Mystic Seaport Museum Paul Cuffe Memorial Fellowship

Since 1989, the Museum’s Paul Cuffe Fellowship has provided funds to researchers from universities, colleges, and museums. The fellowships are offered to encourage research that considers the participation of Native and African Americans in the maritime activities of America, particularly in New England. Two types of fellowship are offered.

Paul Cuffe Memorial Fellowship

• Rolling deadline
• Supports research and writing, a portion of which should normally be carried out in the Mystic area.

Paul Cuffe Memorial Fellowship with Summer Graduate Classes

• March 2024 deadline
• Builds the research and writing into five weeks of residence and summertime University of Connecticut graduate courses held at Mystic Seaport Museum’s Munson Institute.

Research Collections

The research collection of the G. W. Blunt White Library has nearly 1 million documents pertaining to maritime history. These include 1,300 ships’ logs and journals, ledgers, diaries, and documents from the whaling, fishing, and shipping industries.

Nearby institutions with relevant research materials include:

• American Antiquarian Society – Worcester, MA
• John Carter Brown Library – Providence, RI
• Nantucket Historical Society & Atheneum – Nantucket, MA
• Martha’s Vineyard Museum – Martha’s Vineyard, MA
• New Bedford Whaling Museum – New Bedford, MA
• New Bedford Public Library – New Bedford, MA
• Yale University – New Haven, CT