English Graduate PreDoc Funding Blog
Please email Jonathan Dick (jondick@sas.upenn.edu) with updates.
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The MCEAS Dissertation Fellowship Program
Since 1978, some 300 advanced graduate students from universities across North America and Europe have received dissertation fellowships from the McNeil Center. At least eight new fellows will be appointed for the 2020-2021 academic year, most for nine-month terms. Nine-month fellows will receive a stipend of $25,000, office space in the Center's home on the University of Pennsylvania's campus and library, computer, and other privileges at the University. Limited travel funds for research will also available. All fellows are expected to be in residence in Philadelphia during the terms of their appointments in order to participate fully in the Center's programs.
Doctoral candidates from any PhD-granting institution who are in the research or writing stage of the dissertation are eligible. As outlined below, some fellowships are targeted at specific areas, but any project dealing with the histories and cultures of North America in the Atlantic world before 1850 will be considered. Proposals dependent on the use of Philadelphia-area archives and libraries are particularly welcome. Applications are encouraged from students of all relevant disciplines, including Africana Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, Comparative Literature, Economics, English, Folklore, Gender Studies, History, Latinx Studies, Law, Music, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Political Science, Queer Studies, Religious Studies, Urban Studies, and Women’s Studies.
Nine-Month or One-Semester Fellowships
Awards may be made in the following categories, depending on the qualifications of the applicants and the availability of funding:
--MCEAS Barra Dissertation Fellowships and Advisory Council Fellowships are open to candidates from any discipline working on topic within the McNeil Center's area of interest.
--The Richard S. Dunn Fellowship, acknowledges excellence in any aspect of Early American Studies.
--Barra Foundation Fellowship
The Barra Foundation Fellowship supports research related to art or material culture.
--Friends of the MCEAS Fellowships
Friends of the MCEAS Fellowships support research on any relevant topic, with a preference for projects dealing with Philadelphia or the Mid-Atlantic region.
--MCEAS Consortium Fellowships are reserved for candidates from research universities that are members of the McNeil Center Consortium. Projects on any topic within the Center's areas of interest are eligible. (For more information about the Consortium, please visit www.mceas.org.)
--The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Fellowship in Early American Religious Studies is open to candidates in any discipline researching any aspect of religion in North America and the Atlantic world before 1850.
--Marguerite Bartlett Hamer Fellowships are awarded to advanced doctoral candidates from any relevant program at the University of Pennsylvania who meet the same rigorous standards as external candidates.
Other Fellowships
--The Society of the Cincinnati Fellowship, supports research on the era of the American Revolution.
--The Monticello-McNeil Fellowship, co-sponsored by the McNeil Center and the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, facilitates scholarship on Thomas Jefferson and his times. Holders of this fellowship spend a portion of their fellowship term at the ICJS in Charlottesville, Virginia.
How to Apply
A single online application suffices for all fellowships. Categories and duration of awards are determined by the selection committee. Applications need to be uploaded at: https://apply.interfolio.com/71856 Categories and duration of awards are determined by the selection committee, but candidates interested in the Monticello-McNeil fellowship should state their interest clearly in their research proposals. The following items must be prepared for uploading as pdf files:
--A curriculum vitae;
--A proposal not to exceed 1,500 words, double-spaced, describing the general scope of the project and the specific work proposed for the fellowship term
--an unpublished writing sample related to the project, double-spaced, limited to 7,500 words exclusive of notes.
--two letters of recommendation should be uploaded through Interfolio or submitted by email to mceas@ccat.sas.upenn.edu Please ask recommenders to address the specifics of this application. Do not send generic letters from placement dossiers.
Questions can be directed to:
The McNeil Center for Early American Studies
University of Pennsylvania
3355 Woodland Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4531
The deadline for online applications is 3 February 2020.
The American Philosophical Society Library & Museum in Philadelphia invites applications for long and short-term fellowships for scholars engaged in all fields, and especially those working on projects pertaining to the history of science, technology, and medicine; early American history; the digital humanities; and Native American and Indigenous studies.
The APS Library & Museum’s collections make it among the premier institutions for documenting and exhibiting the history of the American Revolution and founding, the history of science from Newton to NASA, Native American languages and culture, and the development of American anthropology. The Library & Museum houses over 13 million manuscripts; 350,000 volumes of printed materials and bound periodicals; 250,000 images, fine art, and other objects; thousands of maps and prints; and more than 3,500 hours of audio recordings of Native American languages.
Comprehensive, searchable guides and finding aids to our collections are available online at www.amphilsoc.org/library and http://amphilsoc.pastperfectonline.com/.
Applications are now open for the following positions:
· Long-term fellowship opportunities (deadline: Friday, January 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST).
· Short-term fellowship opportunities (deadline: Friday, March 6, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST).
Applicants whose research subjects overlap any other APS Library & Museum fellowship programs may also submit applications to other pertinent programs, though only one fellowship can be awarded to an individual. The strongest applications will demonstrate a clear need to consult materials housed in the APS Library & Museum and will list which collections will be used during the fellowship term.
See individual fellowship descriptions below for more information and instructions on how to apply. For a complete listing of all APS grant and fellowship opportunities, visit www.amphilsoc.org/grants/fellowships.
Long-Term Fellowships
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Native American Scholars Initiative (NASI) Predoctoral Fellowship
This 12-month fellowship is intended for advanced Ph.D. students working toward the completion of the dissertation.
· Applicants will receive a stipend of $25,000, plus travel and research funds, to support twelve months of work in Native American and Indigenous Studies or allied fields.
· Applications are open to scholars working on projects in Native American and Indigenous Studies and related fields and in all periods of time. Preference will be given to those who have experience working with Native communities.
· The successful applicant will be based at the Library & Museum’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) (https://amphilsoc.org/cnair), which aims to promote greater collaboration between scholars, archives, and indigenous communities.
To apply, please submit materials to https://apply.interfolio.com/69434.
Friends of the American Philosophical Society Predoctoral Fellowship in Early American History (to 1840)
This 12-month fellowship is intended for advanced Ph.D. students working toward the completion of the dissertation.
· Applicants will receive a stipend of $25,000 to support twelve months of work on topics pertaining to early American history (to 1840).
· The successful applicant will receive an appointment as a Research Associate at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, which will provide library and computer privileges at the University of Pennsylvania to those who agree to participate regularly in the McNeil Center’s seminars and other programming (www.mceas.org).
To apply, please submit materials to https://apply.interfolio.com/69501.
John C. Slater Predoctoral Fellowship in the History of Science
This 12-month fellowship is intended for advanced Ph.D. students working toward the completion of the dissertation.
· Applicants will receive a stipend of $25,000 to support twelve months of work on topics pertaining to the history of science, broadly defined.
· Applicants’ research must pertain to topics in the history of science or related fields.
· The successful applicant will be affiliated with the Consortium for History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (www.chstm.org).
To apply, please submit materials to https://apply.interfolio.com/69497.
Short-Term Fellowships
Applications for the following short-term fellowship opportunities may be submitted no later than Friday, March 6, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Library & Museum Resident Short-Term Research Fellowship
The APS’s short-term fellowships provide 1- to 3- months of support for researchers in residence who are using Library & Museum collections. Fellowships are open to researchers working in all fields who show a demonstrated need to use the Library & Museum’s collections for their project.
A stipend of $3,000 per month is awarded to all successful applicants for a minimum of one month and a maximum of three months. Approximately 25-30 short-term fellowships are awarded each year.
Applicants may be:
· Holders of the Ph.D. or its equivalent.
· Ph.D. candidates who have passed their preliminary examinations and are working on their dissertation research.
· Degreed independent scholars (without current academic affiliation).
· U.S. citizens or foreign nationals. Candidates who live 75 or more miles from Philadelphia receive some preference.
To apply, please submit materials to https://apply.interfolio.com/69510.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Native American Scholars Initiative (NASI) Digital Knowledge Sharing Fellowship
These fellowships complement the collaborative work undertaken by the Library & Museum’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) to support university- and community-based scholars working on digital projects that connect archives and Indigenous communities.
· DKS fellowships are open to scholars at all stages of their careers, especially Native American scholars in training, tribal college and university faculty members, and other scholars working closely with Native communities.
· Successful applicants will receive a stipend of $3,000 plus the costs associated with visiting the APS in Philadelphia to attend a summer workshop with other DKS fellows.
· Applicants may use materials hosted at the APS Library & Museum as well as those held at other archives and libraries.
These funding opportunities are supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Native American Scholars Initiative (NASI). Selected fellows will be associated with the APS Library & Museum’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) (www.amphilsoc.org/CNAIR).
To apply, please submit materials to https://apply.interfolio.com/69465.
Digital Humanities Fellowship
These fellowships, for up to 2 months, are open to scholars at all stages of their careers, including graduate students, who are developing digital projects that: 1) utilize the APS Library & Museum collections, open datasets, or other APS holdings to advance a digital component of an independent research project, or, 2) seek to apply existing tools and expertise to digital projects developed in collaboration with the Library & Museum’s Center for Digital Scholarship.
Successful applicants will receive a stipend of $3,000 for a minimum of one month and a maximum of two months.
Recent examples of collaborative projects have focused on the Center’s Open Data Initiative and have explored datasets created from Benjamin Franklin’s postal records, indenture records for servants and redemptioners coming through the port of Philadelphia during the 1770s, and a network visualization of correspondence networks of women scientists found in the APS’s collections.
To apply, please submit materials to https://apply.interfolio.com/69515.
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Applicants: Please use Interfolio's help desk for any issues pertaining to the online application process.
Contact regarding the Fellowship program and the American Philosophical Society Library & Museum may be directed to Adrianna Link, Ph.D., Head of Scholarly Programs, at alink@amphilsoc.org or by phone at 215-440-3415.
OVERVIEW:
The Price Lab announces a new program of mid-doctoral fellowships in digital humanities. Intended for students who have completed their coursework and are entering their 3rd or 4th year of study in a humanities doctoral program at Penn, these fellowships will place a one-year “pause” on the normal sequence of advancement within the student’s department while extending the standard level of doctoral funding (stipend + benefits) for an extra year. During the fellowship year, recipients will be relieved of any teaching, TAing, exams, or other normal responsibilities within their department, instead devoting the time to activities and research with the Price Lab aimed at helping them gain skills and experience in technologically innovative research. Upon return to the department, they will resume the normal support arrangement in GAS without any loss of regular graduate funding. If for example a student spends year 4 as a fully funded mid-doc fellow at the Price Lab, they will still have two years remaining of the standard 5-year funding package when the fellowship year is over. And after those two further years, they will still be eligible without prejudice for final-year completion fellowships.
ACTIVITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF FELLOWS:
For 2020-21 we are offering three fellowships. Each fellow will be attached to a specific project team, and will work with that team for the equivalent of approximately 15-20 hours a week for 10 weeks, either in the summer, during the academic year, or some combination of both. Depending on the fellow’s interests and skills, the project they work on may be managed by the Price Lab and its DH Specialists, or based in the Penn Museum’s new Department of Digital Records, Archives, and Publications or at the Kislak Center.
One aim of the program is to foster projects in the public humanities that make humanities research and/or Penn’s unique collections accessible to non-specialists and promote public understanding of and appreciation for the humanities. We will be especially interested in candidates whose own research connects with one of these public-facing projects. Our hope is that their work on the project -- which might continue in some form after the fellowship year -- serves to strengthen their scholarly profile and position them for successful launch of a professional career. All mid-doctoral fellows will participate in the Price Lab DH research seminar throughout the academic year. They will also take part in two week-long Price-Lab supported “project sprints,” one in the fall and one in the spring. These periods of intense, supported work will enable fellows to make rapid progress on individual projects of their own design. Fellows may also take the opportunity to design digital assignments and/or facilitate workshops in the Price Lab and the Penn Libraries.
NOMINATION AND APPLICATION PROCESS:
Current second- and third-year doctoral students in humanities departments are eligible to apply. Interested students should send a CV and a letter of application of no more than 1000 words describing their interest in the fellowship and any previous experience with digital humanities to: Stewart Varner, Managing Director of the Price Lab (svarner@upenn.edu). Along with their application, students will need to solicit a letter from their advisor attesting to their suitability for Price Lab support, and a brief letter from the graduate chair of their department verifying their academic good standing and completion of coursework. Both of these letters should also be sent directly to Stewart Varner (svarner@upenn.edu). The strongest candidates will be those who have demonstrated an interest in some area of digital humanities and are developing a dissertation proposal that lends itself convincingly to the use of digital research methods. The application deadline is January 30th. We encourage prospective candidates to speak with their advisors and graduate chairs well in advance of this deadline; they should also feel free to contact the Price Lab to tell us about their interests in DH and/or to obtain additional information about the fellowships or the selection process. Fellowship offers will be made by mid-March. We hope to assemble a diverse cohort of fellows who come to digital humanities research from a range of backgrounds, perspectives, and disciplinary homes.
SASgov Travel Grant (Fall Application Window Now Open- Closes Nov 4, 2019.)
SASGov's Travel Grant is mainly designed to help defray the cost of travel for doctoral students presenting at academic conferences. This grant funds travel taking place between August 1 and December 31, 2019.
Award Amount:
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Up to $300 for domestic travel
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Up to $400 for international travel
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To apply, click here SASGov Travel Grant Form
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Questions? Contact sasgov.vp.finance@gmail.com
These amounts are not guaranteed and are awarded very selectively after being reviewed by the SASgov Finance Committee when the application period ends. Because funds are limited, we encourage graduate students to apply to multiple funding sources such as the ones listed on this page. Only enrolled doctoral students at the School of Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply.
Each year the Center for Mark Twain Studies offers ten Quarry Farm Fellowships to scholars working on academic and creative projects related to Mark Twain and his circle. Fellows have the unique opportunity to reside in the house at Quarry Farm where Twain wrote many of his most famous works, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. At Quarry Farm they will find a robust research library, idyllic natural surroundings, and the seclusion which many scholars have, much like Twain, found conducive to writing. Fellows also have full library privileges through the Mark Twain Archive at Elmira College and are a short drive from additional special collections at Cornell.
In 2020 we will offer 3 month-long residencies, each with a $1500 honorarium and 7 two-week residencies, each with a $1000 honorarium. At least one month-long and two two-week fellowships will be reserved for emerging scholars, including graduate students and contingent faculty. One fellowship is reserved for a creative writer.
Several C19 members have been Quarry Farm Fellows in recent years. You can learn more about the fellowships, as well as read testimonials, by visiting MarkTwainStudies.org. Applications for 2020 are due by November 30, 2019.
Please feel free to contact myself or Dr. Joseph Lemak (jlemak@elmira.edu) if you have any questions.
https://marktwainstudies.com/2020-quarry-farm-fellowship-deadline-fast-approaching/
The American Antiquarian Society offers both short-term and long-term research fellowships, tenable for periods of one to twelve months during the period June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021.
Short-term research fellowships are tenable for periods of one to two months' residence at the Society, with a monthly stipend of $1850. The application deadline for these fellowships is January 15, 2020.
Long-term fellowships, supported by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, support periods of four to twelve months' residence at the Society. The application deadline for these fellowships is January 15, 2020.
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) is the leading archive in the United States for research in pre-twentieth-century U.S. history, literature, and culture. In addition to unsurpassed resources focused on the history and culture of the United States, AAS holds rich collections of materials dealing with Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. AAS collections focus on all aspects of American life from contact to 1900, and provide rich source material for projects across the spectrum of early American studies. We invite you to discover these resources as a visiting academic research fellow.
Further information about the fellowships, along with application materials, is available on the AAS website, http://www.americanantiquarian.org/fellowships.htm
Questions should be directed to cmrell@mwa.org
The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies invites applications from student clubs and organizations at the University of Pennsylvania to provide partial funding for student-run conferences on topics related to Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, or the Middle East. Topics related to globalization are also applicable. The student club or organization must be the principal organizer of the conference, which must take place at Penn or in Philadelphia.
Applications for student-run conferences during the 2019-20 academic year will be accepted on a rolling basis through November 4, 2019. Please submit applications to katmon@wharton.upenn.edu. Submissions should be no more than one page in length, and include the name of the student club or organization responsible for the conference, the title of the conference, contact information for at least one of the organizers, a brief description of planned activities, a requested amount, funds expected from other organizations, and details about how the money will be spent.
Funding decisions will be made by the Lauder Committee on Academic Programs. Send any queries to Dr. Frederick Dickinson, Co-director, Lauder Institute: frdickin@sas.upenn.edu.
Through its program of Fellowships, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Dissertation fellowships provide one year of support for individuals working to complete a dissertation leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree. The Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship is intended to support the final year of writing and defense of the dissertation.
http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fordfellowships/index.htm
Deadline: December 10, 2019 5pm EST
Penn’s Application Process
- While the Ford Fellowship does not require Penn’s nomination, CURF will be happy to provide advice, guidance, and application assistance to you.
Contact Information
Dr. Wallace Genser
Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships
The ARCH, 3601 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6224
genser@upenn.edu
Please call 215-746-6488 to schedule an appointment
Through its program of Fellowships, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Predoctoral fellowships provide three years of support for individuals engaged in graduate study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree.
http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fordfellowships/index.htm
Deadline: December 17, 2019 5pm EST
Penn’s Application Process
- While the Ford Fellowship does not require Penn’s nomination, CURF will be happy to provide advice, guidance, and application assistance to you.
Contact Information
Dr. Wallace Genser
Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships
The ARCH, 3601 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6224
genser@upenn.edu
Please call 215-746-6488 to schedule an appointment
Boren Graduate Fellowship
Boren Fellowships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide funding for US graduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to US interests. Boren Fellowships provide funding for overseas language study, academic study, research, an academic internship, or a combination of the above (though all proposals must include a significant language component). Boren Fellows commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation.
http://www.borenawards.org/boren_fellowship/basics.html
Penn Deadline: January 13, 2020
Penn’s Application Process
- Submit your application materials directly through the Boren Fellowship website by January 13, 2020. CURF is then responsible for the final submission of your application.
Contact Information
Lauren Orr
Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships
The ARCH, 3601 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6224
lorr@upenn.edu
Please call 215-746-6488 to schedule an appointment