Long-term Public Humanities Fellowships

About Long-term Public Humanities Fellowships

Folger Institute Long-term Public Humanities Fellowships, new for the 2025-26 year, are designed to support significant, full-time research and public humanities project implementation related to the histories, concepts, art, and objects of the early modern world (ca. 1400-1800) and its legacies. This fellowship is open to college and university faculty, independent scholars, artists, public scholars, writers, PhD candidates, postdocs, community leaders, cultural workers, educators and other knowledge holders. Applicants are not required to hold a terminal degree but should describe their equivalent training and industry-specific experience in their CV. 

For the 2025-26 year, the Folger Institute will offer one Long-term Public Humanities Fellowship at $70,000 for a standard period of 9 months (approximately $7,777 per month). 

Fellowship Requirements 

The successful applicant will draw on the strengths of the Folger’s collections, exhibitions, and programming themes to devote 75% of their residency to research and 25% to implementing public humanities engagement for Folger audiences, in cooperation with Folger Institute staff. This can include–but is not limited to–onsite or virtual programs such as readings, talks, videos, podcasts, workshops, community activations, and performances, as well as digital humanities work hosted on non-Folger platforms such as games, interactives, and online resources. In their fellowship application, applicants must propose and detail one type of public humanities engagement they will develop and implement to take place during each of the Folger’s four program seasons: 

• Summer 2025: July 1 to August 31 
• Fall 2025: September 1 to November 30 
• Winter 2026: December 1 to February 28 
• Spring 2026: March 1 to May 30 

Please note that the Folger will not acquire or archive any materials, physical or digital, resulting from the Public Humanities Fellowship for our collections at this time. 

Long-term public humanities fellows can take up to 3 months of their 9-month fellowship virtually. This virtual time may be taken at any point in the fellowship and does not have to be taken concurrently. Applicants may propose any research schedule that best fits their project’s needs. 

In their proposals, applicants must describe how they will utilize the onsite and virtual (if applicable) portions of their fellowship. Applicants may propose virtual fellowship time to cover any combination of the following full-time work: research with online collections, writing, editing, creative work, and studio time as they relate to the proposed project. Please note, virtual months may also be used to support research for applicants who have dependent care responsibilities. 

Information Regarding Housing and COVID Policies

Long-term Public Humanities Fellows may elect to live in Folger housing or in off-site housing. The fellowship award is intended to cover travel, housing, and living expenses associated with the fellowship. Please note that onsite studio space is not available. Fellows who need studio space while in residence will be expected to arrange their own.  

Residential fellows are expected to inform themselves about, and follow, the most up-to-date public health guidelines in both their place of origin and Washington, DC.

Please see the Folger’s COVID-19 Safety Protocols for more information. Please note that the COVID-19 policies may shift as the pandemic continues to evolve. Please check back prior to travelling to the Folger for the most recent information. Qualifying COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as details on exceptions and on applying for humanitarian waivers to this requirement, can be found on the CDC website.

Application Instructions

The application portal for Long-term Public Humanities Fellowships is closed and will open on September 15, 2024. All applications must be completed and submitted through our online portal. 

Please be sure to review the Fellowships FAQs page before applying. To evaluate applications each year, the Fellowships Program assembles an external committee of respected experts, aiming for disciplinary, methodological, and geographical diversity. Committee membership changes annually. 

To apply for a 2025–2026 Folger Long-term Public Humanities Fellowship, please submit the following: 

1. 250-word abstract of your project. 
2. 1,500-word description of the project you propose to work on while in residence at the Folger. Please emphasize your proposed project’s impact, its relevance to the field, the originality and sophistication of your approach, the feasibility of your research goals, and detailed descriptions and timelines of four public humanities programs. If you intend to take any portion of your fellowship virtually, you must include a statement describing your work plan and proposed location(s), with a justification of why and how this virtual time will be useful to your research, thinking, and/or creative process. 
3. Two-page CV. 
4. One- to two-page list of relevant Folger primary sources and rare materials you wish to consult onsite during the residential portion of your fellowship at the Folger Library. While you may also utilize the Folger’s secondary and digital holdings, the list of primary materials will help determine the viability of your project by assessing the availability, condition, and conservation or exhibition status of the requested items. 
5. One letter of recommendation. You will identify your recommender in the online application portal. Your recommender will be contacted directly via the online portal and given guidance on how to upload their letter. Anyone is eligible to act as a recommender: artists, scholars, teachers, colleagues. We recognize that, due to continuing contractions in the humanities, we are all under unique and significant pressures. Letters of recommendation are very helpful to interdisciplinary selection committees as they work to understand how a project fits within its field. Applications may be disadvantaged, but they are not rendered ineligible or formally penalized if they are missing a letter of recommendation. 
6. If you feel that portfolio materials or a link to an online portfolio will help the selection committee to better understand your application, please include them in your proposal document upload. DO NOT include portfolio materials that are unrelated to your proposed fellowship project. Providing portfolio materials is optional. 

It is helpful to start your online application early. You can revise your application at any point in the process right up to the deadline. You must hit the “submit” button for your application to be completed.