Dissertation Fellowships 2014-2015

This page is for dissertation fellowships for 2014-15 (including research fellowships, dissertation completion fellowships, and other predoctoral opportunities).

See previous years' pages: Dissertation Fellowships 2012-13 AND Dissertation Fellowships 2013-14.

See also fellowship discussions at theGradCafe: The Bank

RECENT ACTIVITY on Dissertation Fellowships 2014-15 Wiki

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AAUW Dissertation Fellowship
Any idea what the odds are on this? Aside from bad, I mean.
 * Deadline: November 15, 2013

Last year's Dissertation Fellowships wiki included the following:
 * 2012–13 Summary
 * Dissertation Fellowships: 60
 * Postdoctoral Fellowships: 12
 * Publication Grants: 17
 * Total Fellowships: 89
 * Women of Color: 20%
 * Eligible Applicants: 693
 * Total Awards: $1,687,000

ACLS/Mellon Dissertation Completion Fellowships
So, did anyone apply this time?


 * I did, and giggled in glee as I sent off many hours of work to be rejected. The odds on this fellowship are so bad, I might as well have bought lottery tickets.

Waiting Game
 * I applied, and they contacted me within a couple weeks to tell me I wasn't qualified because I'm too much social science and not enough humanities.
 * The website states that applicants will be notified by "Late March."  That language is consistent with prior years, but I think it is to give them flexibility if a delay occures.  I just double-checked, and for each of the past three years (2011, 2012, and 2013) applicants were notified by e-mail on the first Friday in March.  If that pattern holds, we should hear from the foundation by Friday, March 7, 2014.  Good luck to everyone.

American Academy in Rome- Rome Prize
Has anyone applied to this? Invitations to interview should go out this month.

I applied to this. Haven't heard anything yet. Has anyone else? (1/17)

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Research Fellowships, Harvard University

 * Ernest May Fellowship, deadline January 15, 2014
 * Applied: x1

Boston College African and African Diaspora Dissertation Fellowship

 * Deadline: January 31, 2014

Carter G. Woodson Institute PreDoctoral Fellowship at UVA (African & African American)

 * Deadline: December 1, 2013
 * Applied: x2

Carter Manny Award
Since the Carter Manny Award’s establishment in 1996, over $600,000 has been awarded in recognition of outstanding doctoral students whose work represents some of the most innovative and advanced scholarship on architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society.

Center for Democracy, Development and Rule of Law (Stanford) Predoctoral Fellowship
1 applied

Center for Jewish History, Dissertation Fellowships

 * Deadline: February 3, 2014

CFD--Consortium for Faculty Diversity Pre and Post-Doctoral Fellowships

 * Deadline: October 31, 2013 (continuous)
 * I know the deadline just passed, but has anyone heard anything yet? 11/13
 * Must have patience for this one -- many of the schools do not move on this until the spring.

Charlotte Newcombe Fellowship
Applied x9

11/19 - anyone else still waiting for letters and supplemental materials submitted last week to show up online?
 * yes, anxiously so! Waiting on a letter that I know my recommender emailed. (11/20)
 * Just received the confirmation email referenced below (11/21)
 * 11/20 - emails going around today letting you know that your application is complete.  Got mine and so did a friend this afternoon.
 * I got an email stating my application was complete on (11/20) also, but it hasn't shown up in the system yet. Also, for some horrific reason, I have 5 open applications on the system because it just kept creating new ones.
 * OP here--just got an email (11/21) also confirming complete application, said it would take a few days to show up online. My duplicate applications have been deleted by the program.

Chateaubriand Fellowship in the Humanities
It targets outstanding Ph.D. students from American universities who seek to engage in research in France, in any discipline of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Council for European Studies (CES)/Mellon Dissertation Completion Fellowship
anyone applying for this??? 1/7

- Yep! Planning on send it out this week. I have no idea what the chances are. The application document word lengths are strange though. 500 words for a diss description but 800 to talk about what you are going to be doing over the fellowship term. I guess they really want to know what you are spending their money on. 1/8

- Applied x1

Danforth Center on Religion and Politics (Washington U. in St. Louis)

 * Two year postdoc in residence at Washington University in St. Louis: H-NET
 * Deadline: January 1, 2014.
 * Applied for Dissertation Completion Fellowship x3

Dartmouth College
The goal of the Chavez/Eastman/Marshall fellowship program is to promote student and faculty diversity at Dartmouth, and throughout higher education, by supporting completion of the doctorate by underrepresented minority scholars (including African-American, Latina/o, and Native American scholars) and other graduate scholars with a demonstrated commitment and ability to advance educational diversity.
 * Deadline: February 1, 2014

Dedalus Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
Applied x 1

Dumbarton Oaks Junior Fellowship
Deadline: November 1, 2013


 * Anyone been asked for an interview yet?


 * No. January 5. (x8)
 * Still nothing, 1/12 (x6)

Five Colleges
Deadline: January 6, 2014 (continuous)

Applied x5

Does anyone know how many people apply for this? (12.31)
 * From last year's wiki "Last year around 250, the year before 330. No numbers for this year yet."

Ford Dissertation Fellowship

 * Applied x5 (I take it that since the number was "4" before and I also applied that I change it to "5"? I'm new to the wiki)
 * Also, the wait is ALREADY killing me.

Frank M. Cushing Science Policy Fellowship
A fellowship for marine science  postdoctoral scholars and doctoral candidates interested in bridging the gap between science and policy by spending a year in Washington DC researching, developing and advocating for research and sound ocean policy.

Frederick Douglass Institute Predoctoral Fellowship

 * Deadline: December 31, 2013
 * Applied x1

Fulbright-Hays DDRA
9/17 3:51 Pacific: according to some on GradCafe forum, notices are going out now!
 * 9/3: Any news from campus reps?
 * 9/3: My campus rep said she hasn't heard anything yet and doesn't know when we will hear from FH.
 * 9/11 From what applicants are saying on another forum, the results may be sent out on Friday 9/13. This does not seem to be official.
 * 9/11 My campus rep said soon, but did not define soon. this week? next?
 * 9/12 My campus rep also said soon but had no new info on an actual date.  The grant period starts Oct. 1 and last year they sent out notification on Sept. 7.  I can't imagine it would be later than this week but who knows?
 * Thank you guys for trying to get info from your campus reps, anyways! I think process would be a lot easier if they just let us know when we would know, so I wouldn't spend every day on edge...
 * 9/13, 2:30 EST, Campus rep says no news yet--check back next week.
 * What a nightmare. (x5)
 * 9/16 no news here. (x3)...but it still seems a bit early (11:40 Eastern). If they could tell us Monday morning wouldn't they have told us Friday afternoon?
 * 9/16 9:20 Pacific: my campus rep has heard nothing.
 * 9/16 As of 2:30 Eastern, my rep had no news to report; just said no one said anything except September.
 * Is anyone bold enough to call Stephanie McKissic in Washington on all of our behalf? (not me!)
 * ^ I did Friday afternoon and this morning... rang to voicemail.
 * ↑ Thank you for that! I guess I wouldn't answer my phone either if I was her.
 * Out of curiosity, has anyone tried emailing anyone at Fulbright-Hays directly?
 * 9/17 in AM: Still no news. Will we hear today?
 * 9/17 9:00 a.m.: I emailed them directly.  Will post if they respond.
 * Looks like today's not the day either. The neglect is starting to hurt my feelings (x3!).
 * Do notifications come from campus reps or from Fulbright directly?
 * - got an email from campus rep.
 * - I also just go the e-mail notification from my campus rep.

9/18, 1pm east coast, no news. anyone else with no news? (x2)

9/18, 1pm midwest. argh!!!!! no news. campus rep says in the past it has taken them several days to announce to unis across the country.

9/18, 130pm midwest. i think this is an absurd notification system. nothing here.

9/18, those who heard, can you tell us what University? none of my friends at other Uni's have heard either...

It may have to do with start date (just guessing). I was notified yesterday evening that I got the award and my start date is October 15. I'm one who posted on the gradcafe. Not sure about start date of the other person. Did you all contact your campus reps? Or have you just not heard from them?

9/18, I just called my rep. She told me over the phone, if folks are anxious might be worth just giving your rep a call. Pretty stiff competition this year, our campus only got 1..we usually do pretty well. Good luck All

9/18 I don't think it has to do with start date. My start date is April, and I found out yesterday.

9/18 This is torturous. Our rep says still no news and that he/she would forward us information immediately. Only select schools have heard then? 9/19 anyone still out there with nada?
 * 9/18 Sorry you guys are still waiting. I was notified by my campus rep late on 9/17, I'm at a University of California
 * yes.

9/19, 1030 EST, received notification from NYU

9/19, 1330 EST, For those who heard so far, have notifictions come in the morning? Searching for a pattern seems futile, but I'll probably be more productive today if I just stop checking e-mail (and have a reason to do it!)

9/19 7 EST Are there still any schools that haven't heard? Would it just be schools that didn't have anyone accepted? It's just to bizarre to me that they take so long to send out notifications. 9/20 9amEST i suppose it's dumb to hope any acceptances will come today...
 * 9/19 22:25 EST Yes, my school's still waiting. Couldn't tell you whether or not it's because we didn't have anyone accepted.

9/20 9:20 EST Waiting blows. Perhaps I should just accept game over.

9/20 1015 EST Has anyone gotten a notification today? Are they still going out? Or should we give up.

9/20 noon EST. Keep the faith folks! It seems they do it university by university. It's a clusterfuck of a system, but don't make it personal. I'm still waiting too and trying to keep my mind off it. People who have heard and disclosed on here and GradCafe have been of all stripes- accepted, rejected, and alternate- so I think it's an institutional thing and not a selection one.

9/22 10:30 EST. So I'm hoping I get some kind of news tomorrow, but isn't it a little late in the game?

9/23 9:00 EST Anyone from Harvard heard anything?

9/23 Please post if you hear any news today. I think everyone who received the grant has been notified.

9/24 so, i think that clearly awards, rejections, and alternates have been awarded. it's not just awards. the problem really is, what about those of us at schools whose program officers haven't been contacted?!

9/24 (i.e. 6 days before the close of the budget allocation), 10:00 EST. I have decided to reject the award if I am given it out of principle. Who's with me????? (x2)

9/24 I think either they forgot about my school or no one here got it.

9/26 Is anyone else here an alternate? I wonder if they have upgraded any alternates?

10/1 - I am an alternate and have not heard. Have others? >> This is the alternate who wrote on 9/26. If you do hear anything, please post! I feel like we may never hear with the federal government now being shut down, if this goes on for more than a few days.


 * 10/4 - I'm an alternate and still haven't heard anything. I believe the end date is Oct. 7, so after that no awards will be made.


 * 10/4 - I've heard nothing at all, which seems to me that means it's a no go, although I would appreciate at least that rejection letter. With the shut-down there's no telling now. Anyone have any news?


 * 10/9--I am also an alternate. My campus rep said that they were going to start filtering through on 10/1, right when the govt shut down. Office has been closed since then, so who knows.


 * 10/18--The govt. is now open again, so if any alternates hear anything from DOE/their reps, or if anyone gets their scores back, could you please post? (This is the alternate who wrote on 9/26)


 * 10/23 Found out today I got bumped up from Alternate to Principal. My campus rep only heard confirmation today.

Gaius Charles Bolin Fellowships, Williams College

 * Deadline: November 15, 2013
 * Applied x8
 * Emailed letter of receipt for application--review begins immediately and concludes mid-jan (11/25)
 * Heard depts have submitted their nominees to selection committee, which is moving to the short-list by end of January, and decision after that. (12/31)
 * Rejection received via email (1/16) x5
 * My letter, at least, indicated that I had not made it to the semifinals. (Does that mean that the departments to which I applied did not forward my name as one of their picks?? I assume so.)

Getty Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowship

 * I know the deadline just passed, but has anyone heard anything yet? 11/13
 * I applied last year-we have a long way to go before we hear anything.
 * It will be at least six months before there is any hint of notification. And sometimes when they do make intitial notifications, they do not make it clear whether you are actually shortlisted or not. Be prepared for a serious wait/uncertainty period.
 * Are interviews via phone or in person?
 * I don't believe there are any interviews at all.
 * Applied x3

Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Dissertation Fellowship

 * Does anybody know if it's worth applying to this if I was previously rejected last year? The guidelines don't specifically forbid previous applicants, but I noticed they do ask if we've previously applied...

IHR Mellon Fellowship
Five Dissertation Fellowships in the humanities are offered to candidates, who wish to spend time in the UK carrying out archival research for their dissertations.

Ithaca College Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellowship

 * Applied x5
 * any call backs or requests for documents or word from references?
 * Writing sample requested at the end of December/online interview offered mid-January.
 * For what department was the writing request?>English/Creative Writing Dept.

Jack Kent Cooke Dissertation Fellowship
The Jack Kent Cooke Dissertation Fellowship Award supports advanced doctoral students who are completing dissertations that further the understanding of the educational pathways and experiences of high-achieving, low-income students. We seek to provide funding for doctoral candidates whose work informs and advances the following populations/aspects of our mission:
 * high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds, and/or
 * students who demonstrate the potential for achievement, and/or
 * the conditions that promote high achievement (e.g., school settings, interventions, policies).

Josephine de Karman Fellowship

 * I'm thinking about applying to this fellowship, but I'm a little unsure what can this fellowship money be spent on? Research supplies only? Or, can you use these funds to pay for conference travel, books, a personal laptop, etc.? I've called Judy (de Karman secretary) multiple times asking, but still no word. Any help from previous winners or those who know would be much appreciated!
 * I think this is a dissertation-year stipend, isn't it? I'm not sure which instructions you're reading, but my understanding is this is a stipend for living, tuition, fees, and so on (including presumably any research costs). I don't think it's very restrictive.

Lake Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
The Lake Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship supports emerging scholars studying subjects related to faith and giving in a variety of academic fields. Fellows: Applicants must:
 * Receive three stipend payments totaling $22,000;
 * Attend a meeting of the Lake Institute Advisory Board and meet with its Research Committee;
 * Are invited to special research-focused Lake Institute engagements;
 * Have the opportunity to take advantage of the Lake Institute’s resources and expertise;
 * And share their research through information on our website and citations in our seminars.
 * Be candidates for a Ph.D. degree at a graduate school in the United States;
 * Fulfill a pre-dissertation requirement by December 31 of the year applying, including approval of the dissertation proposal with the expectation that the dissertation will be completed no later than July of the year following the fellowship grant year;
 * Have not received a similar grant or fellowship for writing of the dissertation.
 * http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/lake-institute-doctoral-dissertation-fellowship
 * For more information contact Lake Institute at lfi@iupui.edu

Louisville Institute Dissertation Fellowship
The Dissertation Fellowship program is designed to support the final year Ph.D. or Th.D. dissertation writing for students engaged in research pertaining to North American Christianity, especially projects with the potential to strengthen the religious life of North American Christians and their institutions, including seminaries, while simultaneously advancing American religious and theological scholarship.

Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation Fellowship (Kenyon College)

 * Closes: Dec 15, 2013
 * Application URL: https://employment.kenyon.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=50932
 * Applied x3

Marquette Mitchem Dissertation Fellowship
The primary aim of theArnold L Mitchem Dissertation Fellowship Program is to help increase the presence of currently underrepresented racial and cultural groups in the U.S. professoriate by supporting doctoral candidates as they complete the final academic requirement, the dissertation.
 * Closing Date: 01/10/2014

NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship

 * applied x1

National Gallery of Art CASVA Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
Just got a call inviting me to an interview Feb 6-7 in DC (at 4:30pm EST January 21) <---this disappeared off the wiki but is visible when you try to edit. Is this for real?
 * Applied for 12-Month Chester Dale x7
 * 3yr Paul Mellon x1
 * Robert and Clarice Smith
 * 3 yr Finley x1
 * Does anyone know when they'll be making calls for interviews? I thought the application said mid-January, but I could be wrong. If it is next week, good luck to everyone!
 * Last year they contacted interviewees on January 14 via phone call, so hopefully it will be around the same time this year.
 * It's January 14th- anyone hear anything?
 * Not yet x12 -- sigh
 * I called and was informed that calls for interviews have not been made, and that they will be contacting people via email in the next couple of weeks.
 * Hmm, that seems a bit bizarre, since in-person interviews have been conducted in past years within the first two weeks of February, and only rejections are typically sent by email. Hate to sound completely pessimistic or to doubt your story, but is it possible that calls were made this week (and none of us got one), and by calling to ask you made it clear that you hadn't received a call (and thereby an interview)... and so rather than basically reject you over the phone, they just told you that you'd get an email in a few weeks? If you could clarify exactly what was said, that might dispel any false hope! Thanks in advance.
 * Yeah, I thought of that after I got off the phone! You're probably right. It was a quick talk. Not much more to report except that the woman on the phone didn't skip a beat when I asked her if calls had been made. "No, not yet, emails will go out in the next few weeks."
 * Thanks for clarifying! Sigh. Would be a bit horrifying if they just lied to you without hesitation... but not outside the realm of possibility. So we continue to wait :(
 * Any news? Anyone?

Yes, for real I got a call yesterday afternoon. I'm sorry that it disappeared, it's proabably because I edited it again to add the time and date which somehow messed things up.

1/22: Called for interview x 2
 * Would you mind sharing your field and which fellowship you applied for?

SSRC Eurasia Program Dissertation Development Awards - CANCELLED

 * This one isn't happening due to Congressional cuts to Title VIII funding.

Stanford Humanities Center Fellowships (Whiting, Geballe, Mellon, Liebermann)

 * This is in-house only.

United States Institute for Peace (USIP) Jennings Randolph Peace Scholarship Dissertation Program
Applied x1

Interested in this one but no idea when they'll notify applicants...would love to know if anyone hears from them.

University Fellows Program, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

 * Hi folks, does anyone know if this fellowship is being offered this year? Last year was five fellowships and deadline was February 24th, but I can't find anything for 2014-15. Also the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which hosted this, no longer seems to exist. Any info. anyone?

Wenner Gren diss fieldwork research grant

 * Applied for the 5/1 deadline, notified of advancement to second round 8/1

Woodrow Wilson Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship in Women's Studies
1/9/14: Received email telling me my application was not a finalist. x3
 * And here I thought that, since I didn't see it on the wiki for a long time, that somehow people would magically forget about this fellowship and I would be one of only a few to apply! :)

Yale University - International Security Studies - Predoctoral Fellowship

 * International Security Studies at Yale (ISS) awards up to two Smith Richardson Predoctoral Fellowships each spring.  These fellowships begin each September with a term of one academic year.
 * The Smith Richardson Predoctoral Fellowship is designed for advanced doctoral candidates from universities other than Yale.  Awardees are given an opportunity to interact with the ISS community and take advantage of Yale’s unique academic resources.  The fellowship targets students in the field of security studies, with an emphasis on international, diplomatic, or military history.
 * Fellows must be in residence in New Haven or its environs during their fellowship year.  Eligible candidates will have completed the archival research for their doctoral dissertation, and winners will be expected to use the award to make substantial progress in writing their dissertation.  Applications from non-U.S. citizens are welcome, but successful applicants bear final responsibility for all immigration-related issues.
 * The stipend is $24,000 per year, with an additional $3,000 in research expenses.  ISS provides each fellow with shared office space and single membership in the Yale Health Plan if the fellow’s home institution does not provide transportable health coverage.  Fellows will not be eligible for Yale financial aid or degrees, nor will they be allowed to take or teach classes.
 * Please submit a vita, a 3-5-page research proposal (describing your work and how the fellowship will be used), transcripts, a short (no more than 50 page) writing sample, and three letters of reference (one should be from the applicant’s dissertation advisor) to: Igor Biryukov, Senior Administrative Assistant, International Security Studies, Yale University, PO Box 208353, New Haven, CT 06520-8353.
 * The deadline for receipt of application materials is the first Friday of April.  Finalists may be asked to visit Yale for an on-campus interview, or to participate in a telephone interview.  Yale University is an AA/EOE.  Female, minority, and handicapped candidates, and veterans are encouraged to apply.
 * For more information e-mail [mailto:igor.biryukov@yale.edu Igor Biryukov].