Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship

The Mellon ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship is administered by the American Council of Learned Societies, a nonprofit federation of scholarly organizations founded in 1919 to advance humanistic scholarship. The program is funded through support from the Mellon Foundation and is designed to strengthen the future of academic research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. ACLS emphasizes inclusive excellence, encouraging projects that incorporate diverse perspectives and engage historically underrepresented communities, thereby reinforcing its commitment to scholarship as a public good. This fellowship program supports doctoral students at formative stages of their dissertation development who propose innovative approaches to research. The primary objective is to expand the boundaries of traditional dissertation work by encouraging interdisciplinary methods, novel formats, and collaborations beyond academia. Applicants are expected to demonstrate how their proposed work challenges conventional methodologies or contributes new frameworks, tools, or perspectives to their field. Projects may include digital scholarship, community-engaged research, or partnerships with cultural or policy organizations. Funding for the fellowship includes a base stipend of forty two thousand dollars for one year, along with up to eight thousand dollars for research related costs such as travel, training, and professional development. An additional two thousand dollars is allocated to support an external mentor selected by the fellow. The fellowship tenure lasts nine to twelve months and must begin between July first and September first of the award year. Funds are intended to support project development, methodological training, and engagement with external collaborators, but recipients may not hold concurrent fellowships or similar awards during the funding period. Eligibility is limited to doctoral students enrolled full time in humanities or interpretive social science programs at accredited institutions in the United States. Applicants must have completed at least two years of study and all required coursework by the start of the fellowship, but must not have advanced to candidacy before January first of the application year threshold. The program excludes professional degrees and disciplines outside the humanities and interpretive social sciences. Applicants must also demonstrate the ability to dedicate a full year to research without teaching or assistantship obligations. Applications must be submitted through the ACLS online fellowship system and require several components, including a detailed research proposal, timeline, bibliography, personal statement, work sample, recommendation letter, and institutional endorsement. The proposal must outline the innovative aspects of the project, planned activities during the fellowship, and anticipated scholarly outputs. Evaluation criteria focus on originality, potential impact on the field, feasibility, engagement with underrepresented communities, and the applicant’s preparedness to complete the project. The application deadline is October twenty eighth, two thousand twenty six, at five pm Eastern Time, with notifications expected in late April of the following year. The fellowship is offered on a recurring annual basis, with multiple office hour sessions and informational webinars provided during the application period. Awards are expected to be issued for the academic year beginning in two thousand twenty seven, supporting up to forty five fellows.

Highlight how your project challenges disciplinary norms. Address innovation clearly and align proposal with career stage. Select a mentor who adds meaningful external perspective.