Newberry Library Long-Term Fellowships 2027–2028: $5,000 Monthly Research Funding in Chicago

Newberry Library Long-Term Fellowships 2027–2028: $5,000 Monthly Research Funding in Chicago

The Newberry Library has opened applications for its 2027–2028 Long-Term Fellowships, a substantial residency award for scholars whose research depends on the library’s rare books, archives, manuscripts, maps, and other humanities collections. Successful fellows receive $5,000 per month for four to nine months, with the award supporting housing, travel, and other costs of living in Chicago while they work at the Newberry. The fellowship is not remote: the library requires continuous residence for the full award period and expects fellows to participate in its scholarly community.

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Friday, November 20, 2026. Recommendation letters may arrive after the application deadline, but they must be submitted by November 30. That extra window is useful, but it is not a reason to delay asking for letters. The Newberry’s application guide says that long-term candidates need a project abstract, a project description, a list of Newberry materials, a selective secondary-source bibliography, a curriculum vitae, a requested number of months, and two letters of recommendation.

This opportunity is a particularly good fit for a postdoctoral researcher, independent scholar, or senior scholar who can name the Newberry materials that make the project possible. It is less suitable for a project that could be completed equally well from a home institution or through digitized sources alone. The strongest application is likely to make a clear case for both the scholarly contribution and the practical necessity of being in the Newberry reading rooms.

Key details

The listed monthly amount produces a four-month award of $20,000 or a nine-month award of $45,000 before any personal tax treatment. The Newberry describes the stipend as support for housing, travel, and other living costs; it does not promise library-provided housing. Applicants should therefore treat the award as a residency budget, not as a tuition waiver or an all-expenses-paid package.

What the fellowship offers

Long-Term Fellows spend four to nine months immersed in the Newberry collection and the library’s scholarly community. The award is designed for a large-scale project, such as researching and preparing a book manuscript, rather than a short exploratory visit. The program page says projects can be in any field, with a focus on the humanities and related disciplines, as long as the work has a direct relationship to Newberry collections.

The library’s collections cover American history and culture, American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Chicago and the Midwest, genealogy and local history, the history of the book, maps and exploration, medieval and early modern studies, modern manuscripts and archives, performing arts, postcards, religion, and related subjects. A proposal does not need to fit one named fellowship fund. The Newberry explains that applications are submitted to the long-term program and awardees are later matched with applicable funds, which can include the Mellon Foundation Fellowship, the Lloyd Lewis Fellowship in American History, the Audrey Lumsden-Kouvel Fellowship, and other endowed awards.

The fellowship also includes an intellectual program. Fellows are expected to take part in the weekly Colloquium and Fellows’ Seminar programs, where they can share work in progress and receive feedback. The residency therefore offers more than money and desk space. It provides a structured period for sustained research, discussion with other scholars, and contact with the library’s research centers.

There are practical limits. The Newberry does not provide housing, fellows must remain in continuous residence, and the fellowship cannot be divided into separate visits. The FAQ also says long-term fellows may not hold another fellowship during their residency. Build a realistic Chicago living budget before choosing the number of months to request.

Who is a good fit

The core fit question is not simply whether a project is in history or literature. It is whether Newberry material is necessary to the project’s next stage. A historian studying a Midwest institution, a book historian examining a particular printing network, a scholar of maps and travel, or a researcher working with manuscript and archival evidence may have a natural case. So may a project in a related field that uses the library’s holdings in a substantial and specific way.

The library wants scholars at any career stage after the doctorate, from early-career researchers to senior scholars. Institutional employment is not required. The application guide explicitly allows an applicant without an institutional affiliation to enter “unaffiliated,” so an independent scholar should not assume that a university appointment is an unwritten requirement.

The fellowship is a weaker fit when the collection connection is general. Saying that the Newberry has “rich resources” is not enough. The application asks for materials the applicant plans to consult, and the review process begins with staff assessing whether those items are relevant and whether the applicant has shown a reason to view them in person. A project based on a broad topic but no identified collection may not pass that first practical test.

Researchers whose materials are already digitized can still apply. The FAQ says the Newberry encourages them to explain why working with the materials in person would benefit the project. That explanation might concern physical features, provenance, bindings, annotations, paper, collation, juxtaposition of items, uncatalogued context, or the need to examine a broader set of related materials. The important point is to make a specific argument rather than imply that digital access has no value.

Eligibility and residency rules

Long-Term Fellowships are open to applicants who have been awarded a PhD or another equivalent terminal degree by the application deadline. Current PhD students may apply only if they have completed all degree requirements, including the dissertation defense, by the deadline. A dissertation that is still awaiting defense does not satisfy the published long-term requirement.

There is no United States citizenship requirement. International scholars may apply, and the Newberry says it can issue a DS-2019 for a J-1 visa when needed. That document can also support J-2 visas for eligible spouses and dependents. Visa fees are the fellow’s responsibility, and applicants should allow time for institutional and consular processing rather than waiting until an award is announced.

The residence requirement is firm. Long-term fellows must be physically present at the Newberry throughout the fellowship period, and the FAQ says the fellowships cannot be remote or hybrid. Nine-month fellowships begin on the Tuesday after Labor Day, while four- or five-month residencies can begin in September or early January. The library says long-term fellowships take place during the academic year, so the proposed dates should match a clear plan for reading-room work and participation in the program.

Chicago-area scholars are eligible for Long-Term Fellowships. The library notes that generally only one long-term fellowship is awarded to a Chicago resident in a fellowship year, so local applicants should explain the project’s need and the value of the award even though travel and relocation may be smaller costs.

Application process and required materials

Applications go through the Newberry’s SlideRoom portal. Create the account early, select the Long-Term Fellowship form, and confirm that the form is for the 2027–2028 cycle before uploading materials. SlideRoom saves work in progress, but the Newberry says submitted answers and materials cannot be changed afterward.

The project section is the center of the application. The abstract may be no more than 300 words or 2,000 characters. The project description may be up to 1,500 words. The Newberry gives a useful allocation: about two-thirds should place the project in its scholarly context, including relevant published research, and the final third should explain the importance of specific Newberry materials and provide a plan of work.

You will also provide a list of collection items or collections you plan to consult. Specificity is encouraged, especially for large holdings such as the Ayer Collection. Add project keywords for period, subject area, and region, but do not treat those keywords as a substitute for a precise research plan. A one-page selective secondary-source bibliography and a CV of no more than five pages are required. The CV should distinguish work that is in progress, submitted, accepted, or in press using the Newberry’s requested terminology.

Two recommendation letters are required for long-term applicants. The recommenders submit their letters directly through SlideRoom, and the letters must be in English. The application must include recommender contact information by November 20, while the recommendation portal remains open until November 30. The Newberry says effective letters address the project’s significance, the value of a Newberry residency, and the applicant’s qualifications.

Timeline for the 2027–2028 cycle

The live application window is open in early September 2026. The final application deadline is November 20 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Recommendation letters have a separate deadline of November 30, but applicants should request them well before the main deadline. The Newberry advises sending requests as soon as possible because a recommender can submit independently before the rest of the application is complete.

After submission, Newberry staff conduct the first review. They focus on the relationship between the proposed project and the collection materials, including the uniqueness of the items and, when materials are digitized, the demonstrated need to inspect them in person. An independent, interdisciplinary panel of senior scholars from across the Midwest selects Long-Term Fellows in the second round. Newberry staff do not participate in that final selection.

Notifications generally arrive in early March for Long-Term Fellowships. Nine-month residencies begin on the Tuesday after Labor Day, and four- or five-month residencies may begin in September or January. Award dates cannot be deferred beyond the fellowship year, although the library says some flexibility may exist to move a four- or five-month award between the fall and spring semesters or shorten a two-semester plan to one semester.

How to prepare a stronger proposal

Start with the collection, not just the topic. Search the Newberry catalog, collection descriptions, digital collections, and finding aids. Make a working list of individual items, named collections, call numbers where available, and related material that you need to compare. If you are uncertain whether a collection is relevant, contact a librarian early. The library gives a reading-room telephone number and an online question route, but it cautions that responses can take up to two weeks.

Then write a one-sentence project claim that connects the research question, the scholarly intervention, and the Newberry evidence. A useful structure is: “This project will show X about Y by examining Z materials, which matter because A.” That sentence is not a formula to paste into the application; it is a test of whether the project has a defensible center.

Use the project description’s two-part structure deliberately. The contextual section should tell a non-specialist panel why the question matters and how the project relates to existing scholarship. The Newberry section should identify the sources, explain what you will do with them, and set out a credible sequence of work over the requested months. A proposal can be highly specialized, but it still needs to be intelligible to reviewers outside the exact subfield.

Choose the residency length based on the work, not on the maximum award. The Newberry says the number of months requested does not affect evaluation directly. Request four months if that is enough to complete the defined phase; request nine months if the project genuinely needs sustained access across an academic year. Either way, connect the duration to research tasks, writing milestones, and participation in the Colloquium and Fellows’ Seminar.

Give recommenders a concise briefing document with the project abstract, the collection rationale, the residency dates, and two or three concrete contributions they can discuss. The library’s published guidance favors current, specific letters over generic dossier language. A letter that explains why the project matters and why the Newberry is necessary is more useful than one that only lists the applicant’s accomplishments.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the award as housing-inclusive. The Newberry pays a monthly stipend but does not provide housing. Price Chicago accommodation, local transport, insurance, food, and visa-related costs before committing to a residency length.

Listing a collection without explaining its role. A catalog name alone does not show why the materials are essential. Identify the evidence you expect to find and how it changes the project’s argument.

Writing for only one specialist. The final panel is interdisciplinary. Define technical terms, make the central contribution readable, and explain why the project matters beyond a narrow subfield.

Ignoring the in-person rule. A remote plan, split visit, or occasional trip does not match the published terms. State a continuous residency plan and be candid about any visa or scheduling constraint.

Waiting for letters. Letters can be uploaded through November 30, but the application still needs recommender details by the November 20 deadline. Ask early and monitor SlideRoom for confirmation.

Submitting a generic project description. The Newberry asks for a realistic plan connected to specific materials. Reusing an old proposal without updating the collection list, project status, and requested months will make the application look detached from this fellowship.

Frequently asked questions

Can a current PhD student apply?

Only if the student has completed all degree requirements, including the dissertation defense, by the application deadline. ABD status alone is sufficient for some Newberry short-term fellowships, but not for the Long-Term Fellowship.

Do I need a university affiliation?

No. The application guide says applicants without an institutional affiliation may enter “unaffiliated.” The decisive issues are the terminal-degree requirement, project quality, collection fit, and feasibility.

Can an international scholar apply?

Yes. The Newberry can issue a DS-2019 for a J-1 visa when needed, but visa fees are not additionally funded and remain the fellow’s responsibility.

Does the fellowship include housing?

No. Fellows arrange their own housing. Newberry staff can offer suggestions, but the $5,000 monthly stipend must cover housing and other living costs.

Can I work remotely or split the residency?

No. The published FAQ requires continuous residence and says the fellowships cannot be remote or hybrid. Plan for an uninterrupted stay in Chicago.

When will I hear the decision?

Long-Term Fellowship notifications generally arrive in early March. The Newberry says notifications occur on a rolling basis depending on review schedules, so applicants should rely on official correspondence rather than assume every decision arrives on one date.

Official links and next steps

Begin with the official 2027–2028 Long-Term Fellowships page, then read the Newberry application guide and fellowship FAQ. Search the Newberry catalog and collection guides before finalizing your materials. Start a SlideRoom application early enough to request two letters, confirm the upload fields, and leave time to proof the abstract, project description, collection list, bibliography, and CV.

Questions about the fellowship or collection fit can be sent to [email protected]. The application deadline is November 20, 2026, but the practical deadline for a serious applicant is earlier: identify the materials, test the research plan against the requested months, and give recommenders enough context to write specific letters. If your project truly depends on sustained Newberry access, this fellowship offers a well-defined period and meaningful financial support for doing that work in person.