ACLS Fellowship Program

A national platform for humanities and interpretive social science leadership

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Fellowship Program is one of the longest-running, discipline-spanning awards for scholars in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. For the 2025–26 competition year, ACLS will award up to 60 fellowships that provide six to twelve months of full-time research and writing support, with stipends prorated at $5,000 per month and capped at $60,000 for a year-long tenure (with a $30,000 minimum). Fellows who hold contingent, adjunct, or independent scholar appointments receive an additional $3,000–$6,000 supplement to offset research costs, insurance, conference travel, or caregiving expenses, ensuring the program reaches scholars working across institutional contexts. The 2025 competition invites projects rooted in any humanistic methodology or global region, provided they culminate in a major scholarly output such as a monograph, digital resource, critical edition, or publicly engaged initiative.

ACLS has explicitly positioned the fellowship as a mechanism to advance inclusive excellence by funding scholars from a wide variety of backgrounds, career stages, and institution types. The program’s peer review panels weigh the scholarly merit of each proposal alongside the applicant’s trajectory and access to resources, and they remain attentive to how projects expand representation in humanistic inquiry. Applicants should therefore frame their narratives to highlight original contributions to knowledge, community-engaged research designs, and mentoring or teaching commitments that align with ACLS’s equity goals.

Competition fundamentals

Timeline and preparation checklist

ACLS opens the fellowship application in July 2025, giving scholars roughly ten weeks to assemble materials before the September 25, 2025 deadline at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Notifications arrive via email in late March 2026, allowing fellows several months to coordinate teaching releases, sabbatical schedules, or relocation plans before the July 2026–July 2027 activation window begins. Use the following timeline to stay on pace:

1. June–July 2025 – Confirm eligibility, register for or update your ORCID iD (required), meet with department chairs about workload coverage, and sketch the work plan that maps tasks across the fellowship tenure.
2. July–August 2025 – Draft the five-page proposal, one-page work plan, bibliography, publications list, personal statement, and up to eight-page writing sample using ACLS formatting rules (11-point Arial or Helvetica, double-spaced narrative, one-inch margins). Gather optional visual materials and refine your project’s theory of change.
3. Late August–early September 2025 – Circulate drafts to mentors, writing groups, and community partners for feedback. Audit your CV to ensure it reflects scholarly accomplishments and public humanities engagement.
4. Mid-September 2025 – Finalize uploads, double-check that file names and formatting comply with ACLS instructions, and test the submission portal to avoid last-minute technical issues.
5. September 25, 2025 – Submit the full application before 9:00 p.m. EDT; the program does not accept late materials or reference letters in this cycle, so every section must be complete and polished.
6. October 2025–March 2026 – Monitor email for updates, prepare contingency plans for teaching coverage if selected, and document any professional achievements that occur after submission in case ACLS requests brief updates.

Eligibility profile

ACLS welcomes applicants working on or off the tenure track who have earned a PhD in the humanities or interpretive social sciences by the September 25, 2025 deadline. Established scholars without a doctorate may also qualify if their publication record demonstrates equivalent expertise. The program is open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, Indigenous individuals with rights under the Jay Treaty, DACA recipients, asylees, refugees, people granted Temporary Protected Status, and foreign nationals who have lived in the United States or its territories for at least three consecutive years prior to the deadline and do not establish permanent residence elsewhere during the fellowship tenure.

Applicants holding tenure-track positions must show a gap of at least two years between the end of their most recent supported research leave of a semester or more and September 1, 2026. All fellows must commit to six to twelve months of full-time research and/or writing, beginning between July 1, 2026 and July 1, 2027, with completion no later than December 31, 2027. ACLS provides additional guidance in the program FAQ for contingent faculty who may need to configure non-consecutive months within the approved award window.

Application components and formatting

The online application requires a suite of narrative and planning documents designed to help reviewers assess feasibility, scholarly significance, and impact. Each upload must follow ACLS formatting rules, including double spacing, 11-point Arial or Helvetica type, and one-inch margins (footnotes may be 10-point and single-spaced). Deviations from these specifications will disqualify the application. Prepare the following materials:

• Completed online form summarizing biographical details, project metadata, teaching responsibilities, and anticipated fellowship tenure.
• Proposal (maximum five pages) describing the project’s research questions, methodological framework, sources, theoretical interventions, timeline, and expected contributions to humanistic scholarship or public audiences.
• Optional supporting materials (up to two pages) such as images, musical scores, or datasets that enhance understanding of the project’s core evidence.
• Work plan (maximum one page) outlining month-by-month tasks and milestones during the fellowship term.
• Bibliography (maximum two pages) listing key primary and secondary sources in any standard citation style.
• Publications list (maximum two pages) highlighting major scholarly outputs, organized by type and significance.
• Personal statement (maximum one page) tracing the applicant’s intellectual trajectory, mentorship commitments, and alignment with ACLS values.
• Writing sample (up to eight pages) that situates the excerpt within the broader project and demonstrates scholarly voice.

The 2025–26 competition does not require reference letters, so applicants must ensure that each narrative document independently conveys their expertise, readiness, and potential contributions. Applicants must also provide an ORCID iD, which ACLS uses to track fellows’ publications and professional outcomes over time.

Crafting a compelling proposal

Reviewers evaluate applications using five published criteria: the potential to advance knowledge in relevant fields; the quality and innovativeness of the approach; feasibility and a credible plan for completing the work within the fellowship term; the applicant’s scholarly record and career trajectory in light of access to resources; and the project’s capacity to advance ACLS’s vision of inclusive excellence. To address these metrics:

• Articulate significance by showing how your project intervenes in existing debates, incorporates underrepresented archives or voices, and will culminate in outputs with wide scholarly or public resonance.
• Demonstrate methodological rigor by explaining how your sources, analytical lenses, or digital tools open new interpretive possibilities and why you are uniquely equipped to execute the work.
• Map feasibility through a detailed work plan that sequences research travel, fieldwork, writing sprints, and dissemination, acknowledging potential risks and mitigation strategies.
• Contextualize your record by highlighting achievements relative to institutional teaching loads, service obligations, or resource constraints, and by describing how ACLS support will unlock new collaborations or platforms.
• Align with inclusive excellence by discussing mentorship, community engagement, or capacity-building efforts that broaden participation in humanistic inquiry.

Because reviewers come from diverse disciplines, draft prose that is accessible to scholars outside your immediate field while still conveying analytical sophistication. Where possible, connect your project to broader conversations about democracy, knowledge equity, cultural preservation, or technological change to underscore its societal relevance.

Budget and complementary funding considerations

ACLS fellowships are portable and may be held concurrently with limited institutional or external support, subject to program rules outlined in the FAQ. If you plan to stack the award with sabbatical salary or other grants, clarify in the application how funds will be coordinated to sustain full-time research without exceeding ACLS’s income limits. Independent scholars and adjunct faculty should use the supplemental grant narrative to describe anticipated expenses such as archival travel, childcare, or manuscript workshops. Maintaining transparent communication with department chairs and sponsored research offices during the application stage will smooth the transition if you are selected.

Additional opportunities embedded in the program

Applicants are automatically considered for several related awards without submitting separate applications. Teaching-intensive faculty at HBCUs, regional comprehensive universities, and community colleges may receive $5,000 ACLS Project Development Grants if their proposals show exceptional promise but do not rise to the top of the fellowship rankings. Named fellowships—such as the ACLS Carl and Betty Pforzheimer Fellowships in English and American Literature, the ACLS Frederic E. Wakeman, Jr. Fellowships in Chinese History, and the ACLS H. and T. King Fellowships in Ancient American Art and Culture—recognize outstanding projects in specific subfields and are drawn from the same applicant pool. ACLS also administers joint residential fellowships with the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center; candidates for that track must submit a separate Cullman Center application by September 26, 2025, in addition to the ACLS fellowship form.

Post-award expectations and reporting

Fellows are expected to devote their tenure entirely to the approved project, conduct the work at appropriate research sites, and coordinate any significant changes with ACLS staff. During the fellowship, ACLS may invite participants to virtual convenings or peer learning sessions focused on inclusive excellence and public scholarship. Upon completion, fellows typically submit a brief narrative report, confirm forthcoming publications or presentations, and share how the award advanced their career trajectory. Documenting outcomes and maintaining an updated ORCID record helps ACLS demonstrate the program’s impact to funders and advocates, strengthening future rounds of support for humanistic research.

Strategic tips for prospective applicants

• Leverage peer networks: Join or form writing groups with past ACLS fellows or applicants to exchange drafts, demystify the review process, and learn how successful projects balanced ambition with feasibility.
• Integrate public and scholarly impact: Even if your primary goal is a monograph, articulate how your research will inform classrooms, community partnerships, or digital exhibits to underscore broader relevance.
• Balance detail and accessibility: Avoid jargon by defining specialized terms, translating theoretical frameworks for cross-disciplinary reviewers, and foregrounding narrative clarity.
• Highlight mentorship and service: Use the personal statement to show how you advance inclusive excellence through advising, curriculum development, or collaborative projects that amplify marginalized voices.
• Plan for dissemination: Outline concrete dissemination strategies—such as submitting book proposals, organizing workshops, or creating open-access resources—that demonstrate you will carry momentum beyond the fellowship term.

By aligning a well-scoped project with ACLS’s published expectations, demonstrating a track record of scholarly innovation, and articulating a plan for inclusive impact, applicants can position themselves to join a distinguished cohort of fellows shaping the future of the humanities and interpretive social sciences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can collaborative teams apply for the ACLS Fellowship? The fellowship funds individual scholars rather than formal research teams. Collaborative projects are welcome, but the application must clarify the applicant’s original contribution, articulate how the fellowship-supported work will advance the collective effort, and demonstrate that the funded activities can be completed independently during the award tenure.

Do I need letters of reference? No. ACLS removed reference letters from the core competition to reduce applicant burden and level the playing field for scholars with smaller professional networks. As a result, the narrative components of the application must supply all of the contextualization that letters once provided, including mentoring impact, institutional constraints, and the project’s stage of development.

May fellows teach or hold administrative duties while supported? ACLS expects fellows to devote their tenure to full-time scholarly work. Short-term service or a limited teaching assignment may be possible with prior approval, but the program generally discourages commitments that reduce research momentum or conflict with the fellowship’s inclusive excellence goals.

What happens if my project scope evolves after submission? Fellows should contact ACLS staff as soon as circumstances change. Minor adjustments to a chapter outline or travel plan are common and typically approved, but significant shifts—such as extending the tenure beyond December 31, 2027 or changing institutions—require formal review to ensure compliance with program rules.

How are stipends disbursed? Payment logistics are coordinated individually after selection. Fellows may elect to receive funds directly via ACH or route them through a host institution, and installments are released once award paperwork, compliance certifications, and any institutional agreements are on file with ACLS.

Search Optimization Notes

Incorporate keyword phrases such as “ACLS humanities fellowship,” “interpretive social science research grant,” “portable research funding for scholars,” and “full-time humanities writing fellowship” across digital content that links to this opportunity. Combining those terms with high-intent modifiers like “application deadline 2025” or “ACLS proposal tips” helps target researchers who are actively preparing submissions and improves discoverability in academic funding searches.

Data Sources and Evidence to Cite

• Reference acceptance statistics or recent awardee profiles from the ACLS website to show awareness of peer benchmarks and to situate your project within current disciplinary trends.
• Incorporate data from field-specific reports—such as Modern Language Association workforce studies, American Historical Association career diversity surveys, or National Endowment for the Humanities research briefs—to demonstrate how your project addresses systemic gaps.
• Use institutional assessment metrics (student learning outcomes, enrollment patterns, community engagement dashboards) to articulate the broader impact your project will have on classrooms or public audiences.
• Highlight collaborations backed by signed memoranda of understanding, subaward agreements, or community advisory board minutes to reinforce feasibility and inclusive design.
• Cite digital analytics or open-access usage statistics if your work includes a platform component, and explain how ACLS funding will expand reach or improve accessibility.

Document Checklist for the Submission Portal

• ORCID iD linked to your ACLS profile and accurate contact information for all host institutions.
• Five-page project narrative that weaves methodology, research questions, and impact goals into a cohesive story.
• One-page work plan charting major milestones for the proposed fellowship term and demonstrating schedule feasibility.
• Up to two-page bibliography with full citations that reveal your command of the relevant scholarly conversation.
• Publications list covering the previous five years, clearly labeling works-in-progress, forthcoming items, and public humanities outputs.
• Personal statement that contextualizes your scholarly trajectory, mentorship commitments, and alignment with ACLS equity priorities.
• Writing sample (maximum eight pages) excerpted from a recent publication or draft chapter that showcases prose quality.
• Optional images, maps, or datasets that clarify methods or site-specific logistics, especially for projects with significant fieldwork components.
• Institutional verification documents for tenure-track faculty requesting research leave, such as letters from department chairs confirming teaching relief.

Insider Tips to Win ACLS Fellowship Program

• Mirror American Council of Learned Societies’ priority language. Pull phrasing from the latest call documents when you describe postdoctoral, humanities, research, and related priorities, so panelists immediately recognize strategic fit.
• Control your timeline. Work backward from September 25, 2025 to schedule draft reviews, compliance checks, and approvals at least two weeks before submission.
• Prove execution capacity. Pair your narrative with data from United States and letters or MOUs that show you already have partners, facilities, and governance to deliver on the workplan.