The William L. Clements Library is excited to announce that applications for the 2026-2027 Research Fellowships are now open. The Library offers funded research fellowships for a wide array of projects undertaken by graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, independent researchers, creative artists, and undergraduates. All who wish to visit the library’s world-class collections of early Americana are encouraged to apply. The deadline for the 2026-2027 cycle is January 15th, 2026.
As the Clements Library continues to encourage the expansion of fields, disciplines, foci, and approaches to historical materials, the Fellowship Program will commit to providing funds for projects inspired by intellectual curiosity, critical evaluation, and the strong desire to discover and present new knowledge of the past. Some unique examples of the varied projects the Clements Library has supported include:
- Cartographic studies of the Great Lakes in the 17th and 18th centuries
- Spiritualism in 18th-century women’s writing
- A human-reptile history of 19th-century Florida
- A history of 19th-century American natural tourism
- The relationship between humor and 19th-century American imperialism
- An examination of Celtic harp music for the purpose
In addition to these distinct topics, many projects with topics related to the United States and the Caribbean and/or Atlantic World in the 18th-20th centuries will find rich resources in the library’s collections (searchable here).
Along with the fellowships awarded in previous years, the Clements Library would like to highlight two recently added fellowships. The Charles R. Eisendrath Fellowship in Early American Journalism is a short-term fellowship supporting research projects that explore the relation of journalism to US history before 1900 in both pictorial and written reportage and commentary. This fellowship was created in honor of Charles Eisendrath, a member of the Clements Library Associates, retired University of Michigan professor, and celebrated Time magazine correspondent. The Foreman Band History Fellowship supports research in the Clements Library’s growing collection of materials related to bands, band music, band leaders, and brass musicians from the 1830s into the early twentieth century. The collection offers outstanding resources for the study of both the performance and business of band music, and of American popular culture more broadly. The Forman Band History Fellowship was established for George Forman, the musicologist, professor, and longtime director of UGA’s Performing Arts Center.
While descriptions of each fellowship are listed on the Clements website, applicants do not need to specify a particular fellowship in their application. The selection committee will match each candidate’s project with the award for which it is best suited. We encourage applicants to review projects funded in previous years. Staff welcome any questions, large or small, about whether our resources may appropriately support your project’s scope and interest. Please feel welcome to email [email protected] with inquiries.
