National Humanities Center - Residential Fellowships 2025-26

Each year, the National Humanities Center welcomes up to forty scholars from across the humanities and all over the world.

Eligibility

• What are the eligibility requirements to apply for a residential fellowship at the National Humanities Center?
• Applicants must have a doctorate or equivalent scholarly credentials at the time of application. Successful candidates typically earned a PhD in a humanities discipline at least five years prior to applying for a fellowship. Fellowships are awarded to established scholars, meaning that successful candidates usually have published at least one single-author book or a significant body of peer-reviewed scholarship. The Center does not fund post-docs, so the applicant must be working on a second significant project beyond their dissertation. There is no upper age limit, but senior candidates must be actively engaged in scholarly research which will eventuate in significant publication. Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• What areas of research does the National Humanities Center support?
• In addition to scholars from all fields of the humanities, the Center also accepts applications from individuals in the natural and social sciences, the arts, the professions, and public life provided those projects are informed by and significantly contribute to humanities scholarship.
• I am currently finishing my PhD. Am I eligible for a residential fellowship?
• No. Applicants must have a doctorate or equivalent scholarly credentials at the time of the application. Applicants who do not meet this criterion are not eligible for a fellowship at the Center and will not be reviewed as part of the competition. Most successful candidates are mid-career and senior scholars, or emerging scholars with a strong record of peer-reviewed publications beyond the dissertation project.
• I am working on a collaborative project with a colleague. Are we able to jointly apply to the residential fellowship program?
• While the Center welcomes applications based on collaborative projects, applicants need to apply individually. Application evaluations are based on the merits of the individual as well as the project.
• I am an independent or unranked scholar. Am I eligible to apply?
• Yes. Independent researchers are eligible and encouraged to apply if they meet the general eligibility requirements as listed above.
• Can I apply if I am working on a novel or poetry?
• At this time, we are unable to fund creative projects (such as works of fiction or poetry).
• What scholars or projects are considered ineligible?
• Applicants with an insufficiently developed scholarly record beyond the dissertation project at the time of application are considered ineligible. Additionally, we are unable to fund projects that are collections of primary sources, edited volumes, creative projects (such as works of fiction or poetry), or explicitly pedagogical works (such as syllabi and textbooks). Any projects that are not sufficiently advanced beyond the dissertation project are also deemed ineligible.
• I am a former Fellow. Am I am eligible to apply again?
• Former Fellows are eligible to reapply when at least five years have elapsed from the end of their previous fellowship and their fellowship project has been published. For example, a 2019–20 Fellow who published their book is eligible to apply again in 2025 for the 2025–26 fellowship year.
• Does the NHC have special funding for faculty at HBCUs?
• Thanks to the generous support and affirmation of its funders, the Center is pleased to provide dedicated residential fellowship opportunities to scholars from HBCUs. HBCU faculty may be selected for a fellowship at the Center in two ways. First, by applying directly to the Center and being chosen in our general competition for semester- or year-long fellowships. Second, by applying to the UNCF/Mellon Faculty Scholars Program for a one-semester fellowship at the National Humanities Center. Please see this link for more information about both opportunities. The Center welcomes all eligible applicants for our fellowships, including faculty at HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, tribal colleges and universities, liberal arts and teaching colleges, and international institutions, as well as independent scholars.

Fellowship Logistics and Funding

• What is the length of a Center residential fellowship?
• The Center mostly funds academic year fellowships (September through May). However, fall (September through December) and spring (January through May) fellowships are also available. Applicants should indicate their preference on the online application. 
• What stipend amount can I expect if I am chosen as a Fellow?
• The stipend amounts awarded are individually determined, according to the needs of the Fellow and the Center’s ability to meet them. The Center seeks to provide half salary with the expectation that the Fellow’s home institution covers the remaining salary. Other grants or institutional support that Fellows will receive during their fellowship may also affect the amount of the Center’s stipend.
• How will I receive my stipend if selected as a Fellow?
• Fellows have the choice to receive their stipend directly or paid through their institution. The Center does not withhold taxes, but stipends are taxable.
• Are overhead/indirect costs built into the stipend?
• No, the stipend is considered salary replacement only. No indirect costs or fringe benefits are built into the stipend amounts our Fellows are awarded, and our fellowships do not allow for institutional overhead.
• Does the Center supply any additional funding to its Fellows?
• In addition to the stipend, the Center also pays for round trip travel for the Fellow and any immediate family members joining the Fellow in North Carolina during the fellowship year. The Center does not provide any additional funding for research travel, edited letters or primary source document collections, moving expenses, or living expenses.