American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship

The American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship is an AAUW American Fellowship designed to increase the number of women in research, development, and academic leadership and to promote gender equity in higher education. Established in 1888, AAUW American Fellowships are described as the oldest non-institutional source of graduate and postdoctoral funding for women in the United States. This fellowship supports early-career postdoctoral scholars, including new applicants and eligible AAUW alumnae, in pursuing independent research over the course of one year. Applicants from all fields of study may apply, with applicants in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and those researching gender issues especially encouraged. Eligible applicants must identify as women and must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents from the 50 states, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or another U.S. territory. Applicants must hold an eligible terminal degree by May 30, 2027, and the degree must have been completed on or after August 30, 2023. Eligible degrees include Ph.D., D.Sc./Sc.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., D.Eng., M.F.A., S.J.D./J.S.D./J.D., M.D., D.P.H., D.M.D., D.V.M., D.S.W., and M.P.H. Applicants must begin their postdoctoral program on or before September 2027 and complete it on or after April 30, 2028. Their research must be conducted at an institution recognized as accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or an eligible international institution participating in U.S. federal student aid programs. Tenured professors, previous recipients of this fellowship, applicants for another national AAUW fellowship or grant in the same year, specified AAUW personnel and review panelists, and their immediate families are ineligible. The fellowship provides a $50,000 stipend payable directly to the fellow in two equal payments, one at the beginning and one at the midpoint of the fellowship term. Funds may support research expenses, publication fees, housing, food, childcare, and other living expenses. Funds may not cover research assistants, previous expenditures or deficits, repayment of personal loans, tuition for dependents' education, or costs incurred before or after the fellowship term. Fellows may not pursue a degree during the fellowship year and are required to devote their working time and intellectual effort to their postdoctoral research. AAUW funding is limited to one year and cannot be extended. No cost-sharing or matching requirement is stated. Applications are submitted through the AAUW Fellowships and Grants Application Portal. Required materials include two letters of recommendation from individuals academically or professionally familiar with the applicant, proof of degree appropriate to the applicant's degree-completion status, required official transcripts, and a required Postdoctoral Host Institution Acknowledgment Form signed by a faculty mentor or project director. Applicants in the final year of an eligible terminal degree program may apply but must provide proof of degree conferral during award finalization if selected. Certified English translations are required for foreign-language materials as specified, and applicants whose names differ across documents must provide an explanation and supporting documentation. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that required materials, including recommendations, are submitted by the deadline. Applications are evaluated for demonstrated scholarly excellence, originality and potential contribution of the proposed research, feasibility of the research plan, strength and feasibility of the financial plan, long-term career objectives and commitment to impact, teaching or related educational experience, and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Where applicants have comparable overall merit, preference may be given based on resilience in overcoming significant challenges, first-generation college graduate status, single-parent household experience, caregiving responsibilities, and institutional context such as attendance at an R2 institution or an institution with limited research resources. AAUW's Fellowships and Grants team first reviews applications for completeness and eligibility, after which eligible and complete applications are reviewed by independent panels of scholars and experts. Panel recommendations remain subject to final AAUW approval and available funds. Applications open August 17, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time and close September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Award notification is scheduled for April 2027. The first stipend is expected between July and September 2027, the mid-year report is due in December 2027, and the second stipend is expected in December 2027 or January 2028. Fellows are expected to begin or continue their research by September 1, 2027 and must complete their postdoctoral research no earlier than April 30, 2028. The final report is due July 31, 2028. The source states that review panels meet once a year. Applicants selected for awards must complete AAUW's full award acceptance process, and a change to the research or institution from what was presented in the application can result in disqualification. No individual program contact person or program email is supplied in the provided material. The listed AAUW contact information is 1310 L St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 and 202.785.7700. Applicants should use the application portal and are strongly encouraged to begin well before the deadline. Generative AI may assist with preparation of application narratives, but it may not substitute for the applicant's own ideas, experiences, analysis, or writing; narratives should represent the applicant's authentic voice and original work. Applications are competitive, and applicants should ensure that the proposed work is significant, original, realistically scoped for the fellowship period, supported by a credible budget, and aligned with their longer-term scholarly and professional impact.

Demonstrate scholarly excellence with specific evidence; clearly establish the originality, significance, and potential contribution of the research; provide a focused and achievable research plan with methods, outputs, milestones, and a realistic timeline; align the financial plan with the research scope and identify other support and remaining needs; connect the fellowship to concrete long-term career objectives and impact; document teaching, mentoring, or educational experience; provide specific evidence of commitment to women and girls; register recommenders early and ensure recommendations arrive by the deadline; ensure all application materials are accurate and complete; keep the proposed research and institution consistent with the application if selected