Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship

The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship program is designed to support emerging scholars as they pursue bold and innovative research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. The program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.

The program will make awards to doctoral students who show promise of leading their fields in important new directions. The fellowships are designed to intervene at the formative stage of dissertation development, before writing is advanced, and provide time and support for emerging scholars’ innovative approaches to dissertation research – practical, trans- or interdisciplinary, collaborative, critical, or methodological. The program seeks to expand the range of research methodologies, formats, and areas of inquiry traditionally considered suitable for the dissertation, with a particular focus on supporting scholars who can build a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable academy.

Award Details

• $40,000 stipend for the fellowship year, plus up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, development, and travel costs.
• The award also includes a $2,000 stipend for external mentorship.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be a PhD student in a humanities or social science department in the United States.¹
• Be able to take up a full year (9-12 months) of sustained specialized research and training, released from normal coursework, assistantships, and teaching responsibilities.
• Have completed at least two years and all required coursework in the PhD programs in which they are currently enrolled by the start of the fellowship term.
• As of September 2023 require at least two years remaining with their programs to complete the PhD degree.
• have not previously applied for this fellowship more than once.

(1) The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship program does not accept applications from students receiving professional or applied PhDs, terminal degrees that are not a PhD (such as an EdD or MFA), or PhDs outside of humanities and social science departments, including the following disciplines: business, clinical or counseling psychology, creative or performing arts, education, engineering, filmmaking, law, library and information sciences, life/physical sciences, public administration, public health or medicine, public policy, social work, or social welfare. If you are unsure whether your department or interdisciplinary program qualifies you for this fellowship program, please email fellowships@acls.org with a brief summary of your affiliation.