NEH Long-Term Fellowships

The New York Public Library is pleased to offer National Endowment for the Humanities Long-Term Fellowships to support advanced research at the Center for Research in the Humanities, located in the Library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Fellowships are open to scholars researching history, literature, and culture of peoples represented in collections housed at the Schwarzman Building and to professionals in fields related to the Library’s holdings including librarianship and archives administration, special collections, photography, prints and maps. Projects drawing heavily on collections traditionally used to advance the social sciences, science and technology, psychology, education, and religion are eligible, but only if the project takes a humanistic approach, relies on typically humanities-related methodologies and contributes to the body of knowledge which enlightens the human experience.

The NEH Long-Term fellowships support two fellows for nine-months with a stipend of $45,000.

Key Dates:

• November 20, 2020 - Application period opens
• January 15, 2021 - Application period deadline
• March 15, 2021 - Applicant notification
• September 1, 2021 - June 1, 2022 - Award period

Questions about the National Endowment for the Humanities Long-Term Fellowships and the application process should be directed to fellowships@nypl.org. Please visit our Research Divisions page for detailed information about the research resources of The New York Public Library.

Eligibility:

Individuals seeking support for research leading to degrees are not eligible for the fellowship. Candidates for advanced degrees must have received the degree by the application deadline. Foreign nationals are ineligible unless they have lived in the United States for three years immediately prior to the January 15, 2021 application deadline. Fellows are expected to be in continuous residence throughout the fellowship award period as specified in the proposal.

Application Instructions:

A complete application must include:

• A completed online application form
• A project proposal (no more than 5 pages)
• A writing sample (no more than 5 pages)
• An up-to-date CV (no more than 3 pages)
• Three professional letters of recommendation

Project Proposal:

• An abstract of the proposal’s major themes, questions and theses
• A sketch of the project plan
• An in-depth explanation of the relevant collections identified to support the project
• A description of the proposed methodological approach
• Significance of proposal in the applicant’s field and humanities in general
• Expected project outcomes, including dissemination plans at NYPL and beyond

Writing Sample:

Please submit a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to express ideas and make a clear argument. Evaluators will use the sample to assess the clarity of your writing as well as your knowledge of the subject area. The writing sample may not exceed the equivalent of five single-spaced pages, including footnotes or endnotes.

Selection Criteria:

Applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee made up of five external reviewers, accomplished specialists from across the fields of study represented within this fellowship. In addition, the Fellowship Program Director will serve as chair and as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Selection Committee.

• Qualifications of the applicant
• Quality and feasibility of the project plan
• Importance of the project to the applicant’s field and to the humanities
• Relationship of the project to the humanities
• Relationship of the project to the resources of the Schwarzman Building
• Likelihood that the project will be completed successfully
• Plan for disseminating the project results to scholars and the public at large

Fellowship Terms:

Fellows are granted a quiet, reserved space in one of the study rooms of the Center for Research in the Humanities. Beyond the daily research and writing, fellows are invited into NYPL’s broader intellectual life anchored at the Center by attending or collaborating with staff on a research program such as Doc Chat, Work/Cited, or Works in Progress sessions. The Library will also support fellows in writing guest posts for NYPL’s blog, and when appropriate, can collaborate in organizing a research symposium centered on their project focus. Throughout the term, fellows are expected to maintain regular communication with librarians, subject specialists and curators in the following ways. In the first month, fellows will give a brief, informal, project overview to staff, researchers and peers sketching out expectations and larger goals to help build a strong support structure early on. At mid-term, fellows will report on progress to help maintain momentum and overcome obstacles. At the term end, fellows will give a more formal presentation on work to date, detailing either research and writing in process or as completed.