The Institute for Humane Studies promotes the research and teaching of classical liberalism and have a stated commitment to political, economic, cultural, and intellectual freedom.
IHS supports scholarship at every career stage related to foundations of free societies—how institutions endure, how power is constrained and held accountable, how people build lives of meaning and purpose. They offer the following opportunities to graduate students or postdoctoral fellows.
Humane Studies Fellowship
The Humane Studies Fellowship offers grants to PhD students or postdoctoral fellows conducting research within the liberal tradition at an accredited college or university. Whether you need support for completing major research projects, taking a semester sabbatical for writing, presenting work at top conferences, making journal submissions, or participating in other eligible activities, you are welcome to apply for funding. This program is intended to support key projects that maximize a recipient’s research impact and career prospects.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants will be notified of their award within eight weeks of submission.
Residency Funding
Residency Funding supports PhD students and postdoctoral fellows seeking short-term placements — typically one week to one month — at universities, academic centers, or research organizations beyond their home institution. Focused time in a new intellectual environment can accelerate dissertation progress, sharpen arguments, and build lasting scholarly relationships.
Funding may be used to access datasets or archival materials unavailable at your home institution, work directly with mentors or prospective collaborators, develop sustained research partnerships, or contribute to active scholarly projects aligned with your research agenda.
Awarded scholars may receive up to $10,000 to support a short-term research residency. Larger awards may be considered for exceptional projects with clearly defined scholarly value. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; applicants are typically notified within eight weeks of submission.
Academic Mentorship Program
This program supports a doctoral student and a faculty mentor working together on a focused research project over the course of an academic year. The goal is twofold: to produce meaningful scholarship and to prepare participants for confident engagement in the serious conversations that shape their fields.
Preference will be given to proposals aligned with IHS’s current research priorities: the political and legal foundations of liberal democracy; economic freedom and the policy conditions for abundance; and the institutional design questions that make self-government stable and effective.
Awards up to $5,000 to support mentee and mentor research expenses, up to $2,000 for conference travel and related costs (up to $1,000 per individual), and a $1,000 honorarium for the faculty mentor.
Applications to this award for the 2026-2027 academic year open January 15 and close April 15, 2026.
Fellowship Website:
https://theihs.org/scholars