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Fellowships

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The Huntington Library awards over 150 research fellowships annually.

Recipients of all fellowships are expected to be in continuous residence at The Huntington and to participate in, and make a contribution to, its intellectual life. Long-term fellows are expected to present at a two-day introductory symposium in September and to participate in weekly working group sessions from October to May.

The Huntington is a collections-based research institute, which promotes humanities scholarship on the basis of its library holdings and art collections. The Art Collections feature European and American art spanning more than 500 years, with diverse strengths ranging from Renaissance Italian bronzes to British grand manner portrait paintings to early American folk art to 20th-century drawings, prints, and photography. The Library holds more than 11 million items that span the 11th to the 21st century. Its diverse materials center on 14 intersecting collection strengths.

In addition to reinterpreting the well-known highlights of our collections, thereby connecting them with new and broader audiences, we aim to inspire future generations of scholars and artists by providing greater access to all of our collections.

The Huntington does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, or age, and is dedicated to fair treatment, diversity, and inclusion. 

See awarded fellowships.

Applying for a Fellowship

Long-term fellowship, short-term fellowship, and travel grant and exchange fellowship applications for the 2025-2026 year will be accepted beginning Aug. 30, 2024, with a submission deadline of 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 15, 2024. Applicants, both successful and unsuccessful, will be notified of decisions in March 2025. 

Submit an application >

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Applying for a Fellowship

Applicants for long-term fellowships (one year or one term) must have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. at the time of application. That is to say, only those who hold a Ph.D. or who have successfully defended a dissertation by the application deadline are eligible. Applicants do not need to have formally graduated to apply.  NOTE: This year we are accepting long-term fellowship applications for one term of support as well as for one year of support. These fellowships are designed to provide applicants with the time to research and write, and carry a set stipend as opposed to a monthly stipend. While the length of academic terms can vary by institution, for our purposes we consider one term to be 4-5 months and one year to be 9-11 months. 

Short-term fellowships (one to three months) are open to graduate students; faculty members; postdoctoral scholars; and independent researchers working on a scholarly project served by our collections.

Travel grants/exchange fellowships (for study abroad) are open to doctoral candidates who have advanced to candidacy (ABD) at the time of the application deadline, to faculty members, and other postdoctoral scholars. 

Additional answers can be found in the Fellowship FAQs.

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Application Guidelines

All of the review committees are charged to evaluate applications based on the quality of the proposal and the clarity with which it is conveyed; the significance of the project for research in the humanities or arts; and the need for access to The Huntington’s collections. In general, The Huntington is seeking to fund those candidates who would benefit from working in our collections and who have excellent projects. The committees also bear in mind questions of equity. That is to say, they consider (other things being equal) the diversity and inclusivity of the fellowship cohort; the institutional matrix of the applicant and regular teaching load; and their previous history of fellowship support. The Director of Research chairs all of the peer review committee meetings but does not vote.

Applications are submitted online and include:

  • Project description consisting of three parts: description of the project and its significance (approximately 1,000 words); a list of the specific Huntington materials to be consulted (no more than 350 words); and an outline of the plan of work for the fellowship period (no more than 350 words). Applicants for travel grants/exchange fellowships should describe the materials to be consulted abroad. The project description will be considered by a panel of scholars from a variety of humanities disciplines and should be written for nonspecialists.
  • Curriculum vitae of no more than three pages.
  • Letters of recommendation: ONE letter for short-term fellowships and travel grants/exchange fellowships; TWO letters for long-term fellowships. You will be notified by email when each letter has been submitted on your behalf. It is important that you tell your recommenders to submit their letters before the deadline.
  • We do not accept letters from your job dossier or from Interfolio Scholar Services. Letters of recommendation must be tailored to your individual application and speak to the relevance of The Huntington’s collections—if possible—and why they are crucial to your project. The same applies to a travel grant application, in which you will indicate which materials in foreign archives you wish to consult and the relationship between the research to be conducted abroad and research that either has been or will be conducted on the basis of The Huntington’s collections.

It is advisable to begin your online application well before the application deadline. For more information, see Fellowship FAQs.

Application Submission Process

  1. Create an account.
  2. Complete an online application, upload attachments, and submit.

Applications will be accepted beginning Aug. 30, 2024, with a submission deadline of 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 15, 2024.

For assistance, contact Krystle Satrum.