Updated November 3, 2026
Humanities Research Grants and Fellowships
Open grants and fellowships for humanities scholars in history, literature, philosophy, religion, languages, and the arts. A live list, updated daily.
Humanities scholars have always worked with less funding than their colleagues in the sciences, and 2026 has made the gap wider. Federal support through the National Endowment for the Humanities and the state humanities councils it funds has been cut back and disrupted, and many universities have trimmed internal research and travel budgets at the same time. For historians, literary scholars, philosophers, and others, finding the right external fellowship now matters more than ever.
Featured grants
Updated automatically from Atom's grant database. Summaries are AI-generated.Grants for Humanities Scholar Research Fellowships
This grant funds Oklahoma-based humanities scholars at accredited institutions to support original research in fields like history, literature, philosophy, and related disciplines.
Humanities Program
Supports institutional projects advancing humanist scholarship and artistic achievement in fields like history, literature, philosophy, and the arts, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary and historically grounded approaches.
Humanities Innovation Grants: Workforce Equity
Humanities Innovation Grants: Workforce Equity supports faculty members and small teams developing departmental initiatives to improve working conditions and fairness in humanities workplaces.
The good news is that humanities funding is spread across a deep bench of private sources. Research foundations, residential fellowship centers, learned societies, and state humanities councils all fund scholarly work, from short research trips and archival visits to full-year fellowships that buy time to finish a book. Many of these programs are small enough that a well-matched application has real odds, and several welcome independent scholars and those outside tenure-track positions.
This collection gathers open grants and fellowships for humanities research across foundations, societies, and public funders. It updates as new calls open and deadlines pass. Fellowship cycles in the humanities often close a full year before the award begins, so it pays to look early.
General Research Grants: Scholarships — Research Scholarships
General Research Grants: Scholarships — Research Scholarships support individual scholars’ research time, travel and materials to pursue independent work in the historical humanities.
Fellowships
North Carolina Humanities Fellowships support NC-based scholars with summer funding to pursue intensive humanities research and produce substantial scholarly work.
Humanities Fellowships - Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection
Humanities Fellowships support early-career humanities professionals through immersive projects, expert mentorship, and professional development to build a foundation for careers in the humanities.
Fellowships
The National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships support individual scholars conducting research and writing on American history, culture, or Western civilization.
General Research Grants: Scholarships
General Research Grants: Scholarships support postdoctoral and senior scholars’ research time, travel and materials to pursue individual projects in the historical humanities.
Fellowships 2027-2028
NFAH fellowships fund innovative art history research projects by mid-career and contingent faculty at U.S. institutions, supporting diverse scholarship through year-long and multi-year non-residential awards.
Fellowships for Stanford Faculty
Fellowships for Stanford Faculty support Stanford scholars’ residential research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences to advance scholarly projects and interdisciplinary exchange.
Fellowships for External Faculty
Fellowships for External Faculty support academic and independent scholars in a year of residential humanities and interpretive social science research, fostering intellectual exchange at Stanford.
Awards for Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
The National Endowment for the Humanities supports HBCU faculty and staff pursuing research or scholarly projects in the humanities, focusing on American history, culture, or Western civilization.
Residential Fellowships
Residential Fellowships support scholars undertaking advanced humanities research at the National Humanities Center, providing time and a residential scholarly community to move work toward publication.
Long-Term Awards - Huntington Library Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
Long-Term Awards - Huntington Library Art Collections and Botanical Gardens support scholars’ residential research using library and art collections to advance humanities scholarship.
Short-Term Awards
Short-Term Awards support scholars, artists, and writers in research using The Huntington’s library and art collections to advance humanities and arts scholarship and reach broader audiences.
Funding Opportunities for Scholars at Risk – Gerda Henkel Foundation Historical Humanities
Funding Opportunities for Scholars at Risk – Gerda Henkel Foundation Historical Humanities supports threatened and refugee scholars’ research and study to sustain their work and develop career perspectives abroad.
ACLS Fellowships
ACLS Fellowships support individual scholars’ research and writing in the humanities and interpretive social sciences to produce major scholarly work and advance their fields.
Research Grants - International Society for the History of Rhetoric
Research Grants - International Society for the History of Rhetoric support scholars studying rhetoric across periods and languages to advance understanding of its theory, practice, and cultural relationships.
Humane Studies Fellowship
Humane Studies Fellowship supports PhD students and postdoctoral fellows with research, writing, conference, and publication work that advances scholarship within the liberal tradition.
Higher Learning Grants
Mellon Higher Learning Grants fund innovative, humanities-led research and programs that expand knowledge and elevate underrepresented voices in U.S. academic and public life.
Frequently asked questions
The National Endowment for the Humanities and state humanities councils are the main public funders. Private sources include research foundations such as the Gerda Henkel Foundation, residential fellowship centers such as the National Humanities Center, and learned societies across disciplines.
Many programs welcome independent scholars and researchers outside tenure-track positions, though some require a university affiliation. Each listing's eligibility section specifies who can apply.
Common awards cover research travel, archival and library visits, summer research, conference organizing, publication subventions, and full-year fellowships that buy time to write a book.
Early. Many fellowship deadlines fall nine to twelve months before the award period begins, especially for full-year and residential fellowships.