ACLS Fellowships 2025: How to Get Up to $60,000 for a Year of Humanities or Interpretive Social Science Research

If you work in the humanities or interpretive social sciences and your writing time lives in the margins of an already overfull schedule, this fellowship is the rare thing that hands you both money and months. The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) will award up to 60 fellowships in the 2025–26 competition cycle, each designed to free a scholar for six to twelve consecutive months of full-time research and writing. The prize is real: $5,000 per month, up to $60,000 for a twelve-month term; shorter awards are prorated to a minimum of $30,000. For adjuncts, independent scholars, and heavily teaching-focused faculty, ACLS provides an extra $3,000–$6,000 supplement to cover practical costs like health insurance, caregiving, archive fees, or travel.

This is not a small, symbolic nod to scholarship. This is runway. You can finish a book manuscript, build a useful digital project, produce a critical edition, or complete a large public humanities initiative. The award is portable — you can take it to an archive, a research center, your home institution, or your kitchen table — and it carries prestige that matters on CVs, tenure dossiers, and grant applications.

Below you’ll find the compact facts table, a careful breakdown of what the fellowship actually buys, who should apply (with realistic examples), full application requirements, an honest workback timeline, reviewer priorities, common pitfalls, and step-by-step next steps so you can act today.

At a Glance

What This Opportunity Actually Offers

Put simply: time, money, and credibility. ACLS gives scholars dedicated months to focus on producing a major scholarly output. The stipend approximates modest salary replacement and, for many, buys the emotional space to write seriously rather than scribble in fragments between classes. The $3,000–$6,000 supplement for contingent and independent scholars is not cosmetic — it often decides whether a year of uninterrupted work is feasible when you need to cover insurance or pay for an essential research assistant.

Beyond cash, ACLS affiliation opens doors. Editors, hiring committees, and presses recognize ACLS names; the fellowship signals that peer reviewers found your project significant and credible. The award is portable: you can hold it at your home university, at a library, at a research center, or remotely. ACLS also partners with organizations like the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) and, through a separate application, the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center, offering residential options that can transform a project requiring on-site archival work.

The program is intentionally inclusive in scope: applicants working on any time period, region, or method within the humanities or interpretive social sciences are eligible. ACLS supports projects at any stage — early research, mid-project drafts, or final revisions — so long as the fellowship period clearly moves the work to a major, shareable product.

Who Should Apply (Real-World Examples)

Formally, you need a PhD (or a record that convincingly equals it) and to meet one of ACLS’s U.S.-based residency/citizenship categories. Beyond that, the fellowship suits a variety of career profiles:

• An assistant professor at a teaching-focused regional university with a 4/4 teaching load who has completed most archival work and needs a contiguous six- to twelve-month block to write a first book that will anchor a tenure case.
• An adjunct scholar teaching multiple part-time courses who has produced high-quality scholarship but lacks institutional sabbatical options. The fellowship supplement makes health insurance or caregiving costs manageable during a concentrated writing term.
• An independent scholar or public humanities practitioner working with archives, museums, or community partners whose project will result in a digital archive, interactive resource, or public-facing output.
• A senior researcher with an established publication record but without a formal PhD who can demonstrate equivalent scholarly achievement through publications and editions.

If you’re tenure-track, note the extra rule: there must be at least a two-year gap between the end of your last supported research leave of a semester or more and September 1, 2026. ACLS is explicitly aimed at scholars who have not recently had major funded leaves.

What You Have to Commit To

This is full-time research and writing. You must commit to six to twelve consecutive months of full-time work, beginning no earlier than July 1, 2026 and no later than July 1, 2027, with the fellowship concluding by December 31, 2027. ACLS expects focus: substantial teaching or administrative duties during the fellowship will weaken your feasibility case. Small, limited duties can be negotiated, but plan your work calendar realistically and document any arrangements.

Required Materials and How to Make Them Work for You

ACLS keeps the packet lean but each item must be tight.

You must submit through the ACLS portal and include:

• A completed application form with project dates and basic metadata.
• Project proposal (maximum five pages, double-spaced, Arial or Helvetica 11-point). Use this to state your central argument in the first paragraph, sketch your method, sources, and a clear statement of what will exist at the end of the fellowship.
• Optional up to two pages of supporting non-text materials (images, scores, maps).
• A work plan (one page max). Make this month-by-month and specific — name archives, chapters, drafts, and deliverables.
• Bibliography (up to two pages, single-spaced).
• Publications list (up to two pages, single-spaced).
• Personal statement (one page, double-spaced) describing your intellectual trajectory and contextual constraints (heavy teaching, caregiving, contingent status).
• Writing sample (up to eight pages, double-spaced) with a short note connecting the sample to your project.
• ORCID iD (required).

Formatting rules are strict: one-inch margins, specified fonts and spacing; citations count against page limits. For 2025–26, there are no recommendation letters, so your personal statement and proposal must supply the context and testimony a letter normally would.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

This is where preparation meets craft. A few things that actually move applications forward:

1. Draft a clear, declarative first paragraph in the proposal. Your lead should answer: what is the question, what method will you use, and what will the fellowship produce? Say it plainly; don’t tuck your claim at the end.

2. Spend disproportionate time on the work plan. Reviewers want to see that your timetable fits the fellowship period. Break the months down into chapters, archive visits, data cleaning, or website builds. If you’ve already done fieldwork, highlight that to justify an ambitious writing schedule.

3. Tell a coherent story across documents. Your proposal, personal statement, publications list, and writing sample should all point to the same intellectual thread. If they don’t, reviewers will suspect your narrative is patched together.

4. Make inclusion concrete. ACLS values inclusive excellence. Rather than generic language, give concrete examples: mentoring first-gen students, building community-facing resources, or making an archive more discoverable.

5. Frame constraints as context, not excuses. If you teach a heavy load or are an adjunct, state the facts (numbers, years) and explain how the fellowship will change your capacity to complete the project.

6. Get multi-angle feedback. Have one reader inside your subfield check technical accuracy, one reader outside it check clarity, and one non-academic reader check narrative energy and public relevance.

7. Be ruthlessly honest about feasibility. Name the project’s risks and present contingency plans. If an archive access might be delayed, note digitized alternatives or secondary sources you can use.

These steps cost time. Good ACLS proposals typically require several drafts and about 40–60 focused hours of work. Start early.

Application Timeline — Working Backward from September 25, 2025

Plan backward with margin.

• May–June 2025: Confirm eligibility, register or update your ORCID, and block writing time.
• Early July 2025: Open an account at https://ofa.acls.org; draft a one-page project brief that answers the core what/why/output questions.
• July–Early August 2025: Produce full drafts of the proposal, work plan, bibliography, publications list, personal statement, and select a writing sample.
• Mid–Late August 2025: Circulate drafts to readers and incorporate feedback. Tighten argumentation and feasibility.
• Early September 2025: Final format checks (fonts, margins, page counts). Prepare optional supporting materials.
• September 23, 2025: Aim to submit two days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.
• September 25, 2025, 9:00 p.m. EDT: Deadline — no exceptions.
• October 2025–March 2026: Resist obsessing. Update any significant publications in case ACLS requests them. Notifications in late March 2026.

What Reviewers Look For and How to Deliver It

ACLS uses five explicit criteria. Address each somewhere in your application:

1. Potential to advance knowledge — show how your project changes the conversation in your field.
2. Quality and innovation of method and theory — explain the “how” in accessible terms.
3. Feasibility — the work plan and track record must align.
4. Applicant’s record and trajectory — frame accomplishments relative to resources and constraints.
5. Contribution to inclusive excellence — provide specific evidence of widening participation or using underrepresented sources.

You don’t have to label sections by these five points, but make sure each is easy to find and assess. Reviewers read quickly; put your strongest evidence where they can see it immediately.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants often stumble in predictable ways. Avoid these:

• Writing only for insiders so non-specialist reviewers get lost. Have a smart non-specialist read your proposal.
• Burying the main argument; state it up front.
• Submitting an overambitious timetable without proof you’ve finished core research.
• Ignoring the lack of recommendation letters — you must provide context in writing.
• Breaking formatting rules; ACLS excludes applications that violate them.
• Treating public or community-facing work as decorative. If public impact matters to your project, make it central and measurable.

Fixes are mechanical: revise for clarity, be specific, and follow instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply as a team? The fellowship funds an individual scholar. Collaborative projects are acceptable only if your application clearly defines the portion you will complete during the fellowship.

Are recommendation letters required? No. For 2025–26, ACLS will not accept reference letters. Your narrative must supply the evaluative context they would otherwise provide.

Can I teach while funded? The expectation is full-time research. Limited small duties may be possible with ACLS approval, but heavy teaching will undermine feasibility.

Can I combine ACLS with other support? Often yes, within ACLS rules about concurrent income. If you expect institutional sabbatical pay or other fellowships, explain how funds will be coordinated and that you won’t be overcompensated.

What if I don’t have a PhD? Established scholars with a publication record that equals a PhD may be eligible; consult the ACLS FAQ and document your record carefully.

What happens if I’m not selected? Applicants from teaching-intensive institutions who score highly may be considered for small Project Development Grants (~$5,000). You’ll also receive reviewer feedback upon request.

How to Apply — Next Steps

Ready to act? Don’t sit on inspiration.

1. Read the official competition page carefully: https://www.acls.org/competitions/acls-fellowships/
2. Create or update your ORCID iD and ACLS portal account at https://ofa.acls.org.
3. Draft a one-page project brief answering: What is the question? What method will you use? What will exist at the end?
4. Build your calendar with concrete draft and feedback deadlines; recruit readers.
5. Follow formatting rules precisely; double-check margins, fonts, and page counts.
6. Submit early, ideally two days before the deadline.

Ready to apply? Visit the official opportunity page and the application portal here:

• Official competition details: https://www.acls.org/competitions/acls-fellowships/
• Application portal: https://ofa.acls.org

If you’re hesitating because you don’t feel “perfect,” apply anyway. ACLS funds a range of institutions and career stages, and a strong, clear plan plus a convincing record beats pedigree alone. If you want, tell me the one-sentence version of your project now and I’ll help you sharpen it into a crisp proposal lead.