American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) Field Research Fellowship

The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) invites applications for the ACMS Field Research Fellowship Program.

The program will provide awards of $1,000 to $2,000 to a selected number of students, post-docs, and/or early-career scholars to conduct short-term field research in Mongolia between May and October 2026.

Application Deadline: February 20, 2026

All applications should include the following components:

• Research Sponsor: All applicants should include a letter of support form their Research Sponsor, who may be a faculty member, senior researcher, lab supervisor, or other person who is guiding or providing feedback on the project. Research Sponsors should have relevant experience supporting academic field research, and should agree to host the fellow’s research project. Please see below for specific guidance on student and post-doc/faculty Research Sponsors.
• Community Engagement: All applicants are required to conduct community engagement or outreach activities as part of their fellowship, and will be asked to articulate their plan for community engagement while in Mongolia. Examples of community engagement activities include a workshop on disciplinary research methods for Mongolian researchers and/or students in the applicant’s field, a presentation at a Mongolian university or other educational space such as the American Corner or ACMS discussing the project, organizing a topical workshop for the local community, and more.
  • Note: Competitive applicants will articulate a clear, specific, actionable program or activity that is possible during their time in-country, and all research plans should account for this requirement at the time of submission.
    
• Research Timeline: Proposed Field research projects should last a minimum of three weeks but ideally four to six or more, and should be conducted in Mongolia between May and October 2026.
  
• Research Proposal: All applicants must submit a detailed, well-thought-out research proposal that makes a strong case for their project’s importance to their field, clearly outlines their proposed activities while in-country, shows evidence of previous research on the chosen topic and outreach to in-country partners and/or colleagues, and demonstrates the previous acquisition or, or willingness and ability to acquire all appropriate permits and approvals (such as IRB) to engage in the project ethically and responsibly. More information is available in the application form here.
• Detailed Budget: Applicants must outline all anticipated project expenses including supplies, transportation, living costs, airfare, and more. Budgets may total more than the grant award, but applicants should clearly articulate what they plan to use ACMS funding for, as well as where they plan to obtain additional funding should the budget amount exceed $2,000. This is not a travel grant, and applicants are highly discouraged from using this funding to pay for international airfare.
• Evidence of Additional Funding: Competitive applications will demonstrate that the applicant is searching for or has already secured additional funding sources, particularly for longer projects or where significant travel is involved. Due to the size of these grant awards, grantees should not plan to rely on this fellowship for all travel, living, and research-related costs while in-country unless they will already be in Mongolia at the time of their project’s start.