Organizer Information
The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) is an international not-for-profit membership organization founded at Harvard University in 1940, originally as the Society of American Architectural Historians. Based in Chicago, Illinois, SAH serves roughly 2,300 individual members and 600 institutional members across 54 countries, including architectural historians, architects, landscape architects, preservationists, and students. Its mission is to advance knowledge and understanding of the history of architecture, design, landscape, and urbanism worldwide. SAH pursues this through publications such as the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH), SAH Archipedia, and the Buildings of the United States series, alongside annual conferences, study tours, advocacy work, and a program of fellowships and grants supporting research and professional development in the field.
Title & Description
H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship (2027)
The H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship allows a recent graduate or emerging scholar to study by travel for a continuous period of three to twelve months. The fellowship is explicitly not intended to fund research toward an advanced degree or a publication. Instead, its founder intended recipients to study through travel and contemplation — observing, reading, writing, photographing, or sketching. The goal is to give a recent graduate or emerging scholar the chance to see and experience architecture and landscapes firsthand, reflect deeply on their profession, and acquire knowledge that will inform their future work and contributions to their field and to society. Recipients may travel to any country or countries during the funded period.
Categories
- Architecture
- Fellowship
- Scholarship
- Research
Eligibility
- Applicant must hold active membership in SAH
- Applicant must hold a PhD or an advanced terminal degree in a field related to the built environment (e.g. PhD in history, theory, or criticism of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, or urbanism; historic preservation; or practice-based degrees such as MArch, MUP, MLA, or a master's in historic preservation)
- For the 2027 award, eligible degree dates fall between January 1, 2021, and June 30, 2026
- Open internationally; candidates from any country may apply
- Current students are not eligible
- Priority given to applicants whose profession relates to SAH's interests, i.e. the history of the built environment, historic preservation, conservation, and the social implications of architecture, landscape architecture, and urbanism
Program Benefits & Awards
- Funding to cover travel expenses for a continuous period of three months to one year
- 2027 award range: $20,250 (three-month award) up to $81,000 (one-year award)
- Award paid in quarterly installments
- Award is non-renewable; amounts may vary year to year
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 August 2026
- Jury deliberations: September–November 2026
- Award(s) announcement: January 2027
- Travel may begin as early as: 1 January 2027
Location
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Additional Details
- Recipients must post to the SAH Blog at least once per month during travel, documenting their journey in text, photographs, video, drawings, and other media; these posts are used by SAH to approve payment distribution
- At the conclusion of travel, recipients must write a 500–1,000 word summary article for the SAH Newsletter describing their travels and the fellowship's impact on their understanding of the built environment and future work
- Recipients are expected to upload images to SAHARA (SAH's digital image archive) — recommended at 500 images for a one-year fellowship, 250 for six months, and 125 for three months
- Upon return, recipients should make themselves available to their local SAH chapter for a presentation about their fellowship year
- The fellowship recipient is selected by the H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship Committee, appointed by the SAH president
- Selection is based on distinguished academic achievement, leadership potential, personal motivation, and promise
- Applicants needing additional financial support are advised to contact their university, academic adviser, department head, employer, or outside foundations, as this fellowship does not cover all possible related expenses