The National Humanities Center invites applications for academic-year or semester-long residential fellowships. Fellows enjoy private studies, in-house dining, and the exceptional service of NHC librarians to access and acquire all types of research materials while in residence. Our independent endowment ensures that Fellows have the time and freedom to work on what they choose.

Mid-career, senior, and emerging scholars with a strong record of peer-
reviewed work from all areas of the humanities are encouraged to apply. To qualify, applicants must have received a PhD or equivalent scholarly
credentials five years prior to applying. Scholars from all parts of the globe are welcome; stipends and travel expenses are provided.

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET, October 1, 2026.

Overview:

The Center will begin accepting applications for the 2027–28 academic year on July 1, 2026 with a deadline of October 1, 2026. Fellowship applicants are asked to complete the online application and to upload the following documents (please see specific guidelines below):

- 1,000-word project proposal
- short bibliography
- brief curriculum vitae
- one-page tentative outline of the structure of the project

Applicants must also provide names and contact information for three references. References will receive an email prompt inviting them to upload a letter of recommendation on behalf of the applicant. All letters are due by October 8, 2026. The remaining application elements are due October 1.

Once applications are submitted, changes can no longer be made, by either the applicant or the NHC.

Application Eligibility Checklist

All materials are due October 1, 2026, except for letters of recommendation, which are due October 8.

-Project proposal (1,000 words maximum; 11- or 12-point font with margins no smaller than one inch). The proposal must note the current stage of project and projected timeline to completion.

-Bibliography (two pages maximum; 11- or 12-point font with margins no smaller than one inch).
Curriculum vitae (four pages maximum; 11- or 12-point font with margins no smaller than one inch).

-Tentative outline of project (one page maximum; 11- or 12-point font with margins no smaller than one inch). The outline must note the current or projected completion stage for primary components of project.

-Three letters of recommendation (due October 8, 2026).

Applicant Eligibility Checklist

Please note that we have no citizenship requirements. International applicants are warmly invited to apply.

-The applicant holds a PhD or relevant terminal degree for their primary discipline (e.g., MFA for research-based non-fiction writers).

-The PhD or requisite terminal degree was received at least five years prior to October 1, 2026 (i.e., no later than September 30, 2021); or the applicant meets the requirements for one of two unique fellowships: 1) Geiss-Hsu Fellowship, for a project substantially addressing Ming-era China, possibly including adjacent eras; 2) Philip L. Quinn Fellowship, for a female-identified early-career philosopher.

-The applicant has published at least one scholarly monograph, for book-focused fields, or the equivalent in peer-reviewed scholarship for article-focused fields.

-The applicant is working on a project beyond the dissertation.

-The applicant is engaged in humanities research that will result in publication.

-The applicant’s project is grounded in one or more humanities disciplines, or it is grounded in other fields (the natural and social sciences, the arts, the professions, and public life) but substantially employs humanistic approaches and methodologies.

-The proposed project is at an advanced stage, meaning that most of the research is done, and the applicant is already writing.

-The applicant plans to spend the full term (one or two semesters) in residence at the Center. Extended time away, including trips for field research, is not permitted.

-The applicant speaks and reads English fluently. It is not required that the primary project publication be written in English.

For more information on the Residential Fellowship and on how to apply please visit the website:
https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/residential-fellowships/#application