: Stipend of $20,000; $12,000 to the awardee, to be used for summer research support, and $8,000 for research assistance during the academic year. 

Program Overview

The Mellon Foundation’s mission is to “build just communities enriched by meaning and guided by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.” The Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S) partners with the Mellon Foundation to support aspiring and early-stage college faculty. The Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders are early-career faculty members whose research focuses on contemporary American history, politics, culture, and society, and who are building campus communities through their teaching, scholarship, and service. 

Eligibility Criteria

• In general, eligible applicants tend to be assistant professors in tenure-track appointments who are pursuing tenure, and are teaching in any field of the humanities or social sciences—including, for example, history, sociology, anthropology, literature, art, gender studies, and related fields—with an emphasis on scholarly topics that relate to or provide context for the study of democracy, society, and education in the Americas. Eligible applicants are typically in the fourth or fifth year of the tenure-track appointment and are still working to complete key items for the tenure dossier, which should not be scheduled for submission prior to the end of the award year (Summer 2028). They will have successfully passed the standard third-year/midpoint review or their institution’s equivalent no later than January 31, 2027.
• Given the tenure track schedule for Harvard's Faculty of Arts & Sciences (FAS), C&S has confirmed that Associate Professors in FAS who are currently working on their tenure portfolio but will not submit it until after the award year ends (Summer 2028) are eligible to apply during the current cycle. Prospective applicants are asked to discuss their eligibility with the cognizant Divisional Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs before submitting a proposal: 
  • Arts & Humanities Division: Kendra Barber 
  • Division of Social Science: Kimberly O'Hagan
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States as of December 1, 2026.  
• Selectors prioritize candidates who invest deeply in student support, mentorship, cross-campus collaboration, and creating scholarly communities in the discipline, and balance these activities with research and teaching. Service and leadership on campus are prioritized, and preference is given to candidates who embody a high standard of excellence.  

 

Application Materials

• A submitted online application
• Two letters of recommendation from senior colleagues that speak to the applicant’s scholarly promise. In addition, the letters should address:
  • the applicant's demonstrated affinity for teaching and advising
  • the applicant's commitment to service and inclusion
  • At least one of the letters must come from a more senior faculty member at the applicant's institution, ideally their chair, who can speak to their progress toward tenure. These letters will be requested through the online application portal. 
• A single PDF file (12-point Times New Roman font) of supplemental materials in the order listed below. Do NOT upload PDF in portfolio format. Label the PDF as follows: “LastNameFirstName_MEFL_Supplemental” with no spaces.
  • A curriculum vitæ
  • An essay describing the applicant’s research/publication plan and career objectives (maximum of 750 words)
  • An essay describing the applicant’s commitment(s) to service and ways in which such service contributes to building a more inclusive community on campus and/or in the profession (maximum of 750 words)
  • Abstract of a current manuscript, conference paper, or article, along with a brief explanation of the relationship of this work to the tenure portfolio
  • A simple budget developed using this template
  • List of courses developed since the start of the tenure-track appointment in the current institution (include course title, department, and enrollment)
  • Sample syllabi (limit 5 pages each) for two courses taught within the last five years
  • List of advising assignments (indicate graduate or undergraduate)
  • List of department- or university-level service assignments

Additional Information and Resources

 

 

 

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