Apply for a Clements Library Fellowship
The William L. Clements Library offers fellowships to help scholars access the Library’s rich primary source collections for research. A Fellowship Review Committee will assign successful applicants to a named fellowship as described below.
The three broad categories are post-doctoral, short-term, and digital fellowships. The application requires a selection of which type of fellowship you would like to be considered for and the duration you expect your research visit to take.
Please take a look at the list of past fellows to see the types of projects that have been funded. For further information, contact clements-fellowships@umich.edu or call 734-764-2347.
Post-Doctoral Fellowships
Long-term fellowships with a minimum tenure ranging from one to two months, open to applicants with a completed Ph.D. or equivalent qualifications at time of application
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Howard H. Peckham Fellowship on Revolutionary America
Established in honor of the Library’s second Director, the Peckham Fellowship supports research on American history between 1764 and 1815. The fellowship provides $10,000 for a project involving a residence of two months or longer at the Library.
Norton Strange Townshend Fellowship
Named for physician and educator Norton Strange Townshend (1815-1895), this fellowship offers $10,000 in support of scholarly research on diversity, equity and inclusion in American history during the nineteenth century. Successful applicants are expected to spend a minimum of two months at the Clements.
Earhart Fellowship on American History
The Earhart Fellowship offers $6,500 for scholarly research on any aspect of American history prior to 1901. Successful applicants are expected to spend a minimum of six weeks at the Clements.
Reese Fellowship in the Print Culture of the Americas
Funded by the William Reese Company, this fellowship encourages research in the history of the book and other print formats, bibliography, and other aspects of print culture in America, including publishing and marketing, from the sixteenth century to 1900. Projects may investigate any printed genre (e.g. books, prints, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, published photographs, broadsides, maps, etc.). Support for work in manuscript collections will be limited to projects related to printed materials (e.g. annotations in books, publishers’ business archives, etc.). The Reese Fellowship provides $5,000 to support one month of in-residence study in the Clements Library collections.
Short-Term Fellowships
Short-term fellowships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 to support a minimum one-week research visit
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Jacob M. Price Visiting Research Fellowship
Price Fellowships offer support for short-term research at the Clements Library by graduate students and junior faculty on any topic of American history that is supported by the collections. Grants are for $1,500 and require a minimum visit of one week.
Fellowship for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in American History
The Fellowship for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in American History supports short-term research by graduate students or junior faculty from Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are undertaking a research project that examines topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion or who demonstrate a commitment to diversity in the field of American History. The award will be based largely on the significance of the Clements’ collection to the applicant’s research. Grants are for $1,500 and require a minimum visit of one week.
Short-term Howard H. Peckham Fellowship on Revolutionary America
The Peckham fellowship was established in honor of the Clements’ second director and is a post-doctoral fellowship requiring a completed Ph.D. or equivalent qualifications at time of application. The fellowship supports research on American history between 1764 and 1815 and provides $1,000 for a project requiring a minimum residence of one week.
Mary G. Stange Fellowship
The Mary G. Stange Fellowship offers support for short-term research by graduate students, faculty, or independent researchers working on any topic supported by the collections. Unique projects are encouraged. Grants are for $1,000 and require a minimum visit of one week.
Richard & Mary Jo Marsh Fellowship
The Richard & Mary Jo Marsh Fellowship offers $1,000 to support graduate students, faculty, or independent researchers working on any topic supported by the collections. A one-week minimum residency is required.
Brian Leigh Dunnigan Fellowship in the History of Cartography
Established in honor of Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Map Curator Emeritus and former Associate Director of the Clements Library, this fellowship is open to graduate students, faculty, and independent researchers working on any topic supported by the cartographic collections. The fellowship provides $1,000 for a project requiring a minimum visit of one week.
*NEW* Donald F. Melhorn, Jr. Fellowship
This fellowship is available through the generosity of Donald F. Melhorn, Jr., who had the opportunity to research and write a senior thesis. Through this fellowship, he seeks to help young scholars gain their first experience working in a major research library. Open to senior-class undergraduate and first or second year graduate students in any Ohio, Michigan or Indiana college or university, this $1,000 award supports research involving at least one week at the Clements on any topic in American history supported by its collections
*NEW* Digital Fellowship
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Digital Fellowships offer a non-residential opportunity to support research by graduate students, faculty, or independent researchers working remotely on any topic that can be supported by digitized library materials. We can consider proposals for items that meet all of the following criteria:
- Stable enough for standard handling on one of our scanners
- Being digitized in full (no single pages from books or selected items from manuscript collections)
- Under 900 pages or 0.5 linear feet total
- Out of copyright
- Can be added to one of our digital collections and made freely available after digitization
- Cannot be added to another institution’s holdings
Applications should identify items or small collections to be digitized in full, up to 900 pages or 0.5 linear feet total. See digitization criteria for details. Questions about eligible materials are encouraged prior to application submission. Grants provide digital files of the materials and $1,000 to support research using them.
Apply for a Fellowship
Please note: We regret that applications for Clements Library fellowships cannot be considered unless the applicant resides at least 100 miles from Ann Arbor, unless otherwise noted.
All applicants must submit the following materials by January 15 for research to be completed within that calendar year:
- Online application form
- Curriculum vitae of no more than six pages
- Brief, two-page summary of the project, including the current status of your research. Please identify what Clements Library material you wish to consult
- Two letters of recommendation, to be sent directly to the Clements Library by surface mail or as an email attachment, from individuals who are familiar with your scholarly work
Curriculum vitae and project summary may be submitted by surface mail or via email as one attachment. Please do not include images within the attachment. Electronic submissions can be sent to: clements-fellowships@umich.edu
Hard-copy application materials may be sent to:
Research Fellowships
Clements Library
University of Michigan
909 S. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1190
For further information, contact clements-fellowships@umich.edu or call 734-764-2347.