New Foundation Fellowships for Contingent Faculty 2027-2028

Colleagues have observed with increasing alarm the growth of contingent faculty positions at the expense of tenure track lines throughout the field of art history. Given this new reality, the NFAH has been the first organization to address it by way of fellowships designed around the specific needs of contingent faculty. Realizing that many contingent faculty cannot take regular full-year fellowships without losing the tenuous support of their positions, these new NFAH fellowships aim to supply two or three subsequent summers of research leave. By working to the extent possible within the hard strictures of contingent/adjunct teaching loads and schedules, NFAH hopes to provide sufficient support to help successful applicants advance by way of research and publication to more secure positions within the discipline, partially ameliorating the current crisis in art historical work. Ultimately, it is hoped that other institutions will join the NFAH in developing alternative funding for contingent faculty advancement.

AWARD

The NFAH will grant each recipient between $10,000 and $15,000 for each summer (up to a total of $45,000 per applicant over three years).

APPLICATION

Candidates will send a cover letter laying out their need for the fellowship (400 words maximum), projected research statement, including budget and completion timeline (1800 words maximum), a writing sample or publication (best related to the project under review), a short two-page cv (including positions held, service, grants/fellowships received, last leave time), and one reference letter addressing the quality of the projected research and practicality of the project in terms of the completion timeline. Applications will be judged by the NFAH fellowship committee, which is constituted of professional art historians.

Application materials should be forwarded as a single pdf (named with the candidate’s first initial and surname) to infonfah.org by October 16, 2026. Recommenders should send their letters as pdfs on letterhead separately to the same email address.

The NFAH actively seeks to promote diversity in the field.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 16, 2026

CANDIDATES WILL BE INFORMED OF THE NFAH DECISION BY December 15, 2026

For further details: https://www.nfah.org/fellowships