dissertation fellowship wiki

Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Dissertation completion fellowships provide advanced doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences with an academic year of support to write and complete their dissertation.

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Eligible students in the humanities and social sciences are guaranteed a dissertation completion fellowship (DCF) between the G4 and G7 years and must apply for the DCF in advance of the dissertation completion year.

Before applying, students should:

• review DCF opportunities offered by Harvard research centers (see below) and search the CARAT database for DCFs offered by non-Harvard agencies
• review dissertation completion fellowships policy
• follow the instructions for dissertation completion fellowships and apply by February 9, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Award description and confirmation typically occurs in early May.

While there is no guarantee of a DCF beyond the G7 year, requests will be considered upon recommendation of the faculty advisor.

Instructions for departments can be found on the instructions for dissertation completion fellowships page.

Harvard Research Centers

Other dissertation completion fellowships are available through the Harvard research centers.

• Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History Dissertation Completion Grants
• Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies Dissertation Completion Fellowships
• Edmond J. Safra Graduate Fellowships in Ethics
• Mahindra Humanities Center Mellon Interdisciplinary Dissertation Completion Fellowship
• Center for European Study Dissertation Completion Fellowship
• Radcliffe Dissertation Completion Fellowships
• Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Canada Program Dissertation Research and Writing Fellowships
• Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Dissertation-Writing Grants

External Dissertation Completion Fellowships 

Search the CARAT database for dissertation completion fellowships offered by non-Harvard agencies.​ Here are a couple of examples:

• American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship
• Charlotte W. Newcombe Fellowship

Please contact the Academic Programs office with any questions.

Fellowships & Writing Center

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Dissertation Fellowships

American Academy in Rome Dissertation Fellowships (link is external)

The Academy offers 11-month and two-year pre-doctoral fellowships in Ancient Studies, Medieval Studies, Renaissance/Early Modern Studies, and Modern Italian Studies. Pre-doctoral fellowships are meant to provide scholars with the necessary time to research and complete their doctoral dissertations.

American Council of Learned Societies  (link is external)

Dissertation fellowships of up to $25,000 for writing dissertations in Southeast European Studies. Also provides Southeast European language training grants.

Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (link is external) The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, and particularly to help Ph.D. candidates in these fields complete their dissertation work in a timely manner.

Council on Library and Information Resources (link is external) The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is pleased to offer fellowships generously funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for dissertation research in the humanities in original sources. The program offers about fifteen competitively awarded fellowships a year. Each provides a stipend of $2,000 per month for periods ranging from nine to 12 months. Each fellow will receive an additional $1,000 upon participating in a symposium on research in original sources and submitting a report acceptable to CLIR on the research experience. Thus the maximum award will be $25,000.

DePauw University Consortium for Faculty Diversity in Liberal Arts Colleges (link is external) The Consortium invites applications for dissertation fellowships and post-doctoral fellowships from U.S. citizens or permanent residents who will contribute to increasing the diversity of member colleges by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, maximizing the educational benefits of diversity and/or increasing the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of students.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) (link is external) This program provides academic year and summer fellowships to institutions of higher education to assist graduate students in foreign language and either area or international studies. Students can use the Summer FLAS internationally or domestically. Apply through UC Berkeley.

Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (link is external) Provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students to conduct research in other countries in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of six to 12 months. Proposals focusing on Western Europe are not eligible.

Gaius Charles Bolin Dissertation Fellowship (link is external) The Gaius Charles Bolin Fellowships at Williams College are designed to promote diversity on college faculties by encouraging students from underrepresented groups to complete a terminal graduate degree and to pursue careers in college teaching.

Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Dissertation Fellowships  - Now HFG Emerging Scholars Awarded to scholars whose work can increase understanding and amelioration of urgent problems of violence, aggression, and dominance in the modern world. Particular questions that interest the foundation concern violence, aggression, and dominance in relation to social change, the socialization of children, intergroup conflict, drug trafficking and use, family relationships, and investigations of the control of aggression and violence.

Huntington Library Fellowships (link is external) Short-term residencies (up to $2300/month) at the library are available for Ph.D. students at the dissertation stage.

IHR Mellon Fellowships for Dissertation Research in the Humanities (link is external) $5,000 for pre-doctoral fellows and $25,000 for doctoral fellows will be awarded for archival history research in the United Kingdom.

International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) (link is external) The International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to 12 months of support to graduate students in the humanities and social sciences who are enrolled in doctoral programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research outside of the United States. IDRF promotes research that is situated in a specific discipline and geographical region but is also informed by interdisciplinary and cross-regional perspectives. 

Mabelle McLeod Lewis Fellowships (link is external) Provides grants to advanced doctoral candidates in the humanities for completion of a scholarly dissertation project on which significant progress has already been made.

National Gallery of Art Dissertation Fellowships (link is external) The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Artshosts an annual program of support for advanced graduate research in the history, theory, and criticism of art, architecture, and urbanism. Each of the nine fellowships have specific requirements and intents, including support for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation, for residency and travel during the period of dissertation research, and for post-doctoral research.

Samuel H. Kress Dissertation Fellowships in Art History (link is external) Competitive Kress Fellowships administered by the Kress Foundation are awarded to art historians and art conservators in the final stages of their preparation for professional careers, as well as to art museum curators and educators.

Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowships (link is external) Offers approximately 30 fellowships of $20,000 to support dissertations bringing "fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world."

Soroptimist International Founder Region Women’s Fellowship (link is external) The mission of the Founder Region Fellowship is to advance the status of women. This will be accomplished through financial support to women in the last year of their doctoral degree. Competition is open to any outstanding graduate woman who is working toward a doctoral degree, preferably in the last year of study but permissibly during the last two years. She must be enrolled in a graduate school within Founder Region, Northern California.

Templeton Dissertation Fellowship at University of Notre Dame (link is external)   “The Problem of Evil in Modern and Contemporary Thought.”   The Center for Philosophy of Religion at University of Notre Dame invites doctoral candidates working in the areas of early modern philosophy of religion and/or theology to apply for a one-year fellowship. The program aims at encouraging Ph.D. students to pursue research in this area while in residence as dissertation fellows in the Center for Philosophy of Religion. 

The Erksine A. Peters Dissertation Year Fellowship at Notre Dame (link is external) The Peters Fellowship will enable two outstanding African American doctoral candidates (at the ABD level) to devote their full energies to the completion of the dissertation, and to provide an opportunity for African American scholars at the beginning of their academic careers to experience life at a major Catholic research university. Administered by both the Office of the Provost and the Department of Africana Studies at the University of Notre Dame, the Peters Fellowship invites applications from African-American doctoral candidates in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and theological disciplines who have completed all degree requirements with the exception of the dissertation.

United States Institute of Peace Dissertation Fellowships (link is external) One-year stipend ($17,000) supports students who have completed all requirements for their degree, except the dissertation, by the start of the fellowship. Dissertation must advance the state of knowledge about international peace and conflict management. 

Stanford Humanities Today

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• Dissertation Fellowships FAQs

Are students from any institution eligible to apply for these fellowships?

Only Stanford graduate students are eligible to apply for these fellowships.

Are students from outside the humanities eligible to apply?

Applicants from the interpretive social sciences may apply for all three of these fellowships (SHC Dissertation Prize, Mellon Foundation Dissertation, and Next Generation Scholar). Applications in the social sciences should employ a research methodology that focuses on historical, philosophical, and/or literary methods of inquiry and should be concerned with questions of culture or value. A project that is largely quantitative or analytical is unlikely to receive support from the selection committee.

Applicants from outside the School of Humanities and Sciences are eligible to apply for SHC Dissertation Prize Fellowships and the Next Generation Scholar Fellowships, but not the Mellon.

May I apply for more than one dissertation fellowship?

Applicants who are eligible may apply to both SHC Dissertation Prize and the Mellon Dissertation fellowship, or to just one. The key distinguishing feature between these two fellowships is physical residency at the Humanities Center; applicants who are unable or unwilling to be in residence at the Center for the full academic year should  not  apply to the SHC Dissertation Prize. Depending on their year in program and dissertation status, they should instead apply to the Mellon or the Next Generation Scholar fellowship.

Applicants cannot apply to both the SHC Dissertation Prize/Mellon Dissertation  and  the Next Generation Scholar fellowship. The same selection committee of Stanford faculty evaluates applications for all three fellowships, in two pools: one pool for the SHC Dissertation Prize and Mellon, and another pool for the Next Generation Scholar fellowship. 

For the SHC Dissertation Prize and Mellon Foundation fellowships: applicants are typically (but not exclusively) in their 5th or 6th year of the doctoral program. From the applicant pool, a top group of approximately 45 potential awardees is identified for the approximately 20 fellowship spots. Only at the very end of the selection process are specific applicants matched up with specific fellowships. Designating both fellowships gives the selection committee more award options, and thus increases the likelihood of receiving a fellowship. However, applicants should only designate both options if they are able to commit to accepting either fellowship if awarded.  For the Next Generation Scholar Fellowships: the selection committee will award fellowships based on eligibility (applicants in year 6+) and demonstration of exceptional scholarly promise.

What are the key differences between these fellowships?

SHC Dissertation Prize Fellowships go to applicants whose work would be of interest to an interdisciplinary group of scholars, and who would benefit from the professional and intellectual resources offered by a year in residence at the Humanities Center. Mellon Foundation Dissertation Fellowships are typically given to students who have made timely progress through their early years in graduate school (i.e., those who will be in their 6th year of the graduate program for the tenure of the fellowship). Next Generation Scholar Fellowships are given to outstanding students who show strong progress toward completing the dissertation, demonstrate a level of professional acculturation that corresponds to their years in the program, and would benefit from additional professional development in their transition to the academic  job market. Unlike the SHC Dissertation Prize and Mellon Foundation awards, candidates who have held other competitive dissertation fellowships are not at a disadvantage in their applications. Pending availability, fellows may have access to shared office space at the Center.

SHC DP fellows are expected to take part in the daily life of the Center for the duration of their fellowship (i.e. attend lunches and weekly seminars). Next Generation Scholars are encouraged but not required to be in regular physical residence at the Center. There is no on-campus requirement for Mellon dissertation fellows akin to the expectations for SHC fellows. However, Mellon fellows are subject to University residency expectations and departmental residency requirements—i.e., having a Mellon does not exempt a student from these residency expectations.

May I apply for these fellowships if I need to spend time away from campus?

SHC Dissertation Fellows are are expected to take regular part in the life of the Center for the duration of their fellowship; they should not spend more than a week per academic quarter (plus University holidays and breaks) away.

Mellon Dissertation fellows are obligated to fulfill only those residency requirements set by their dean and departments.

Next Generation Scholars are encouraged to take active part in the daily life of the Center. Travel for the completion of the dissertation is permitted as long as departmental residency requirements are being met.

Are re-applicants disadvantaged in the selection process?

Returning applicants are not at a disadvantage in the selection process. Each year, the selection committee has many more fundable projects than fellowships to grant. Not being awarded a grant in a previous competition will in no way negatively prejudice an application. Additionally, each group of applications is read by a new set of reviewers, as selection committee membership changes each year.

May previous Stanford humanities dissertation fellowship recipients apply for a second fellowship?

Previous Stanford humanities dissertation fellowship recipients (SHC and Mellon) may reapply for a fellowship they have not previously received. They are at a disadvantage in the competition for the SHC Dissertation Prize and Mellon because we try to make those two fellowships available to as broad a group of scholars as our resources will allow, and there are so few fellowship spots to go around. However, previous recipients of a dissertation fellowship (including the SHC DP and Mellon) are not at a disadvantage for the Next Generation Scholar fellowship, and are welcomed to apply.

What if my department doesn't require one of the things listed in the degree milestones section?

Please write a brief note explaining this in the “Optional Notes" section of the online application. 

By what date should incompletes be resolved?

Incompletes should be resolved by the beginning of your fellowship term. Please upload an explanation for any exceptional circumstances for an incomplete or degree milestone in the “Optional Notes” section of the online application.

May recipients teach while on fellowship?

Outside employment must be aligned with university policy and approved by the home department (including the Humanities Center for SHC fellowships). Please be in close contact with your home department, H&S office, and/or the SHC before confirming any teaching assistantships or accepting other employment or fellowships.

What should I do if I take another job or fellowship during the competition?

Please notify the  fellowship manager  at the Humanities Center if you decide to accept another fellowship or a job before the competition results are announced. With so few fellowships and so many deserving applicants, we would like to make offers as soon as possible to students in the position to accept them.

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Fellowships

• Created by Marcus Mayo , last modified by Sean A Fisher on Jan 05, 2024

Graduate students in the Ph.D. program in the History of Art and Architecture are supported by a number of fellowships offered by the Harvard Griffin GSAS as well as various research and area studies centers at Harvard University. The fellowships are offered for different purposes—e.g. summer pre-dissertation research and fieldwork, language study, dissertation support on and off campus—and for varied periods of time. There are also many external fellowships to which students may apply across the years of their degree program. The following list, organized by G-year, describes the fellowship opportunities and their requirements. G1-3 students should discuss their fellowship applications with the Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate Coordinator; G4+ students should develop a plan each academic year for internal and external fellowship competitions and discuss their applications with the primary adviser and other members of their dissertation committee. Advance planning enhances the quality and strength of the fellowship application and facilitates the preparation of letters of recommendation and other supporting documentation. Developing skills in applying to fellowships will enhance professional development during the years of your graduate study and throughout the remainder of your career as a scholar.

For general information on internal and external fellowships visit the Harvard Griffin GSAS Fellowships Page as well as the Fellowships and Writing Center . An additional resource is offered by the GSAS which maintains the CARAT Database for Fellowships and Grants .

G1 & G2

Pre-dissertation summer fellowships.

The GSAS Graduate Society Summer Predissertation Fellowships are for outstanding graduate students in the Humanities and Social Sciences to pursue summer language study or preliminary dissertation research or fieldwork.

The GSAS Summer School Tuition Fellowships are intended to enable doctoral students to engage in language study at the Harvard Summer School in Cambridge, either to prepare for their department foreign language exam, or to prepare for language needs related to the dissertation. Please note: This opportunity ordinarily is for use in the summer following the G1 or G2 or G3 year, but under special circumstances students in later years may apply. Note as well, that this fellowship does not apply to Harvard Summer School programs that are conducted abroad; it is exclusively for Harvard Summer School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Both fellowships involve a two-stage application involving a ranking by the Faculty of the HAA Department and then review by the Griffin GSAS Fellowships Office. 

Applications are submitted in CARAT for departmental review by  FEBRUARY 15.

Once reviewed, the applications are automatically forwarded to the Griffin GSAS for their review in early February.

Notification for this fellowship is typically late-April.

For information about application contents and requirements, please visit the Harvard Griffin GSAS Fellowships Office website.

Information about other Harvard summer fellowships supporting fieldwork and language study through various research centers are listed at the above website. The following centers have a record of supporting students in History of Art and Architecture:

• Asia Center
• Center for European Studies, Minda de Gunzburg
• Center for Hellenic Studies
• Center for Middle East Studies
• David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies
• Dumbarton Oaks
• Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies
• Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (I Tatti Fellowships)
• Hutchins Center for African and African American Research
• Korea Institute
• Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
• South Asia Institute, Lakshmi Mittal Family

Kennedy, Knox, and Sheldon Travel Fellowships

The Committee on General Scholarships invites Harvard graduate and professional schools to nominate candidates who wish to apply for support to conduct research or study abroad for the academic year. Funding supports students in their G4 year. The competition is open to current Harvard graduate students or students who will graduate from one of Harvard’s professional schools in the current academic year.

This fellowship involves a two-stage application: first, a ranking by the HAA Department; second, review and final selection by the GSAS Fellowships Office. 

Applications are submitted in CARAT for departmental review by NOVEMBER 15.

Once reviewed, the applications are automatically forwarded to GSAS for their review in early December.

Notification for this fellowship is typically in mid-April.

Fulbright US Student Program

GSAS students are encouraged to apply for the  Fulbright US Student Program  for study or research in over 140 countries worldwide with a focus on cultural exchange through direct interactions with members of the host community. The fellowship is offered by the Institute of International Education (IIE) on behalf of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 

Fulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program (DDRA)

The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern languages and area studies in the US by providing opportunities for doctoral students to conduct research abroad. Research projects should focus on one or more of the following geographic areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, South Asia, the Near East, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and the Western Hemisphere (excluding the United States and its territories). Research is allowed in multiple countries.

For information about application contents and requirements, please visit the Fulbright-Hays page on the Harvard Griffin GSAS Fellowships Office website .

Porter Travel Award

The Porter Travel Awards are dedicated funds to support research and travel in the fourth year. The Porter is authorized by the University from year to year.

Pre-Dissertation Summer Fellowship

See G1 & G2: Pre-Dissertation Summer Fellowship

Merit and Term Time Research Fellowships

A semester award that allows outstanding GSAS students to focus their time on research, fieldwork, and writing. These fellowships are for outstanding GSAS students in the humanities, social sciences, and in specifically designated areas of study in the natural sciences and mathematics. Students must have passed Generals and have an approved dissertation prospectus at the time of nomination, or no later than the beginning of the semester when the award is taken. Notification for this fellowship is typically mid-April.

Harvard Griffin GSAS: Summer, Research and Travel Fellowships

External Fellowships Requiring Departmental Nomination

Center for advanced study in the visual arts (national gallery of art), kress foundation, dedalus foundation, and graham foundation.

Successful applications to these fellowship competitions are typically those made by students who have completed at least one year of fieldwork and research and who can demonstrate advanced progress toward the dissertation and its completion.

To be considered for these fellowships, G4+ students should submit the following materials by September 27 10:00 a.m. by email or WeTransfer as one pdf to the Graduate Coordinator:

• Departmental cover form
• Dissertation Proposal
• Critical Bibliographic Essay
• Research to Date
• Tentative Schedule
• Faculty Letter of Recommendation (sent directly to Graduate Coordinator)

Recommendation letters should be sent directly to the Graduate Coordinator. One is required ON the submission deadline. The Faculty of the HAA Department reviews the applications and determines the nominees to the external fellowships based on dissertation progress, quality of application, and suitability to the individual fellowships.

The final application deadline (if nominated) for the CASVA (National Gallery of Art) is November 15 and all material must be submitted online. If you are nominated for the Kress, Dedalus, or Graham Foundation grants you will collect and send the application yourself. One nomination is possible for each CASVA fellowship and two for the Kress Institutional*; one each for Dedalus and Graham.

*Please note : If one of your recommenders for the Kress Institutional Fellowship is on the selection committee at the institution for which you are applying, they will be recused from the committee during deliberations about your application.

Sample winning fellowship applications of all types are archived for reference in the Graduate Program Coordinator's office.

• National Gallery Predoctoral Dissertation Fellowship Program
• Kress Foundation History of Art Institutional Fellowship Program
• Dedalus Dissertation Fellowship
• Graham Foundation Carter Manny Award

Helen Frankenthaler Fund for Graduate Research The Department of History of Art and Architecture offers one annual fellowship to support doctoral dissertation research in the history of modern art. Students should have completed at least one year of fieldwork and research and be able to demonstrate advanced progress toward the degree. Priority will be given to G5+. The fellowship supports research-related costs, technology and equipment, tuition, travel, and housing. The level of award annually is $21,000. There is no residential requirement.

To be considered for these fellowships, G5+ students should submit the following materials by April 30 10:00 a.m. by email or WeTransfer as one pdf to the Graduate Program Coordinator:

• Dissertation Proposal (1,000 words)
• Critical Bibliographic Essay (500 words)
• Research to Date (500 words)
• Tentative Schedule (1 page)
• Faculty Letter of Recommendation (to be sent directly to the Graduate Coordinator)  

About Helen Frankenthaler “Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), whose career spanned six decades, has long been recognized as one of the great American artists of the twentieth century. She was eminent among the second generation of postwar American abstract painters and is widely credited for playing a pivotal role in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field painting. Through her invention of the soak-stain technique, she expanded the possibilities of abstract painting, while at times referencing figuration and landscape in unique ways. She produced a body of work whose impact on contemporary art has been profound and continues to grow.” From Helen Frankenthaler: A Brief Biography https://www.frankenthalerfoundation.org/helen/biography

Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Eligible students in the humanities and social sciences are guaranteed a GSAS dissertation completion fellowship (DCF) between the G4 and G7 years and must apply for the DCF in advance of the dissertation completion year.

Harvard Griffin GSAS: Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Additional Fellowships and Internships

Aga khan program for islamic architecture.

The Aga Khan Program Fellowship opportunities are available for AKPIA HAA students, Joint CMES/HAA students, and Joint GSD/HAA students. Students outside these areas with interests in the history of Islamic Art and Architecture are welcome to apply, but preference is given to those within HAA.

In general, the deadline is March 1 of each year.,

Proposal and budget should be submitted directly (by email) to the program administrator in the Aga Khan Program.

Harvard University Gordon Parks Foundation Scholarship  

This annually awarded scholarship supports a Harvard undergraduate or graduate student who is researching a topic that explores the relationship between race and aesthetics, racial equity, social justice, and visual culture in American life toward preparation for a senior thesis project or a doctoral thesis in the B.A. and Ph.D. degree programs offered by the Departments of African and African American Studies and the History of Art and Architecture (separately or jointly). Generally, these funds would be used by an undergraduate during the summer months—to support the research fieldwork of a rising senior—and by a graduate student at any time in the academic year. Proposals to work in the archives of the Gordon Parks Foundation in New York are also welcome.  

The scholarship honors the legacy of photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks and acknowledges the importance of visual literacy and the nexus of race and art, fostering new academic inquiry by students registered for degree programs offered by the College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  

The Gordon Parks Foundation has generously indicated scholarship support at the level of $7,500 per annum. The full amount will be awarded to one student in each award cycle.

Application:

Applications should comprise: 1. 1,000-word project description; 2. schedule and itinerary (1 p.); 3. budget (1 p.); and, 4. a letter of recommendation about the proposed research project from a faculty adviser and/or professor who has taught the applicant. The 2022 deadline is April 11th with the recipient announced by April 25th. The application should be submitted as a single pdf, with the recommendation letter—sent separately by the recommender—to Marcus Mayo, Undergraduate Coordinator, Department of History of Art and Architecture (marcus_mayo@ fas.harvard.edu ).

The scholarship-winning student will be featured on the Gordon Parks Foundation website as well as the websites and social media accounts of the Departments of AAAS and HAA.

Harvard Art Museums

Curatorial divisions and departments in the Harvard Art Museums offer opportunities for part-time employment. Many students serve as curatorial assistants, assisting the preparation of installations of the permanent collections or special exhibitions, participate in public programs, or conduct research on objects in the museums’ collections. These positions are administered by the Harvard Art Museums and opportunities vary from year to year. Formal applications for internships in the Harvard Art Museums are usually made in April for the following academic year. Annual opportunities for museum internships are communicated to eligible graduate students (G3+) by the Graduate Coordinator. Graduate students may choose to pursue a museum internship in lieu of support from working as a teaching fellow, though the HAA Department recommends that students find balance between the two to maintain breadth and diversity in their professional formation.

External Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Competitions (History of Art and Architecture; Humanities)

The following fellowships in history of art and architecture and the humanities support various fields, purposes, and career stages, both predoctoral and postdoctoral. We welcome any additions to this list.

• Albright (W.F) Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem
• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation , Sponsorship Programmes
• American Academy in Rome
• American Academy in Rome, Rome Prize
• American Antiquarian Society, Fellowships
• American Associaiton of University Women
• American Council of Learned Studies
• American Councils for International Education, Research Abroad
• American Historical Association , J. Franklin Jameson Fellowship in American History
• American Research Center in Egypt
• American Research Center in Sofia Foundation
• American Research Center in Turkey
• American School of Classical Studies at Athens
• Amon Carter Museum of American Art
• ANAMED, Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations
• Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Archaeological Institute of America
• Art Institute of Chicago
• Barakat Trust
• Bard Graduate Center
• Belgian American Educational Foundation
• Cambridge University, Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Fellowships
• Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Art (CASVA)
• Center for British Art, Yale University
• Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona
• Center for Italian Modern Art
• Chateaubriand Fellowship Foundation—Humanities and Social Sciences
• Clark Art Institute Fellowships
• College Art Association Fellowships
• Council for European Studies at Columbia University
• Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) Fellowships
• Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• Dartmouth College, Leslie Center for the Humanities , Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Dedalus Foundation
• Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte
• Folger Shakespeare Library, Fellowships
• Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
• Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS)
• Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, Research Fellowships
• Frick Collection
• Fulbright US Student Program Fellowship
• Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship
• George A. and Eliza Howard Foundation Fellowships
• Georgia OKeeffe Museum Dissertation and Postdoctoral Fellowships for the Study of American Modernism
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• Getty Foundation Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Fellowships
• Goethe Institut Postdoctoral Fellowship at Haus der Kunst
• Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
• Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation
• Harvard University, Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (Villa I Tatti), Fellowships
• Haverford College, John B. Hurford '60 Center for the Arts and Humanities , Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowship
• Hilla Rebay International Fellowship: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
• Huntington Fellowships
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers History Center , Fellowship in Electrical History
• John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress , Chairs & Fellowships, Scholars in Residence
• Kress Foundation History of Art Institutional Fellowships
• Lemmermann Foundation Scholarship Award (for study in Rome)
• Leonard A. Lauder Fellowships for Modern Art (MMA)
• Lewis Walpole Library Fellowship (for research at Yale University)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art *On your application, please list the Graduate Program Coordinator's email for the "Institutional Statement of Support"

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The Dissertation Fellowship is intended to support recipients in their final year of writing and defending their dissertations, without the obligation of a teaching, research, or graduate assignment. The Dissertation Fellowship is awarded to Ph.D./Ed.D./D.M.A. students who have been admitted to candidacy.

Eligibility Criteria

• Student must be nominated by the Graduate Program Director
• Student must expect degree conferral by the end of the summer 2024 semester (Please note: Students in the Counseling Psychology and Clinical Psychology Ph.D. programs may apply for 2023-2024 Fellowship support the year before internship.)
• Student must not be beyond year five of the doctoral program at the start of the Fall 2023 semester
• Student must have a minimum 3.7 graduate cumulative GPA

Terms of the Award

Students may not hold a paid assignment (TA/RA/GA) or any other paid fellowship or scholarship during the Dissertation Fellowship award period. Students must be enrolled as full-time students at the University of Miami in an eligible program during the Fellowship award period. It is expected that the Fellowship recipients will complete and defend the dissertation at the end of the fellowship year. 

Application due date: July 1st

Number of Fellowship awards per Academic Year: 5

Fellowship award amount: $35,000 if students  are enrolled August-May .The Fellowship will be paid out in monthly installments spread evenly across the Fellowship award period.  Fellowship payments will end in December 2023 for students who graduate in the fall semester.

Fellowship award period: 2023-2024 Academic Year ( August-May )

How to Apply

Click on the button below to initiate the application. The application consists of the following components:

• Signed nomination letter from the Graduate Program Director
• Signed support letter from mentor/advisor (If the student's mentor/advisor is also the Graduate Program Director, then this support letter must be submitted by a different UM faculty member.)
• Student's CV
• Research description with evidence of significant progress (half-page, 12 point Times New Roman font, single-spaced, may include figures) 
• Dissertation completion timeline with an explanation of how this fellowship would assist in completion

Applications are closed

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NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program

The application portal will open in Summer 2023.

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program. The dissertation fellowship aims to strengthen research on education and learning by supporting early career scholars from a wide range of fields. Each year, the program funds a small group of outstanding advanced doctoral candidates so that they can devote themselves full-time to the completion of their dissertation. In addition to the $27,500 stipend, fellows participate in two professional development retreats. While these meetings offer dissertation writing support, they also provide opportunities designed to expand fellows’ networks, build research and career skills, and support their transition into professional roles.

NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellows are selected through a highly competitive process. Please review the eligibility and procedural requirements carefully before beginning an application. This year 35 fellowships will be awarded.

A selection committee of NAEd members and other senior scholars from diverse fields is responsible for selecting the award recipients. The following are basic criteria for selection: the importance of the research question to education, the quality of the research approach and feasibility of the work plan, and the applicant’s future potential in educational research. Please note that the dissertation fellowship is intended to support the writing of the dissertation during the last year(s) of doctoral work and cannot be used during the data collection phase of the dissertation.

Please read all of the following materials and instructions carefully to determine your eligibility and to ensure the best presentation of your candidacy to those who will review your application. Completed applications must be submitted electronically no later than   5pm Eastern Time on Thursday, October 5, 2023.

Answers to commonly asked questions about the dissertation fellowship are available on our FAQs page. If you have any other questions, please contact the NAEd by email at [email protected] . On behalf of the National Academy of Education, I wish you well as you move toward completion of your doctoral work.

Gregory White Executive Director

Through the dissertation fellowship, the National Academy of Education (NAEd) and Spencer seek to encourage a new generation of scholars from a variety of fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. The NAEd and Spencer believe scholarly insight from many different disciplines can contribute to an understanding of education as a fundamental human endeavor and advance our ability to address significant current issues in education. Therefore, the NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship supports individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world.

Eligibility

Applicants need not be citizens of the United States; however, they must be candidates for a doctoral degree at a graduate institution within the U.S. The fellowship is not intended to finance data collection or the completion of doctoral coursework but rather to support the final analysis of the research topic and the writing of the dissertation. For this reason, all applicants must confirm via the online application that they will have completed all pre-dissertation requirements by June 1, 2024 and must provide a clear and specific plan for completing the dissertation within a one or two-year time frame.

Funding Priorities

Although the dissertation topic must centrally concern education, graduate study may be in any academic discipline or professional field. Fellowships have been awarded to candidates in anthropology, architecture, art history, communications, economics, education, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, public health, religion, and sociology. Eligibility is not restricted to these academic areas. Candidates should be interested in pursuing research on education once the doctorate is attained.

Awards and Conditions

The NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellows will award 35 non-renewable fellowships for the 2024 program. Recipients of the fellowships will receive $27,500 to support completion of the dissertation. This amount must be expended within a time limit of up to two years and in accordance with the work plan provided by the candidate.

The fellowship is designed to provide fellows with support for the writing phase of the dissertation and to alleviate the need for significant other employment. However, the NAEd recognizes that individuals have unique needs and circumstances, and fellows may have “reasonable” outside employment during the fellowship year. The NAEd suggests no more than 10 hours/week but will work with fellows if more is required. If an applicant intends to work during the fellowship, they must seek approval from the Academy. Additionally, the selection committee must have ample evidence to demonstrate that a candidate will be able to finish the dissertation within the timeframe specified.

Applicants must also notify the NAEd if they are offered another fellowship to discuss the nature and terms of the award. As a ground rule, if an applicant is offered another fellowship in addition to the NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, they may only accept one of the awards if they are both supporting the same aspect of the research project (i.e., the writing phase). Concurrent funding from a fellow’s institution may be allowable depending on the parameters of that funding, but this is reviewed by NAEd on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the NAEd with any questions about this policy.

Preparing the Application

Full and complete applications must be submitted electronically by 5pm Eastern Time on Thursday, October 5, 2023 ; this includes both letters of recommendation. Notification of awards will occur by May 2024. Fellowships may begin no earlier than June 1, 2024.

Basic selection criteria are the following:

• Importance of the research question to education
• Quality of the research approach and feasibility of the work plan
• Applicant’s future potential as a researcher and interest in education research

However, the selection committee will consider these specific questions in deliberations:

• To what extent does the narrative discussion of the dissertation show knowledge of relevant research in the field? To what extent is it grounded in pertinent theory?
• To what extent is the study’s argued relevance to education convincing? To what extent is the study likely to yield new knowledge about an important educational issue?
• To what extent does the proposal explicate the following (as relevant to the project): design and logic of the study; sources of evidence; measurement and classification; and nature of analysis and interpretation? To what extent are the methodology and analysis plans described in sufficient detail to evaluate their appropriateness for this specific study?
• To what extent does the proposal (whether by rationale for data analysis or by a discussion of preliminary results) make a case that the dissertation is likely compelling and important to the broader field of education research?
• To what extent does the narrative discussion display strong authorship skills, with clear organization and structure?
• Is the applicant likely to complete his/her doctoral studies within the time-frame the fellowship allows (one year full-time or two years half-time), or soon thereafter?
• What is the likelihood that the applicant will continue to conduct research and scholarly activities in the field of education?

The final selection committee is comprised of scholars with varying backgrounds. Because the proposal is reviewed by a multidisciplinary committee, it must be compelling to scholars who do not have expertise in the given area. Getting feedback from colleagues and others who can provide constructive criticism is strongly encouraged. It may be especially helpful to enlist the help of a colleague with a different focus to ensure that the proposal is easily understood by the selection committee members with different disciplinary backgrounds. The NAEd also recommends reading “ The Art of Writing Proposals ”, an article published by the Social Science Research Council, for guidance on writing a strong proposal.

Once candidates create an online account, they can manage the entire application online. It is not necessary to complete the application in one session. Applicants will be able to save their work and come back to the submission at any time before the deadline.

Once the application is submitted, please do not contact the NAEd or Spencer to inquire about receipt of materials. Candidates will receive a confirmation e-mail when their application has been submitted, as well as when a letter of reference has been submitted to their application. They will also receive an e-mail notification if the two letters of recommendation have not been submitted by the deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that these letters are submitted.

APPLICATION COMPONENTS

APPLICATION FORM Only applications from individuals will be accepted. Candidates must use the online application available on the NAEd website.

DISSERTATION ABSTRACT In a single-spaced paragraph, summarize the substantive focus and research design of the dissertation and its contribution to education. Please include the purpose, methods, and scope of the dissertation. A text box is provided within the online application; please refer to length restrictions on the application form.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Applicants will be asked to provide the following information:

• Demographic data
• Educational history
• Employment history
• A list of scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships that have been received or for which the applicant has applied
• A list of honors and awards
• A list of publications and presentations
• Information about the completion of pre-dissertation requirements
• Language(s) proficiency
• Information about the two letter writers

PERSONAL STATEMENT Applicants are asked to describe:

• How their educational work and experiences have prepared them for doing research on this dissertation topic
• What career path they hope to pursue after completing the dissertation, including any plans to remain focused on education research in the future.

The bulk of the personal statement should be dedicated to describing previous experiences. A text box is provided within the online application; please refer to length restrictions on the application form.

WORK PLAN The NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship is intended to support the writing of the dissertation rather than data collection or course work. It is the expectation of the NAEd and Spencer that fellows will have a completed dissertation at the end of the fellowship period or soon thereafter. Ordinarily, the fellowship of $27,500 supports one year of full-time work on the dissertation, and the work plan specifies when this year begins and ends. Applicants who cannot work full-time on their dissertation may specify a work plan of up to two years that allows for part-time work for the duration of the fellowship or for alternating periods of dissertation work and income-producing work. The fellowship can begin as early as June 1, 2024 and end as late at May 31, 2026. Applicants will be asked to provide a start and end date as well as dates when they expect to complete each phase of the dissertation (e.g. completion of data analysis, completion of individual chapters, and dissertation to committee) within the online application. Applicants should clearly indicate when they want the fellowship period to begin. They can include goals and activities that will precede the fellowship start date on the timeline, but the timeline should still include the fellowship start date.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION Two letters of recommendation, one from the dissertation director/chair and one from another faculty member, are required. All recommenders must submit their letters online. Only two letters will be accepted per application. The NAEd strongly encourages applicants to discuss the principal issues the letter should address with their recommenders. These issues are outlined in the “Dear Colleague” letter at the end of this page. Please request the letters early to allow sufficient time to ensure they are submitted prior to the application deadline. The online application sends an automated request to these individuals once their information is entered, so please ensure that their e-mail addresses are entered correctly. Applicants should notify reviewers once they submit their e-mail addresses. Please have reviewers check spam filters for the automated email before contacting the NAEd with questions.

NARRATIVE DISCUSSION OF DISSERTATION In no more than 10 double-spaced pages with one-inch margins, and at least 11-point Times New Roman font, describe the dissertation. This narrative document should have page numbers and the applicant’s full name and registered email address as a running header.

Include the goals of the project, its contribution to the field, and the significance of the work, especially as it relates to education. Place the project in context, and outline the theoretical grounding and the relevant literature. Describe the research questions and research design, the methods of gathering and analyzing data, and interpretation techniques. If preliminary findings or pilot data are available, these should be described briefly – especially if they illustrate how the applicant will be conducting thematic analyses or applying coding systems to the data. Lack of clarity in treatment of data with respect to the research question(s) is often a problem area in applications.

Please keep in mind that each proposal will be reviewed by some senior scholars familiar with the field and by others less familiar; thus, language specific to a field should be situated within an argument persuasive to a generalist audience.

The narrative discussion cannot exceed 10 double-spaced typed pages. An additional single-spaced bibliography (no more than two pages) of the sources most important to the project should be appended (works cited in the narrative discussion should be included).

The narrative discussion and bibliography should be uploaded as one document ( 12 pages total ) within the online system. Technical and supplemental a ppendices (charts, graphs, tables, questionnaires, etc.) may be included and do not count towards the limit ; however, please be judicious in the quantity included, as reviewers are not required to review material in the appendices. Information essential to understanding the project should be included in the 10 page narrative (including any coding systems). Applicants should make the case for their research in the narrative.

GRADUATE TRANSCRIPT Applicants must upload a graduate transcript in the online application. An unofficial copy is sufficient.

LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

Request for Reference Letter

For your information, this is a version of the letter emailed to your reference writers.

Dear Colleague,

You have been asked to serve as a reference for a National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship program applicant. Each applicant is required to submit two letters of recommendation: one from the dissertation director/chair and one from another faculty member who knows the candidate’s work well. The application deadline is 5pm Eastern Time on Thursday, October 5, 2023.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all materials, including references, are submitted prior to the deadline.

The NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These $27,500 fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world.

In a letter of no more than two pages, we would appreciate your evaluation of the individual as a candidate for the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship. Please include the applicant’s full name in your letter. In addition, we ask that you please provide your full name, title, department, institutional affiliation, telephone number, and e-mail address. We would like you to comment directly on the following six topics:

• Your relationship to the student;
• Your evaluation of the student relative to other students you have worked with;
• The strength of the proposed dissertation research and its relevance to educational improvement;
• The project’s connection to existing research on the topic, and the potential contribution of that dissertation to that literature;
• The student’s future potential as a scholar and likelihood that their research will continue to address education;
• The student’s apparent long-term contributions to research in education.

The NAEd website, www.naeducation.org , provides a complete list of application guidelines and eligibility requirements. Thank you for your time and contribution to this process. If you have any questions, please e-mail [email protected] .

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Semester Dissertation Fellowships (Wylie and Lee Thonton)

The Graduate School's Semester Dissertation Fellowship program includes the  Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship  and the  Lee Thornton Endowed Fellowship . Dissertation fellowships provide full-time support to University of Maryland doctoral candidates who are in the latter stages of writing their dissertations.  Awarded students for AY 24-25 can choose to use the fellowship in either Fall 2024 or Spring 2025. Fellowship benefits include a $15,000 Stipend, a Candidacy Tuition award (899 only), a credit for mandatory fees associated with 899 registration, and reimbursement for the purchase of an individual student health insurance plan for the semester.  

Eligibility:  Eligible candidates are current UMD doctoral students who will have advanced to candidacy by June 1, 2024, and expect to graduate by August 2025.  

Nomination Process :  Doctoral programs are eligible to nominate candidates for the Semester Dissertation Fellowship. Please see the Nomination Allocation Schedule in the Guidelines. Programs must submit nominations by  noon, Wednesday, February 5, 2025.   Students:   Please write your abstract for a non-specialist audience and submit your materials to your program according to their internal deadline.  

Lee Thornton Fellowship Recipients

Lee Thornton Fellows History

Ann G. Wylie Fellowship Recipients

AY 2023-24 Dissertation Fellows AY 2022-23 Dissertation Fellows AY 2021-22 Dissertation Fellows AY 2020-21 Dissertation Fellows AY 2019-20 Dissertation Fellows AY 2018-19 Dissertation Fellows AY 2017-18 Dissertation Fellows AY 2016-17 Dissertation Fellows AY 2015-16 Dissertation Fellows AY 2014-15 Dissertation Fellows AY 2013-14 Dissertation Fellows

Dissertation Fellowships 2023-2024

• Edit source
• View history
• Recent changes

This page is for dissertation fellowships awarded for the academic year 2023–2024 (including research fellowships, dissertation completion fellowships, and other predoctoral opportunities).

• March 2024 note: THIS IS LAST YEAR'S PAGE. For updates on fellowships that start in Fall 2024, please go here: Dissertation Fellowships 2023-24
• New 7/30/23: Next year's page Dissertation Fellowships 2023-24 . N.B. I am changing the naming convention for this page to match all other pages on this wiki. The years in the title are the APPLICATION YEAR not the year the job/fellowship starts/runs. So the new year's page has almost the same name as last year's. Next year the name will match all other pages for that year.
• This is the page for dissertation fellowships to be awarded for the 2024-25 year: Dissertation Fellowships 2023-24
• Last year's page: Dissertation Fellowships 2022-2023
• Please add calls and information!

See also fellowship discussions at TheGradCafe: The Bank

• 1 RECENT ACTIVITY on Dissertation Fellowships 2023-2024
• 2 Fellowships for 2023-2024
• 3 AAUW American and International Fellowship
• 4 ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship
• 5 ACLS / Mellon Dissertation Completion Fellowships
• 6 AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship Program in Education Research
• 7 Alvin H. Johnson AMS 50 Dissertation Fellowships
• 8 American Academy in Rome, Rome Prize
• 9 American Philosophical Society Predoctoral Fellowship
• 10 American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) Fellowships & Grants for Americans
• 11 American Sociological Association Minority Fellows Program
• 12 Augustana College Diversity Fellowship Program
• 13 Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Research Fellowships, Harvard University
• 14 Boren Fellowship
• 15 Boston College AADS (African and African Diaspora Studies) Dissertation Fellowship
• 16 CAA Professional Development Fellowship
• 17 CAORC Mediterranean Regional Research Fellowship
• 18 CAORC Multi-Country Research Fellowship
• 19 Carter G. Woodson Pre-Doctoral/Post-Doctoral Fellowship (University of Virginia)
• 20 Carter Manny Award
• 21 CASVA Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, National Gallery of Art
• 22 Center for Engaged Scholarship Dissertation Fellowship
• 23 Center for Jewish History Dissertation Fellowship
• 24 Center for Military History Dissertation Fellowship
• 25 Center for Curatorial Leadership CCL/Mellon Foundation Seminar
• 26 Charlotte W. Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship
• 27 Chateaubriand Fellowship (STEM and HSS)
• 28 Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
• 29 Consortium for Faculty Diversity (Dissertation and Postdoctoral Fellowship Fellowships)
• 30 Consortium for History of Science, Medicine, and Technology Dissertation Fellowship
• 31 Crystal Bridges Tyson Scholars Program
• 32 DAAD Graduate Research Fellowship
• 33 Dartmouth College Chávez/Eastman/Marshall Dissertation Fellowship
• 34 Dolores Liebmann Fellowship
• 35 Dumbarton Oaks Junior Fellowship
• 36 Emslie Horniman Anthropological Scholarship Fund
• 37 Ernest May Fellowship in History and Policy
• 38 Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
• 39 Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies Pre-doctoral Fellowship
• 40 Frick Anne L. Poulet Curatorial Fellowship
• 41 Fulbright IIE Study/Research Grants
• 42 Fulbright Hays DDRA
• 43 Gaius Charles Bolin Dissertation Fellowship
• 44 Getty Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 45 Getty Library Research Grant
• 46 Graduate Women in Science National Fellowship Program
• 47 Harry Frank Guggenheim Emerging Scholar Award
• 48 Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies Academy Scholars Program
• 49 Henry Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship in American Art
• 50 Hobart and William Smith - Fisher Center Predoctoral Fellowship
• 51 Home Grown Curatorial Fellowship
• 52 Horowitz Fellowship
• 53 Huntington Library Fellowship
• 54 IGCC Dissertation Fellowship
• 55 IHR Doctoral Fellowship (Scouloudi, Thornley, RHS)
• 56 Institute for Turkish Studies Dissertation Writing Grant
• 57 Ithaca College Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellowship
• 58 Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship
• 59 Jefferson Scholars Foundation National Fellowship (UVA)
• 60 Jennings Randolph Peace Scholarship Dissertation Program
• 61 John Carter Brown Library Fellowships
• 62 Josephine de Karman Fellowship
• 63 H Center for Anatolian Civilizations Residential Fellowship
• 64 Kress Foundation History of Art Institutional Fellowships
• 65 Lake Institute Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
• 66 Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research
• 67 Louisville Institute Dissertation Fellowship
• 68 Mabelle McLeod Lewis Memorial Fund
• 69 Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation/Teaching Fellowship (Kenyon College)
• 70 Mellon-CES Dissertation Completion Fellowship in European Studies
• 71 Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art History Fellowships
• 72 Minerva-USIP Peace and Security Scholarship
• 73 Mitchem Dissertation Fellowship Program (Marquette University)
• 74 MIT SHASS Diversity Predoctoral Fellowship
• 75 Morgan Library Fellowships
• 76 NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program
• 77 NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant
• 78 New York Botanical Gardens Humanities Institute Research Fellowship
• 79 Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study
• 80 Penn Predoctoral Fellowships for Excellence through Diversity
• 81 RBS-Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography
• 82 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation for Buddhist Studies/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship
• 83 Smith Richardson Foundation, World Politics & Statecraft Fellowship
• 84 Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP) (Predoctoral)
• 85 SHAFR Marilyn Blatt Young Dissertation Completion Fellowship
• 86 Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) Research Grants
• 87 Soroptimist [Founder Region Fellowship]
• 88 SPFFA Bourse Marandon
• 89 SSRC Data Fluencies Dissertation Grant
• 90 Tobin Project Graduate Fellowship and Workshop
• 91 Tobin Project Prospectus Development Workshop
• 92 Tufts University Mellon Comparative Global Humanities Dissertation Fellowship
• 93 University of California @ Davis Provost's Dissertation Year Fellowship
• 94 UCLA Clark Library Predoctoral Fellowship
• 95 University of California Santa Barbara Black Studies Dissertation Fellowship
• 96 University of Southern California (USC) Shoah Foundation Center for Advanced Genocide Research Fellowships
• 97 UT Austin Harry Ransom Center Research Fellowships
• 98 Washington College - Part-time Fellowship in Literature, History, Culture, Art of the Americas before 1830
• 99 Weatherhead Fellowship (SAR Residential Fellows Program)
• 100 Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant
• 101 Winterthur Dissertation Fellowship
• 102 Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship in Women's Studies
• 103 Yale ISS Smith Richardson Predoctoral Fellowship
• 104 Yale ISS Henry A. Kissinger Predoctoral Fellowship
• 105 General Discussion

RECENT ACTIVITY on Dissertation Fellowships 2023-2024 [ ]

Recent Edits

63.92.3.228: /* Ernest May Fellowship in History and Policy */ - 63.92.3.228 - 2024/03/05 19:49

5120j at 14:15, 4 March 2024 - 5120j - 2024/03/04 14:15

68.237.33.226: /* Carter G. Woodson Pre-Doctoral/Post-Doctoral Fellowship (University of Virginia) */ - 68.237.33.226 - 2024/03/04 03:42

24.103.98.23: /* NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program */ - 24.103.98.23 - 2024/03/01 13:12

119.110.68.177: /* Ernest May Fellowship in History and Policy */ - 119.110.68.177 - 2024/02/15 19:07

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Fellowships for 2023-2024 [ ]

Aauw american and international fellowship [ ].

Anthropology x2

American studies x1

Geography x1

Statistics x1

4/14 has anyone heard anything? Usually if the 15th falls on a Saturday they announce the results on the 14fh.

4/15: Website now says everyone will be notified on 4/17. So, two more days of waiting.

4/17 9 am ET: Rejection. Good morning! Really wish they told us why they rejected it.

4/17 9 am ET: Rejection! Same, I would love some feedback. Good luck everyone!

4/17 9 am ET: Designated as an alternate. Anyone know how often alternates are awarded funding? Any historical data?

I was an alternate last year and didn’t get it. I’m not sure how they decide it.

Did you hear of any alternates who did receive the award (or others who did not)? I do wish they would publish application count and acceptance rates or some other metrics to provide information about this process

4/17 9:00AM ET: Rejection. Nice way to wake up.....

ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship [ ]

Applied: Art History

Applied: Gender Studies

Applied: U.S. History

Applied: French

Applied: History

3/15: Has anyone heard back? - nothing yet x7

3/17: eep, still nothing. do you think all 7 of us are rejects? lol

lol no one in my network has heard either! one of their webinars that I went gave me the vibe that they were p disorganised with this fellowship and kinda clueless abt what they wanted. plz ask around in your networks tho, this wait isn’t fun

• Agreed!!! The webinars were a mess and the instructions were super unclear. Very strange application. I'm in the humanities and it sure looks like the ACLS is starting to consolidate a lot of their grants, which is unfortunate. We are ALL competing for one award with loose parameters. Honestly, they are probably trying to review 8,000 applications that are all over the place in terms of quality and focus. The application also says late March, so I don't think it's over yet.
• Yup this seems like a guinea pig app cycle to define what they mean by “innovation” lol! Although there may perhaps not be that many applicants because it was quite poorly advertised (I think!). The app says late March? I didn’t know, that’s helpful!
• Like most of everything else specific about that application, that detail is buried. ;)
• Gender Studies person here: still nothing and agreed that this wait is 100% dreadful. Hard to apply for something that has no app cycle precedent and yet expects so much work up front for the app materials. :’)
• Thank you for this info! Fingers crossed for us all!

3/21: any news? - nope x9 - ngl I'm so close to mcfreakin' losin it - gaah same!

All I know is that something must happen by next week. -- yeah it says "end of March" so max a week more before we're put out of our misery ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

22/3: just got an acceptance email! Goodest luck to everyone else.x2

Me too. Can't believe this! Till 29th to accept or decline.

Congratulations! any other news? - I second that, CONGRATS y’all! Celebrate hard!

the email is asking for confirmation of acceptance as well as eligibility via your department/school by the 29th of March so I think that’s when they’ll be letting alternates know (?). it also says there were nearly 700 applicants this round.x2

Has anyone gotten an explicit rejection yet? I haven’t gotten any emails today and trying to gauge whether there’s any reason to hope, lol <-- I have the same question. Are they rolling out acceptances? If we haven't heard, are we rejected? etc...

3-23/ looking at previous years' threads, I think we still got a slim chance as alternates. But my guess is that they already sent all the acceptance letters yesterday (the two persons here, and another person on twitter, who later deleted the post...).

Yea, I know a bunch of people ragged on this in previous years but I still do not see the logic in sending out rejects way later. It's a bit odd. And I sort of feel like most people will accept the award given that this isn't during the completion stage where jobs and whatnot change people's plans. I think all the rest of us are all rejects! But at least there are more rejects than not rejects! And super congrats to those who did get it!

3/25--Has anyone heard anything about an alternative position? Nope x3

3/29 - I am still "waiting" to see if they officially notify alternates/rejections. So, if you're also doing that, just know you're not alone. I hope we get some kind of closure in the next 24-48 hours given the deadline to accept is today. x2

3/30 - ^ Update: Just received an official rejection via email and an offer to submit a request to view feedback. (x4)

4/6- Has anyone still not heard back (either acceptance or rejection)? I haven't received anything yet...<-- check with your grad program coordinator, there was a problem in some cases with the application and the "personal email" field got merged with the grad coordinator email. <--thanks for this. I don't see a grad coordinator email on my application print anywhere (and I'm not sure who that would be) but I'll email the OFA help email address.

ACLS / Mellon Dissertation Completion Fellowships [ ]

Aera minority dissertation fellowship program in education research [ ].

4/23- Anyone knows when they will notify the applicants?

[4/24] - I haven't heard anything but it seems like it should be around this time period so fingers crossed.

4/26 - Still haven't heard or seen anything posted anywhere. Assuming its a rejection as results are supposed to come out May 1st

5/1 - Still haven’t heard anything. Anyone else?

Haven't heard anything either. The big AERA conference wrapped up not too long ago and they're launching the virtual part 2 soon so maybe they're behind or acceptances already went out and rejections are coming out in May

5/2 - Same. I emailed them this morning asking when we might expect a decision.

^ Did they give any update on the notification timeline?

5/4 - I also emailed a couple weeks ago and still haven't heard back. Hopefully we will hear back soon after the virtual conference is over.

5/4 - No, they have not replied to my email yet :(

5/5 - Haven't heard anything. I don't even have any girl scout cookies to soothe me either.

[5/9] - Have not heard anything still. Anyone else?

5/9 - I saw online–posted 22 hours ago– that someone has received an acceptance for the 2023-2024 year. I imagine that means acceptance emails went out already.

5/10 - Notified that I was not awarded the fellowship but was offered a travel award

Alvin H. Johnson AMS 50 Dissertation Fellowships [ ]

American academy in rome, rome prize [ ].

Applied: art history x3 (I would love to know which fields the other two art historians applied to..."art history" is not a Rome Prize category. I am an art historian, too, but I applied in Ancient Studies. More info would be appreciated!)

02/14 - I'm one of the art historians above. I applied in Renaissance and early modern studies...and haven't heard anything yet regarding my application. (Update 02/16 - Just received a kind email letting me know I was not selected. Good luck to the others who applied!)

2/15 - ah ok, thank you!! I haven’t heard anything either. I would love to know which field the person who got the interview applied to, haha

Interview requested by email Feb. 6; for me I heard Jan 27

2/22 Update: interviews for all tracks were conducted yesterday, everyone should hear back by March 1.

3/1 - Early Modernist finalist here - I sadly received my rejection today.

American Philosophical Society Predoctoral Fellowship [ ]

American-scandinavian foundation (asf) fellowships & grants for americans [ ], american sociological association minority fellows program [ ], augustana college diversity fellowship program [ ], belfer center for science and international affairs research fellowships, harvard university [ ], boren fellowship [ ], boston college aads (african and african diaspora studies) dissertation fellowship [ ].

3/1- Rejection Email

CAA Professional Development Fellowship [ ]

1/20-- Informed of Honorable Mention

CAORC Mediterranean Regional Research Fellowship [ ]

Caorc multi-country research fellowship [ ], carter g. woodson pre-doctoral/post-doctoral fellowship (university of virginia) [ ].

-has anyone heard? They said March, so starting to wonder!

Carter Manny Award [ ]

Research Award (applied x1)

CASVA Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, National Gallery of Art [ ]

2/8 haven't heard anything yet

2/9 notified of rejection after the selection committee's final meeting on Feb. 4

Center for Engaged Scholarship Dissertation Fellowship [ ]

Applied (Psychology focus)

Sociology x1

2/17 Received rejection after the first round of reviews. Reviewer comments were not available.

3/14 - I haven't heard anything. Has anyone else?

3/14 - I still haven't heard anything (anthropology)

3/27- I know its been later in April that the notification comes out but still would be nice to have an official time frame....

4/11 - Any news?

(4/12) - Haven't heard anything. Seems like last year some folks learned if they weren't advancing to the final round around this time so maybe no news is good news?

[4/15] notified that I was selected as an alternate (weird that they did so on a Saturday???) and they're waiting to see if anyone declines their offer. Did not state where I was on the list but did say that there were 7 awardees and 5 alternates in total out of 140 applicants.

4/17 - Oh wow, I still haven't heard anything... Will be frantically refreshing my inbox all day. Congrats on getting selected as an alternate and fingers crossed for you!

^ Thanks! - I'm waiting on something else so will decline as soon as I hear from that so someone can take my spot!

^ Winners have been finalized and the announcement is going up on May 5th I believe

Center for Jewish History Dissertation Fellowship [ ]

Center for military history dissertation fellowship [ ], center for curatorial leadership ccl/mellon foundation seminar [ ].

Anyone heard back from them?

2/26 I haven't heard anything yet. x3

3/16 still nothing x 3

3.27 still nothing

3.28 request for interview

Charlotte W. Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship [ ]

World Art and Culture

Art History

Comparative Literature

2/28 - notified of finalist status (History of Science and Medicine)

2/28 - finalist notification at 6:55PM EST. (Musicology)

2/28 - notified of rejection (Philosophy) - congrats to the finalists!

2/28 - notified of rejection (Anthropology)

Chateaubriand Fellowship (STEM and HSS) [ ]

Applied (HSS)

5/10 Has anyone heard back? Any ideas when it might happen?

5/12 Accepted via email (hum/SS)

5/12 Waiting list (HUM)

5/17 Any STEM news?

5/18 Accepted via email (STEM)

Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Dissertation Fellowship [ ]

Consortium for faculty diversity (dissertation and postdoctoral fellowship fellowships) [ ].

French studies

5/3 Anyone applied to this and has had any communication? For future reference, predoctoral fellowships are very very rare, I wish I hadn't wasted my time applying.

Consortium for History of Science, Medicine, and Technology Dissertation Fellowship [ ]

Crystal bridges tyson scholars program [ ].

Notifications went out in Feb

DAAD Graduate Research Fellowship [ ]

Dartmouth college chávez/eastman/marshall dissertation fellowship [ ].

3/8 interview Chavez

3/9 interview Chávéz, rejection 3/16

3/13 Received request for LOR/Marshall

Dolores Liebmann Fellowship [ ]

Dumbarton oaks junior fellowship [ ].

02/10: rejection received

Emslie Horniman Anthropological Scholarship Fund [ ]

Ernest may fellowship in history and policy [ ].

2/10 haven't heard anything yet/no change on the website

2/15 has anyone been in touch them? The portal said that results would be out by today.

3/5 still no word

Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship [ ]

Applied (Psychology)

Applied (Art History, American Art)

Applied (French Studies)

Applied (Art History, Latinx Studies/Latin America)

3/16 still nothing but final panel meetings are tomorrow. I imagine we'll all know very soon!

3/22 Results are rolling out today

3/22- Psychology focus: got an HM with very positive reviews :( I do think I messed up with my annotated bib (submitted an incomplete document) and struggled with condensing my dissertation which is huge.

3/22- humanities- rejection, one detailed comment with constructive criticism. Congrats to HMs and awardees!

3/22 – humanities – acceptance. Two reviewers comments out of 5.

Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies Pre-doctoral Fellowship [ ]

Did anyone apply for this?

Frick Anne L. Poulet Curatorial Fellowship [ ]

Fulbright iie study/research grants [ ].

1/31 Semi-finalists were notified between early Jan and Jan 25 (the majority being the latter). There is a Slack with more information and some friendly discourse: https://app.slack.com/client/T038SRCUHJA/C038ZF1D6HH?cdn_fallback=2

Fulbright Hays DDRA [ ]

Gaius charles bolin dissertation fellowship [ ], getty pre- and postdoctoral fellowship [ ].

(2/10) No updates yet

3/8 Applied.

Anyone hear back?

Getty Library Research Grant [ ]

Graduate women in science national fellowship program [ ], harry frank guggenheim emerging scholar award [ ].

Musicology/Interdisciplinary

Interdisciplinary

6/9: Any rejections or acceptances so far? Has anyone been in touch with organization about this year's decision timeline?

6/9: I was in touch with them in April to confirm that my application was complete and eligible because I had not received an acknowledgment of my submission. They said we would hear “in June” but they did not specify when exactly. Given past years I think it’ll still take a while. I don’t expect to hear anything until maybe the end of next week or even later.

6/10: Thank you!

6/13 Called the office today. They said decisions will be communicated in the next week or so. Board meeting is this week.

6/13: Thanks for doing that! I expected as much, but it’s good to have some sort of timeline. Good luck to you! I will post as soon as I get a response, positive or negative. (x2! - 6/14)

6/14 Good luck to you as well! (x2)

6/15 Rejection received 9:55 am EST. Hope others fared better!

6/15: also received a rejection at 9:35 am EST

Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies Academy Scholars Program [ ]

Henry luce/acls dissertation fellowship in american art [ ].

1/30 Announcements for finalists have gone out. Alternates should hear back about whether or not they move to finalist status by the end of February.

How many of us applied this year?

2/8 and haven't heard anything. Guessing it's a lost cause then, right?

2/10: you could be an alternate. Decisions went out so early this year! I bet people are still finalizing plans/waiting to hear back on other fellowships & positions.

2/13: has anyone gotten a rejection notice yet? still radio silence over here...

2/14 I received a notification of my status as an alternate on 1/31 so fingers crossed that it pulls through in the next two weeks! They said they’d give a final answer by the end of Feb

3/1 Notification received

Hobart and William Smith - Fisher Center Predoctoral Fellowship [ ]

Home grown curatorial fellowship [ ], horowitz fellowship [ ], huntington library fellowship [ ].

• acceptance email arrived 7 March, details to come re: length of short-term fellowship. x2
• Has anyone received rejections yet? Thought they typically went out at the same time as acceptances?

IGCC Dissertation Fellowship [ ]

Ihr doctoral fellowship (scouloudi, thornley, rhs) [ ], institute for turkish studies dissertation writing grant [ ], ithaca college pre-doctoral diversity fellowship [ ].

Has anyone heard any updates? 2/19.

Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship [ ]

Jefferson scholars foundation national fellowship (uva) [ ], jennings randolph peace scholarship dissertation program [ ], john carter brown library fellowships [ ], josephine de karman fellowship [ ].

Any news for others?

H Center for Anatolian Civilizations Residential Fellowship [ ]

Kress foundation history of art institutional fellowships [ ].

• 5/9: notifications sent
• Leiden Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS)
• London Courtauld Institute of Art & Warburg Institute (jointly administered)
• rejection sent in January
• Paris Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) / National Institute for the History of Art
• Interviews set for beginning of March
• 3/15: notifications sent

4/24 - some people are still waiting to hear back. Any news for anyone?

• 4/28 - Still waiting to hear from KHI
• 5/8 - Still nothing from the KHI. Anyone else hear anything?

Lake Institute Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship [ ]

Lewis and clark fund for exploration and field research [ ], louisville institute dissertation fellowship [ ].

Applied 2/1

Mabelle McLeod Lewis Memorial Fund [ ]

3.27 - Placed on alternate list. “We expect to finalize the awards on/by April 21”

3/27 - rejected

5/02 - Does anyone have any updates?

Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation/Teaching Fellowship (Kenyon College) [ ]

Feb 14, 2024 - any news on this fellowship? Any developments

3/2- Virtual Interview

3/3-Invited for On-Campus Interview at the end of the month.

Mellon-CES Dissertation Completion Fellowship in European Studies [ ]

Metropolitan museum of art, art history fellowships [ ].

2/5: Acceptances went out last week

Accepted x1

Minerva-USIP Peace and Security Scholarship [ ]

Mitchem dissertation fellowship program (marquette university) [ ].

Communication Studies

3/27--Anyone heard anything?

3/27–^nothing yet since verification of materials back in early march

4/14- anybody heard anything? As per their website: "Finalists will be notified by mid-March 2023 and invited to campus for interviews. Awards will be made by mid-April 2023."

4/18- contacted them, was told that due to large number of qualified applicants they need more weeks (unspecified number) to announce the fellows

5/3- any updates?

5/15- still haven't heard anything from them and portal still says "in progress."

5/25- for future applicants, still nothing as of May 25; was told that I would hear soon back in mid-April. Basically, no notification by mid-May is probably a rejection.

7/23- Notified that they decided not to take anybody for the 2023-2024 academic year. An earlier mention that this was even a possibility would have been much appreciated.

MIT SHASS Diversity Predoctoral Fellowship [ ]

Applied (Anthropology focus)

(3/9) Does anyone know when we hear back?

3/19 No, but the wiki for last year's says that people got a notification the first week of April. Personally I haven't heard anything.

^ 3/27 - Yeah me either. Was hoping for an earlier notification but hopefully we hear back in a week and a half.

(4/4) - Anyone hear back?

4/4-^Have not heard back yet--really hoping we hear back soon, need to make some plans for the second half of the year.

^ Same. Also does anyone know if the fellowship has to be in-person (or could it be virtual/hybrid)? I tried emailing and got no response

4/5 - Also waiting...MIT's spring break ended March 25 last year and March 31 this year, so we might also be a week later for notifications?

^ NOOOOOooo!!! Although now that I want it so bad its a guarantee I won't get it. Funding your education shouldn't be so annoying

- 4/12 - Anyone heard back?

(4/12) - Haven't heard anything. But one of my letters may of may not have gone through so no super hopeful at this point. Also makes sense if they're notifying a week later so we may possibly hear on the 14th?

4/12 - Haven't heard either. Seems like there are at least three of us checking here. Please post if you hear anything regardless of result!

4/14 Well, as always, I am on the verge of patiently waiting :) Really would like to hear a likely result of rejection and spend a few days of coping and carry on a new project. This timeline is stretching a bit too long!

4/14 ^^Same! No notification as of now. If we don't hear back today I guess we can just be sure that last year they just notified unusually early--it seems other years most people heard around April 20-24.

(4/14) - haven't heard either but didn't realize that they notified so late in previous years so that helps. I'm also waiting for CES as well and really don't want two back to back rejections :/

4/14 - Well, Today wasn't the day either. Please post if you hear anything next week.

4/17 - Another day has passed...

(4/19) - Anyone hear anything?

4/19 - Received a letter of acceptance today. They've asked me to accept within a week's time (I will be accepting) - I imagine they might roll out another wave if people decline.

^^Congrats! Also I'm going to assume a rejection on my end then as I haven't heard anything. Bummed but at least the wait is over.

4/19 I received an offer letter and will accept - congrats to those who are offered fellowships. At least this there is sort of an end to this application cycle.

4/19 congrats to the awardees! to the other person here, I have also not heard anything. According to past year pages they really take their time with the rejections, if they send them at all...

^^Yeah that's why I'm writing them off now. It seems like way too much of a desirable fellowship for anyone to decline. On to the other apps!

4/19 Haven't heard anything. Congrats to the awardees! Would you mind mentioning the department you applied to?

4/21 ^I saw someone on twitter in a philosophy program who got it. It seems most years they get a variety of disciplines. I think I am also giving up on this one, if we are on a waitlist at all it is going to take a week or two for people to decline and for them to send acceptances.

4/21 - Thanks for the info! It was a long shot for me (I'm in a psych department even though my work is more Women&Gender studies/anthropology) so I could have been disqualified right off the bat or not up to par and everything in between lol. Hope everyone else is able to find some source of funding though! We all have great, deserving work.

4/24 - Anyone thinks we'll get a notification this week (4/24 - 4/28) ?

4/24- ^I suppose it's possible if they haven't sent all acceptances yet (last year they took 8 grads, I believe) or if any of the people given a week to reply say no. I wish I had a notification of some sort, not knowing is just nerve-wrecking.

5/3 has anybody heard anything (either acceptance or rejection)? I reached out to them and they *do not* respond.

5/8 - I haven't heard anything either. Seems in previous years they took a very long time to send rejections.

5/8 ^ Haven't hear anything. I'm *this* close to send an email asking for updates.

5/9 ^ You should, I contacted the fellowship email and honestly I do not think they are checking that email address. I contacted a dean last night hoping that maybe that would lead to a response--none so far.

5/12 - I had emailed them twice prior to submitting my application for clarification about eligibility and requirements and received no response so I really don't think they check that inbox.

5/12- ^Hmm, they did reply to one of my emails but that was back in December 2022. Anyhow, no updates here and the semester is about to end. I received an internal fellowship that wants a decision by the 15th, so it is likely neither MIT nor Marquette above will work. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect some communication from these deans! I don't need daily updates about the search but to leave people in the dark for 5 months is just incredibly unprofessional.

5/15 - No news as of today. Hopefully this is the week we are notified.

5/25 anybody received their rejection yet? Nothing here, I may never receive it tbh

5/31 ^ Actually just received an official rejection; the email seems mass-sent and written by ChatGTP but hey, at least it was sent.

^ Lol same, like a little more effort would be appreciated after they asked for a full chapter.

5/31 - generic rejection received

Morgan Library Fellowships [ ]

Naed/spencer dissertation fellowship program [ ].

4/20 - notification of award

3/2 - notification of semifinalist

**2/29 - notification of semifinalist

NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant [ ]

New york botanical gardens humanities institute research fellowship [ ], notre dame institute for advanced study [ ], penn predoctoral fellowships for excellence through diversity [ ], rbs-mellon society of fellows in critical bibliography [ ], robert h. n. ho family foundation for buddhist studies/acls dissertation fellowship [ ].

03/11 haven’t heard anything. Anyone has any news?

Smith Richardson Foundation, World Politics & Statecraft Fellowship [ ]

Smithsonian institution fellowship program (sifp) (predoctoral) [ ].

2/8 haven't heard anything x4

2/10 Word is they are in the home stretch. Successful applicants should hear back in the next ~2 weeks, probably after CAA.

2/15: Anyone else now seeing 2 applications in their portal? One SIFP and one for the specific site

• No x3 to the 2 applications in the portal - do we think this means anything?
• Yes, also seeing two applications - the complete one and a new one marked 'incomplete' created today for a particular museum
• Yes, seeing two applications, second posted on 2/21, both are marked submitted. Did the accepted folks have this too? Or, am I being too optimistic?

2/17: Received a call of provisional acceptance. Award letters should be out by 3/1 (+1, via email, also on 2/17)

2/21: Still haven't heard anything and only 1 application visible in the portal (x3)

3/1: Portal updated and status changed. Alternates will hear before/by early April

4/11: Still waiting to hear about alternate status...

4/17: Still no news re: alternate status...

4/24: Finally received confirmation of rejection. Been waiting since "before or by early April."

SHAFR Marilyn Blatt Young Dissertation Completion Fellowship [ ]

Society for historians of american foreign relations (shafr) research grants [ ], soroptimist [founder region fellowship] [ ], spffa bourse marandon [ ], ssrc data fluencies dissertation grant [ ], tobin project graduate fellowship and workshop [ ], tobin project prospectus development workshop [ ], tufts university mellon comparative global humanities dissertation fellowship [ ], university of california @ davis provost's dissertation year fellowship [ ], ucla clark library predoctoral fellowship [ ], university of california santa barbara black studies dissertation fellowship [ ], university of southern california (usc) shoah foundation center for advanced genocide research fellowships [ ], ut austin harry ransom center research fellowships [ ], washington college - part-time fellowship in literature, history, culture, art of the americas before 1830 [ ], weatherhead fellowship (sar residential fellows program) [ ].

3/24 Has anyone heard anything?

3/28 received rejection by email -- good luck to anyone still being considered!

Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant [ ]

Winterthur dissertation fellowship [ ], woodrow wilson dissertation fellowship in women's studies [ ].

1/30 Has anyone heard anything from this? The application confirmation email said finalists will be hearing back in January, so is no news bad news with this one?

1/31 - Rejected, over 150 applicants

1/31- heard finalist, requested official transcript

Yale ISS Smith Richardson Predoctoral Fellowship [ ]

Yale iss henry a. kissinger predoctoral fellowship [ ], general discussion [ ].

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The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi annually awards fifteen Dissertation Fellowships of $10,000 each to active members who are doctoral candidates and are completing dissertations.

At the 2022 Biennial Convention, Phi Kappa Phi designated one of the fellowships as The Missy Hopper Dissertation Fellowship to honor Dr. Hopper’s many years of exceptional volunteer leadership.

Dissertation Fellowships support students in the dissertation writing stage of doctoral study. Awards are for 12 months of dissertation writing. All pre-dissertation requirements should be met by the application deadline, including approval of the dissertation proposal.

Oct. 1, 2024:  Application portal opens

Nov. 30, 2024:  Application deadline

March 1, 2025:  Recipients will be notified

Eligibility

The Dissertation Fellowship is open to all active (dues current) Phi Kappa Phi members or those who have accepted membership by Nov. 30, 2024, and:

• attend a U.S. regionally accredited, doctoral-granting institution of higher education
• have completed all pre-dissertation requirements
• have endorsement of the dissertation chair
• are not a sitting Phi Kappa Phi board member, divisional vice president, member of the Dissertation Fellowship Award committee or Society employee at time of application or announcement.

*Please note applicants should not hold other doctoral degrees; this should be their first doctoral program.

Application Process

Submit your application through our  online portal after Oct. 1, 2024.

Selection is based on applicant letter addressing how the award will contribute to the completion of the dissertation, answer to prompt explaining significance of the original research, 300-word abstract, CV and certification/endorsement by the dissertation chair. (The endorsement letter is automatically emailed to the address listed for your dissertation chair and must be received before the application deadline.)

Winners will be notified by March 1, 2025.

For a list of the most recent recipients, FAQ and additional applicant resources, click here .

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American Fellowships

Funding:  $8,000–$50,000 Opens:  August 1 every year Deadline: November 15 every year EXTENDED Now Accepting Applications through November 30

The American Fellowship program began in 1888, a time when women were discouraged from pursuing an education. It is AAUW’s largest fellowship program and the oldest non-institutional source of graduate funding for women in the United States.  

AAUW American Fellowships support women scholars who are pursuing full-time study to complete dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research full time, or preparing research for publication for eight consecutive weeks. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Candidates are evaluated based on scholarly excellence; quality and originality of project design; and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research.  

Dissertation: The purpose of the American Dissertation Fellowship is to offset a scholar’s living expenses while they complete their dissertation. F ellows must use the award for the final year of writing the dissertation. Applicants must have completed all course work, passed all preliminary examinations, and received approval for their research proposals or plans by the preceding November. Students holding fellowships for writing a dissertation in the year prior to the AAUW fellowships year are not eligible. Open to applicants in all fields of study. Scholars engaged in science, technology, engineering , and math fields or those researching gender issues are especially encouraged to apply.  

Postdoctoral: The primary purpose of the American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship is to increase the number of women in tenure-track faculty positions and to promote equity for women in higher education. This fellowship ’s purpose is to assist the candidate in obtaining tenure and further promotions by enabling them to spend a year pursuing independent research. Tenured professors are not eligible. Open to applicants in all fields of study. Scholars engaged in science, technology, engineering , and math fields or those researching gender issues are especially encouraged to apply.  

Publication: The Short-Term Research Publication Grants provide support to scholars to prepare research manuscripts for publication. AAUW’s funding priority is for applicants whose work supports the vision of AAUW: to break through educational and economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance. Time must be available for eight consecutive weeks of final writing and editing in response to issues raised in critical reviews. These fellowships can be for both tenure-track and part-time faculty, and to new and established researchers. The purpose is to assist the candidate in obtaining tenure and other promotions. Tenured professors are not eligible. Open to applicants in all fields of study. Scholars engaged in science, technology, engineering , and math fields or those researching gender issues are especially encouraged to apply.  

Award Amount

Dissertation Fellowship: $25,000

Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship: $50,000

Short-Term Research Publication Grant: $8,000

August 1, 2023 Application opens.

November 15, 2023, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time Deadline for online submission of application, recommendations, and supporting documents.

April 15, 2024 Notification of decision emailed to all applicants. AAUW is not able to honor requests for earlier notification.

July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025 Fellowship year

When a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the date will be observed on the following business day.  

Eligibility

Applicants of all American Fellowships must meet the following criteria:  

• Members of the AAUW Board of Directors, committees, panels, task forces and staff, including current interns, are not eligible to apply for AAUW’s fellowships and grants. A person holding a current award is eligible for election or appointment to boards, committees, panels and task forces.  
• American Fellowship candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.  
• Fellowships are open to women, including people who identify as women, in all fields of study at an accredited institution of higher education. AAUW will make final decisions about what constitutes eligible institutions.  
• Applicants may not apply for another AAUW national fellowship or grant in the same year.  
• Distance learning/online programs: Fellowships support traditional classroom-based courses of study at colleges or universities. This fellowship program does not provide funding for distance learning or online programs or for degrees heavily dependent on distance learning components. Final decisions about what constitutes distance learning under these fellowships will be made by AAUW. AAUW will accept applications from applicants who are temporarily studying remotely due to COVID-19 precautions at their institution.  
• American Fellowships are not open to previous recipients of any AAUW national fellowship or grant (not including branch or local awards or Community Action Grants).

A pplicants of Dissertation Fellowships must also meet the following criteria :  

• The American Dissertation Fellowship must be used for the final year of writing the dissertation. Applicants must have completed all coursework, passed all preliminary exams, and had the dissertation research proposal or plan approved by November 1, 2023 . The doctoral degree/dissertation must be completed between April 1 and June 30, 2025 . Degree conferral must be between April 1 and September 15, 2025 .  
• Dissertation Fellows are not required to study in the U.S.  
• Students already holding a fellowship or grant for the purpose of supporting their final year of writing or completing the dissertation the year before the fellowship year are not eligible to apply for the American Dissertation Fellowship.  
• The Dissertation Fellowship is intended for applicants who are completing their first doctoral degree.  
• Applicants may apply up to two times for a fellowship for the same dissertation project.  

A pplicants of Postdoctoral Fellowships must also meet the following criteria :  

• American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship applicants must hold a Ph.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., M.F.A., J.D., M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., D.S.W., or M.P.H. at the time of application.  
• Tenured professors are not eligible.  

Applicants of Publication Grants must also meet the following criteria :  

• American Short-Term Research Publication Grant applicants must hold a Ph.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., M.F.A., J.D., M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., D.S.W., or M.P.H. at the time of application.  
• Tenured professors are not eligible.
• American Short-Term Research Publication Grants are for tenure-track, part-time, and temporary faculty, as well as new and established researchers at universities. Scholars with strong publication records should seek funding elsewhere. Applicants must have time available for eight consecutive weeks of final manuscript preparation. While many recipients, especially full-time faculty members, will use the award s during the summer, recipients may use the funds at any time during the award year. Applicants must demonstrate that the support will result in a reduction of their ongoing work-related activities during the eight-week period .  
• American Short-Term Research Publication Grants are not for preliminary research. Activities undertaken during the grant period can include drafting, editing, or modifying manuscripts; replicating research components; responding to issues raised through critical review; and other initiatives to increase the likelihood of publication.  
• The grantee must be listed as the sole author, senior author, first author, or an author of equivalent significance.  

Selection Criteria and Application Review

The panel meets once a year to review applications for funding. Awards are based on the criteria outlined here. The panel’s recommendations are subject to final approval by AAUW. Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis according to funds available in a given fiscal year.  

To ensure a fair review process, AAUW does not comment on the deliberations of the award panels. AAUW does not provide evaluations of applications. No provisions exist for reconsidering fellowship proposals.

Applications and supporting documents become the sole property of AAUW and will not be returned or held for another year.  

In selecting fellowship recipients, the following criteria will be considered:  

• Applicant’s scholarly excellence.  
• Quality of project design.  
• Originality of project.  
• Scholarly significance of project to the discipline.  
• Feasibility of project and proposed schedule.  
• Qualifications of applicant.  
• Applicant’s commitment to women’s issues in the profession/community.  
• Applicant’s mentoring of other women.  
• Applicant’s teaching experience.  
• Potential of applicant to make a significant contribution to the field.  
• Applicant is from an underrepresented racial/ethnic background.  
• Applicant will be in an underrepresented area of the country and/or type of university other than a top-level research institution during the award year.  
• Financial need.  

The primary criterion for fellowship awards is scholarly excellence. Applications are reviewed by distinguished scholars and should be prepared accordingly.  

American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship and American Short-Term Research Publication Grant: When comparing proposals of equal merit, the review panel will give special consideration to women holding junior academic appointments who are seeking research leave, women who have held the doctorate for at least three years, and women whose educational careers have been interrupted. Preference will also be given to projects that are not simply a revision of the applicant’s doctoral dissertation and applicants whose work supports the vision of AAUW: to break through educational and economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance.  

Regulations

American Fellowships funds are available for:  

• Educational expenses (American Dissertation Fellowship and American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship only).  
• Living expenses.  
• Dependent child care.  
• Travel to professional meetings, conferences, or seminars that does not exceed 10 percent of the fellowship total (American Dissertation Fellowship and American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship only).  

Additionally, American Short-Term Publication Grant funds are available for:  

• Clerical and technical support.  
• Research assistance related to verification (not basic research).  
• Office supplies, postage, copying and related expenses.  
• Journal fees.  

American Fellowships funds are not available for:  

• Purchase of equipment.  
• Indirect costs.  
• Research assistants.  
• Previous expenditures, deficits, or repayment of loans.  
• Publication costs (except for American Short-Term Publication Grants).  
• Institutional (overhead) costs.  
• Tuition for dependent’s education.  
• Tuition for coursework that is in addition to credits required for maintaining full-time status while completing a dissertation.  
• Extended field research (applicable to American Dissertation Fellowships only).  

Additionally, American Short-Term Research Publication Grants funds are not available for:  

• Salary increase.  
• Doctoral dissertation research or writing.  

AAUW regards the acceptance of a fellowship as a contract requiring fulfillment of the following terms:  

• All American Fellowship recipients are required to sign a contract as acceptance of the award. Retain these instructions as they will become part of the fellowship contract if the applicant is awarded a fellowship.  
• An AAUW American Fellow is expected to pursue their project full time during the funding period (July 1–June 30). No partial fellowships are awarded. Fellowships may not be deferred.  
• American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellows and American Short-Term Research Publication Grantees cannot pursue a degree during the award period.  
• Any major changes in plans for the award year must have prior written approval from AAUW.  
• AAUW must be notified promptly of any change in the status of an application resulting from acceptance of another award.  
• Stipends are made payable to fellows, not to institutions.  
• The determination of whether there is a tax obligation associated with the receipt of an AAUW award is the sole responsibility of the applicant. Specific questions regarding income tax matters should be addressed with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the applicant’s financial aid office or a personal tax adviser. AAUW cannot provide tax advice. AAUW is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity founded for educational purposes.  

Required Components*

Start the application process by clicking the Apply Now button below to access the application and create an account through our vendor site. Complete all required components in the following tabs.  

• Recommendations: Standardized or form-letter recommendations are discouraged. AAUW does not accept references from dossier services such as Parment or Interfolio.
• Dissertation Fellowship applicants: Applicant must provide two recommendations from the applicant’s advisers, colleagues or others well acquainted with the applicant, their project and their teaching. One of the two recommendations must be from the applicant’s dissertation advisor.
• Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship applicants: Provide two recommendations from the applicant’s advisers, colleagues or others well acquainted with their project or work.
• Short-Term Research Publication Grant applicants: Provide two recommendations from the applicant’s advisers, colleagues or others well acquainted with the applicant, their project/work and their teaching.
• Dissertation Fellowship applicants: Submit transcripts for all graduate work and courses listed in the application. Transcripts must show grades for coursework transferred in. If the transcript shows transfer courses and credits without grades, a transcript from the institution where the courses were taken is required. If you studied at an institution that does not require coursework or provide transcripts, an institutional letter stating that is required.
• Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship and Short-Term Publication Grant applicants: Proof of degree: Submit transcript(s)** or original letter showing proof of a Ph.D., Ed.D., M.F.A., J.D., M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., D.B.A., D.S.W., or M.P.H. degree.
• Dissertation Fellowship applicants: Dissertation certification form: Submit the form verifying the completion of all required coursework and qualifying examinations for the doctorate and approval of your dissertation research proposal (plan of research) signed by an institutional officer. No substitutions for this form will be accepted.
• Dissertation applicants: If you will conduct your project at an institution other than your own during the fellowship year, submit the form that indicates you have approval from the institution and the authority with whom the work will be done to conduct the research, laboratory or office space, and library privileges during the fellowship year. No substitutions for this form will be accepted. If you will conduct your project at your home institution, no project institution form is needed.
• Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship and Short-Term Publication Grant applicants: Submit the form that indicates you have approval from the proposed institution and the authority with whom the work will be done to conduct the research and have institutional affiliation, laboratory or office space, and library privileges during the fellowship year. No substitutions for this form will be accepted.

*A certified English translation is required for all components provided in a foreign language. Translations must bear a mark of certification or official signature that the translation is true and complete.

**All transcripts provided must include the applicant’s full name, the school’s name, all courses and all grades, as well as any other information requested in in the application instructions.  

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Meet a Recent American Fellow

Sarah Biscarra Dilley ’s research is focused on matrifocal and gender-expansive governance from northern villages of yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini to Mokupuni o Hawai‘i, rooted in shared land and kinship-based epistemology. Her written, visual and material practice is grounded in collaboration across experiences, peoples and place, connecting extractive industries, absent treaties and enclosure to emphasize movement, embodied protocol and possibility. Her aspirations are toward cultural resurgence and the return of land to her families’ stewardship.

Our Alumnae

Ayana Johnson

2010–11 American Fellow and marine biologist, policy expert and conservation strategist. She is the founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv and founder of Urban Ocean Lab.

Melissa Harris-Perry

2001-02 AAUW American Fellow and Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University, a columnist for the Nation, editor-at-large for ZORA, author of Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America , and former host of The Melissa Harris-Perry Show on MSNBC.

Kimberly Ennico-Smith

1997-98 AAUW American Fellow and staff scientist with NASA who served as deputy project scientist for NASA’s New Horizons Mission, the historic project responsible for capturing unprecedented photos of Pluto.

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Hugo Dewar 1957

The Moscow Trials ‘Revised’

Source : Problems of Communism , Volume 6, no 1, January-February 1957. Scanned and prepared for the Marxist Internet Archive by Paul Flewers.

For many years Soviet propagandists and pro-Soviet Western observers presented ‘Soviet justice’ as a forward step in the advancement of legal science. Thus, the British jurist DN Pritt wrote, in a contemporary eulogy of the Moscow purge trials of the 1930s, that ‘the judicature and the prosecuting attorney of the USSR [Andrei Vyshinsky] have established their reputation among the legal systems of the world’. [1] Pritt was not at all disconcerted by the singular fact, unparalleled in Western jurisprudence, that the accused in the Soviet trials did not raise a finger to defend themselves, but instead confessed with seeming eagerness to the most heinous crimes. The Soviet government, he blandly stated, ‘would have preferred that all or most of the accused should have pleaded not guilty and contested the case’. [2]

The naïveté, or wilful blindness, of such statements has long been apparent. As early as 1937, an independent commission of inquiry conducted an exhaustive investigation into the Moscow trials of 1936 and 1937 and found them to be clear-cut travesties of justice. [3] The commission’s findings were bolstered by an ever-mounting accumulation of evidence regarding the methods employed to produce the victims’ obviously abnormal eagerness to sign their own death warrants.

Today not even the most naïve apologist can continue his self-deception. At the Twentieth Congress of the CPSU the myth was broken for all time when Nikita Khrushchev, in a secret report to a closed session of the congress, revealed the depths to which Soviet ‘justice’ had sunk:

Stalin originated the concept ‘enemy of the people’. This term automatically rendered unnecessary that the ideological errors of a man or men engaged in a controversy be proven... The formula was specifically introduced for the purpose of physically annihilating such individuals... [4]

It is significant, however, that, in denouncing ‘violations of socialist law’, Khrushchev made no direct mention either of the show trial as such, or of its exportation to the satellites. His remarks about Zinoviev and Kamenev and about the ‘annihilation’ of Lenin’s closest colleagues as ‘enemies of the party’ were furthermore clear attempts to restrict the discussion to ‘violations of socialist law’ in the period following Kirov’s assassination in December 1934 – to the great trials and purges of the 1930s. [5]

This effort is a transparent indication that the present collective leadership cannot make a decisive, radical break with their Stalinist past. It is to Stalin that the present Soviet leaders owe their positions, and it was during his reign that their methods of ‘governing’ and dispensing ‘justice’ were decisively moulded. That is why Khrushchev and his colleagues will not admit that the genesis of the Stalin-type inquisitorial trial goes much farther back than 1934, indeed, as far back as 1922.

The idea of exploiting the judicial trial of political opponents for the purpose of ‘educating’ the masses was first given concrete expression in 1922, when a trial of 22 prominent members of the Social Revolutionary Party was staged. At that time the technique of the show trial had not been perfected, and only ten police stooges consented to play the role of cringing penitents and government propagandists. At first, the state was content with this number and even permitted the rest to defend themselves stoutly. They openly proclaimed their political convictions and even refused to recognise the court. Just prior to the trial, the Bolsheviks entered into an agreement in Berlin with representatives of the international socialist movement by which several prominent socialists were invited to participate in the defence; and in the early stages of the trial they were very active on behalf of the accused. As the trial progressed, however, the intolerable contradictions between accepted conceptions of justice and a Soviet-sponsored political trial were revealed. Bit by bit the essential elements of the show trial, with which the world later became familiar, emerged.

The presiding judge struck the keynote for the proceedings by declaring that the court would be guided not by objective considerations but by the interests of the government. During the course of the trial Bukharin declared the Berlin agreement null and void, and this, coupled with the prosecution’s obstructive tactics, caused the foreign socialists to withdraw. Perhaps most important in the development of the show trial, however, was the first utilisation of the technique of agitating against the accused outside of court. Yuri Pyatakov, the president of the tribunal, spoke at one of the mass demonstrations, as did Bukharin, who applauded the role played in the trial by the ten who had ‘confessed’. [6]

In the course of the next few years the show trial was gradually brought to a high stage of perfection. ‘Evidence’ was manufactured and, by means of inhuman tortures, the accused were brought into court ‘prepared’ to cooperate in arranging their own destruction. During the course of the so-called Shakhty trial (1928), for example, a group of engineers, personifying the ‘bourgeois specialists’, took the blame for the country’s chronic economic ills and accused foreign ‘interventionist circles’ of directing their sabotage. [7] By 1930 the technique had been further perfected, and during the Industrial Party trial every single one of the accused confessed to ‘planned’ sabotage in drafting or implementing the First Five-Year Plan. One of the witnesses, brought in under heavy GPU guard, was Professor Osadchy, formerly a member of the CEC (Central Economic Council) of the Supreme Soviet, and assistant chairman of the State Planning Commission. Incredible as it may seem, Osadchy, who was one of the prosecutors at the Shakhty trial, confessed to having plotted with the very men whom he had sentenced to death in 1928! [8]

Stalin’s speech at the Sixteenth Congress (June-July 1930) gave at least the outward rationale for all the great Moscow trials. [9] His thesis was that whenever the contradictions inherent within the capitalist system grow acute, the bourgeoisie tries to solve them by turning on the Soviet Union. By the bourgeoisie Stalin meant primarily foreign nations, but his main purpose was to justify the purge of internal opposition to his rule. The vast international ‘plots’ which were uncovered regularly involved certain native Communists; often these were among the most celebrated of the revolutionary heroes, their ‘crimes’ consisting in their opposition to Stalin’s dictatorship. Without respect to their previous service, these men were condemned as saboteurs working in collaboration with the outside enemy to wreck the economy of the Soviet Union.

Thus, the Great Purge, as well as the thousands of unpublicised local purges, served the double purpose of removing those who opposed Stalin and of providing for the population an ‘explanation’ of the continuing low standard of living. Vyshinsky made the point in the following manner:

It is now clear why there are interruptions of supplies here and there, why with our riches and abundance of products, there is a shortage first of one thing and then of another. It is these traitors who are responsible. [10]

Vyshinsky also underlined the connection between the various trials. Stalin’s thesis had been proved, he said: all the trials had uncovered ‘systematically conducted espionage... the devilish work of foreign intelligence...’. [11]

Characteristically, although it was ostensibly against Stalin’s thesis and its implications that Khrushchev railed at the Twentieth Congress, his anger was aroused most of all by the fact that Stalin’s wrath had been turned against the party itself:

Using Stalin’s formulation... the provocateurs who had infiltrated the state security organs together with conscienceless careerists... [launched] mass terror against party cadres... It should suffice to say that the number of arrests based on charges of counter-revolutionary crimes had grown ten times between 1936 and 1937. [12]

Khrushchev summed up the Stalin era in anguished tones:

In the main, and in actuality, the only proof of guilt used, against all norms of current legal science, was the ‘confession’ of the accused himself; and, as subsequent probing proved, ‘confessions’ were acquired through physical pressures against the accused. [13]

Khrushchev’s speech is a masterpiece of hypocrisy. To be sure, of the 1966 delegates to the Seventeenth Party Congress (1934), 1108 were arrested on charges of counter-revolutionary activity. But Khrushchev well knows that it was not a question of ‘subsequent probing’: every leading Communist in the Soviet Union knew at the time what was going on. They were aware that the ‘confessions’ were shot through with contradictions and obvious absurdities; they knew that the trials were frame-ups.

As a matter of fact, Khrushchev’s speech itself corroborates our previous evidence that the Politburo was well aware of what was going on:

At the February-March Central Committee Plenum in 1937 many members actually questioned the rightness of the established course regarding mass repressions under the pretext of combating ‘two-facedness’. [14]

Khrushchev thus confirms that opposition to Stalin’s iron-heel policy was expressed even within the Politburo. People who had employed the most despicable methods against both non-party and party opponents began to voice ‘doubts’ when the police terror menaced them. Among those who ventured to speak up in 1937 was Pavel Postyshev, candidate member of the Politburo. Indeed, Khrushchev said that Postyshev expressed his doubts ‘most ably’, as did Stanislav Kossior, a member of the Politburo – both were liquidated. Other prominent Stalinist victims of the monster they themselves helped create were Vlas Chubar, Yan Rudzutak, Grigory Petrovsky and Robert Eikhe: all men of the Lenin era who had thrown in their lot with Stalin in his struggle for power.

How was it, then, that Molotov, Mikoyan, Voroshilov, Khrushchev and others survived? They saved themselves either by keeping their mouths shut or, where their closeness to Stalin made this impossible, by sedulously fostering the cult of the ‘brilliant leader’. Certainly Khrushchev was not unaware of what was going on. Kossior, for example, was purged in the Ukraine while he was closely associated with Khrushchev.

Without speculating about the possible splits and rivalries within the top leadership of the CPSU revealed by the varying degrees of vehemence with which individual Soviet leaders condemned Stalin’s ‘cult of personality’, the central goal of the leadership as a whole is perfectly obvious. Khrushchev and his supporters are vitally concerned with ‘rehabilitating’ the party and strengthening its authority vis-à-vis the police apparatus. The terrors of the Stalinist era left party cadres either demoralised and spiritless or, much worse, cynically and brutally opportunistic. In any event, the leadership felt that the support of the new generation of Communists – the managerial caste and the intellectuals – required assurances that the days of arbitrary terror were over. In Khrushchev’s words:

Arbitrary behaviour by one person encouraged and permitted arbitrariness in others. Mass arrests and deportations of many thousands of people, execution without trial and without normal investigation created conditions of insecurity, fear and even desperation. [15]

The exportation of the macabre and revolting confessional trial to Eastern Europe was never much of a success. The process that had transformed the CPSU into a terrorised and docile instrument of the leader took 14 years; in Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary it was telescoped into less than four years – somewhat longer in Czechoslovakia and Rumania. During this time the weak satellite Communist parties (only in Czechoslovakia could the Communists claim any sizeable following) were deprived of their ablest leaders. It was clear from the trials, moreover, that these leaders were imprisoned and executed because they attempted to stand up to the Soviet Union and that the leaders who remained were mere Soviet satraps. The confession trials of ‘national Communists’ therefore destroyed what little basis the Communist parties had for claiming to represent national interests, or even the interests of the industrial workers. At the same time, they failed dismally to destroy either national sentiment among the people or Titoist tendencies within the rank-and-file of the Communist parties.

Quite on the contrary, there can be no doubt that the confession trials in Eastern Europe played a great role in enhancing anti-Soviet feeling and in undermining the Communist parties’ faith in themselves. The enormous crowds that attended the reinternment of Rajk in Hungary after his posthumous rehabilitation were symptomatic of the anti-Soviet mood that had been generated by the ‘educational’ methods of Soviet-inspired ‘justice’. The bloodless revolt in Poland and the heroic uprising of the Hungarian workers, peasants and intellectuals were due in large part to the exposure of Soviet methods and aims which resulted from the export of the ‘modern inquisition’. The people of the satellite nations share with the Russian people a deep and bitter hatred of the secret police, and a deathless desire to end the insufferable horrors which the confession trial represented.

That the Soviet leaders were, and remain, keenly aware of this was implicit in their repudiation at the Twentieth Congress of the Stalinist inquisition and in the gradual steps that have been instituted to correct some of the more objectionable features of the police and judicial apparatus. They obviously are attempting to restore public confidence in a party and system that had become thoroughly and openly compromised. In so doing, however, they paradoxically underlined still further the bankruptcy of the system that claimed to have produced that ‘glorious workers’ paradise’, the ‘most advanced country in the world’, and they reveal nakedly their inability to cast off the imprint of this system of terror and ‘educational justice’.

1. DN Pritt, The Moscow Trial Was Fair (Russia Today, London, nd).

2. DN Pritt, The Zinoviev Trial (Gollancz, London, 1936).

3. This Commission was headed by the noted American philosopher, John Dewey. Its findings were published in two books: The Case of Leon Trotsky (Secker and Warburg, London, 1937); and Not Guilty (Secker and Warburg, London, 1938).

4. The Anti-Stalin Campaign and International Communism: A Selection Of Documents (Columbia University Press, New York, 1956), p. 13.

5. For a full discussion of these trials see this author’s The Modern Inquisition (Allan Wingate, London, 1953).

6. The most complete record of this trial is in VS Voitinski, The Twelve Who Are About To Die (Delegation of the Party of Socialists-Revolutionists, Berlin, 1922). The death sentences passed against the accused were never carried out.

7. No official records of this trial have been published. Of secondary sources, the best are HH Tiltman, The Terror in Europe (Frederick A Stokes, New York, 1932); and Eugene Lyons, Assignment in Utopia (Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1937), especially pp. 114-33.

8. Andrew Rothstein (ed), Wreckers on Trial (Modern Books, London, 1931).

9. Some of the sources on the most important Moscow trials are the following: on the 1931 Menshevik trial – The Menshevik Trial (Modern Books, London, 1931); on the 1933 Metropolitan-Vickers Industrial Company Trial – The Case of NP   Vitvitsky... [and others] Charged With Wrecking Activities at Power Stations in the Soviet Union (three volumes, State Law Publishing House, Moscow, 1933); on the 1936 trial – The Case of the Trotskyite – Zinovievite Terrorist Centre (People’s Commissariat of Justice of the USSR, Moscow, 1936); on the 1937 trial – Report of Court Proceedings in the Case of the Anti-Soviet Trotskyite Centre (People’s Commissariat of Justice of the USSR, Moscow, 1937); on the 1938 trial – Report of Court Proceedings in the Case of the Anti-Soviet ‘Bloc of Rights and Trotskyites ’ (People’s Commissariat of Justice of the USSR, Moscow, 1938).

10. Report of Court Proceedings in the Case of the Anti-Soviet ‘Bloc of Rights and Trotskyites ’, pp. 636-37.

11. Report of Court Proceedings in the Case of the Anti-Soviet ‘Bloc of Rights and Trotskyites ’, pp. 636-37.

12. The Anti-Stalin Campaign , p. 30.

13. The Anti-Stalin Campaign , p. 12.

14. The Anti-Stalin Campaign , p. 29.

15. The Anti-Stalin Campaign , p. 14.

Hugo Dewar Archive