Short Description

Folger Institute Long-term Public Humanities Fellowships are designed to support significant, full-time research and public humanities project implementation related to the histories, concepts, art, and objects of the early modern world (ca. 1400-1800) and its legacies.

Eligibility

This fellowship is open to college and university faculty, independent scholars, artists, public scholars, writers, PhD candidates, postdocs, community leaders, cultural workers, educators, and other knowledge holders. Applicants are not required to hold a terminal degree but should describe their equivalent training and industry-specific experience in their CV. 

Submission Requirements

  1. 250-word abstract of your project. 
  2. 1,500-word description of the project you propose to work on while in residence at the Folger. Please emphasize your proposed project’s impact, its relevance to the field, the originality and sophistication of your approach, the feasibility of your research goals, and detailed descriptions and timelines of four public humanities programs. If you intend to take any portion of your fellowship virtually, you must include a statement describing your work plan and proposed location(s), with a justification of why and how this virtual time will be useful to your research, thinking, and/or creative process. 
  3. Two-page CV. 
  4. One- to two-page list of relevant Folger primary sources and rare materials you wish to consult onsite during the residential portion of your fellowship at the Folger Library. While you may also utilize Folger’s secondary and digital holdings, the list of primary materials will help determine the viability of your project by assessing the availability, condition, and conservation or exhibition status of the requested items. Please consult the Online Catalog and Finding Aids.
  5. One letter of recommendation. You will identify your recommender in the online application portal. Your recommender will be contacted directly via the online portal and given guidance on how to upload their letter. Anyone is eligible to act as a recommender: artists, scholars, teachers, colleagues. We recognize that, due to continuing contractions in the humanities, we are all under unique and significant pressures. Letters of recommendation are very helpful to interdisciplinary selection committees as they work to understand how a project fits within its field. Applications may be disadvantaged, but they are not rendered ineligible or formally penalized if they are missing a letter of recommendation. 
  6. If you feel that portfolio materials or a link to an online portfolio will help the selection committee to better understand your application, please include them in your proposal document upload. DO NOT include portfolio materials that are unrelated to your proposed fellowship project. Providing portfolio materials is optional. 

How to Apply

Online Application

Program Benefits & Awards

For the 2026-27 year, the Folger Institute will offer Long-term Public Humanities Fellowships at $70,000 for a standard period of 9 months (approximately $7,777 per month). 

Entry Fee

None

Location

Washington, DC, United States

Timeline

  • Application Deadline: 15 December 2025

Website Link: https://www.folger.edu/research/the-folger-institute/

FellowshipStipend