Skip to main content
Art & Humanities
Faculty in the arts and humanities have access to external funding sources curated by OSP, spanning federal programs, private foundations, and international exchange opportunities. OSP's Humanities A-Z resource directory connects faculty with major sponsors including the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright Scholar Program, the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, and the Wallace Foundation, among many others.
NEH programs are a particularly significant source of support for humanities faculty, offering funding at multiple career stages, including Summer Stipends for early- and late-stage research projects and a range of grants supporting scholarship, publication, and public humanities work.
Faculty are encouraged to contact their OSP Sponsored Programs Administrator early in the process to allow adequate time for proposal development and institutional review.
Browse each faculty funding section, or use Command (⌘) + F on Mac devices or Ctrl + F on PC devices to search for specific keywords on each page.
Interested applicants should contact their OSP Administrator as early as possible.
Funding Opportunities
- (New) Stanford Creative Writing Program -- Wallace Stegner Fellowship
- Stanford University
- Description: A two-year Stanford fellowship supporting fiction and poetry writers through workshops, mentorship, and dedicated time to develop their writing. Includes a $75,000 annual stipend, tuition, and health insurance.
- Deadline: 11/02/2026
- Keywords: Creative Writing, Fiction, Poetry
- Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History
- Smithsonian Institution
- Description: Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History — A competitive 12-month, in-residence fellowship for senior scholars with distinguished publication records to conduct research and develop a book or major publication in aerospace history. Provides up to $100,000 plus up to $5,000 for research and travel expenses.
- Deadline: 01/16/2027
- Keywords: Aerospace history, senior scholars, book research, aviation history, Smithsonian fellowship
- Landmarks of American History and Culture and Summer Institutes for Higher Education
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Description: Landmarks of American History and Culture and Summer Institutes for Higher Education — Supports residential professional-development programs that help higher education faculty deepen their knowledge of humanities topics and strengthen teaching and scholarship.
- Deadline: 12/09/2026
- Keywords: Higher education, humanities, faculty development, teaching resources, professional development
- Landmarks of American History and Culture and Summer Institutes for K-12 Educators
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Description: Landmarks of American History and Culture / Summer Institutes for K-12 Educators — Supports residential professional-development programs that help K-12 educators deepen their knowledge of humanities topics and strengthen teaching.
- Deadline: 12/09/2026
- Keywords: K-12 education, humanities, professional development, teacher training, summer institutes
- Modern Endangered Archives Program
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Description: Funding to preserve, document, and digitize endangered archival and cultural heritage collections affected by environmental, political, technological, or social risks.
- Deadline: 11/16/2026
- Keywords: Archival preservation, digitization, cultural heritage, endangered archives, digital collections, documentation
- Open Call for Proposals: Communities Leading on AI
- Humanity AI
- Description: Supporting U.S.-based, community-led initiatives that shape how AI is governed, developed, and used across education, labor, and the humanities and arts.
- Deadline: 10/21/2026
- Keywords: AI governance, community-led AI, AI infrastructure, education, labor, arts and culture, open-source AI
- National Leadership Grants for Museums
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
- Description: Supports collaborative, high-impact projects that address critical needs in the museum field and develop research, tools, practices, or models that can be widely replicated.
- Deadline: 11/13/2026
- Keywords: Museum Research, Collections Stewardship, Community Engagement, Lifelong Learning, Museum Innovation
- Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Grants
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
- Description: Supports projects that strengthen the library and archives workforce through professional development, leadership development, recruitment, education, and research.
- Deadline: 11/13/2026
- Keywords: Library Workforce, Professional Development, Library Education, Information Leadership, Applied Research
- Museums for America Grants
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
- Description: Supports museums in strengthening their ability to serve the public through collections, exhibitions, education, and community programs.
- Deadline: 11/13/2026
- Keywords: Museums, Collections, Exhibitions, Education, Community Engagement
- National Leadership Grants for Libraries
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
- Description: Supports high-impact projects that develop or improve replicable practices, programs, models, and tools to strengthen library and archival services.
- Deadline: 11/13/2026
- Keywords: Libraries, Archives, Information Access, Community Engagement, Applied Research
- INSPIRE! GRANTS FOR SMALL MUSEUMS
- Institute of Museum and Library Services
- Description: Supports small museums in improving their ability to serve communities through collections, programs, technology, and organizational capacity.
- Deadline: 11/13/2026
- Keywords: Small Museums, Museum Collections, Community Engagement, Organizational Capacity, Cultural Institutions
- Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts -- Predoctoral Dissertation Fellowship Program
- National Gallery of Art
- Description: Supports doctoral research in the history, theory, and criticism of the visual arts, including dissertation research and travel. Fellowships provide $30,000 per year plus research travel support.
- Deadline: 11/15/2026
- Keywords: Art history, visual arts, doctoral research, humanities, dissertation.
- Classical Studies Fellowships
- Loeb Classical Library Foundation
- Description: Supports scholars in classical studies with funding for research, publication, travel, conferences, archaeological work, and related projects. Fellowships typically range from $1,000–$40,000.
- Deadline: 11/15/2026
- Keywords: Classical studies, archaeology, Greek literature, Latin literature, research.
- Andrew Carnegie Fellows
- Andrew Carnegie Foundation
- Description: Provides up to $200,000 for humanities and social science research examining political polarization, democracy, and ways to strengthen social cohesion. The 2027 program encourages research drawing lessons from polarization in other countries.
- Deadline: 11/13/2026
- Keywords: Political polarization, democracy, social cohesion, humanities, social sciences
- *Institutionally Limited
- ACLS Digital Justice Grants
- American Council of Learned Societies
- Description: Supports digital humanities and social science projects that promote digital equity, racial and social justice, and ethical digital scholarship, especially projects engaging historically marginalized communities.
- Deadline: 11/03/2026
- Keywords: Digital humanities, digital justice, social justice, racial justice, digital scholarship, humanities, social sciences, marginalized communities, digital equity, ethical technology, public engagement, Mellon Foundation.
- School of Historical Studies -- Mellon Fellowships for Assistant Professors
- Institute for Advanced Study
- Description: Provides one-year residential memberships at the Institute for Advanced Study’s School of Historical Studies for eligible assistant professors from U.S. and Canadian universities to engage exclusively in independent historical research and writing.
- Deadline: 10/15/2026
- Keywords: Early-career faculty support, Assistant professor fellowships, Humanities residential research, Historical scholarship advancement, U.S. and Canadian higher education
- Institute of Sacred Music – Fellowships
- Yale University
- Description: Provides long-term and short-term residential fellowships through the Yale Institute of Sacred Music (ISM) for international scholars, religious leaders, and artists at all career stages to pursue interdisciplinary projects, teach, and conduct research focusing on sacred music, liturgical and ritual studies, and religion and the arts utilizing Yale's vast libraries, archives, and collections.
- Deadline: 10/15/2026
- Keywords: Sacred music research, Liturgical and ritual studies, Religion and the arts, Interdisciplinary humanities, Yale residential fellowships
- School of Historical Studies -- Visiting Member Fellowships
- Institute for Advanced Study
- Description: Provides residential fellowships through the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton for scholars and researchers to pursue independent, self-directed historical inquiry—spanning Greek and Roman worlds, European history, the Islamic world, East Asian studies, art history, and the history of science—free from teaching and administrative obligations.
- Deadline: 10/15/2026
- Keywords: Historical scholarship fellowship, Western and Near Eastern civilizations, Global history and culture, Postdoctoral residential research, Humanities academic advancement
- Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG) -- Faculty Fellowships
- University of Notre Dame
- Description: Provides residential fellowships and grants through the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG) for U.S. and international faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and independent researchers pursuing major projects on specialized annual themes such as the intersection of love and ethics or faith-based ethical approaches to artificial intelligence.
- Deadline: 10/26/2026
- Keywords: Interdisciplinary faculty research, Love-based ethical frameworks, Faith-based AI approaches, Public-facing scholarship, Residential academic fellowships
- Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts - Senior Fellowships
- National Gallery of Art
- Description: Provides full-time residential fellowships through the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA) at the National Gallery of Art for senior scholars to pursue advanced research in the history, theory, and criticism of art, architecture, and urbanism.
- Deadline: 10/15/2026
- Keywords: Art history research, Visual arts theory and criticism, Cultural heritage, Academic fellowship, Humanities scholarship
- Howard Chapnick Grant (for the Advancement of Photojournalism)
- Smith Foundation, W. Eugene
- Description: Supports leadership, education, research, and management initiatives in fields ancillary to photojournalism and documentary photography (such as archiving, editing, and community-driven knowledge sharing) intended to promote social change and advance the profession.
- Deadline: 10/12/2026
- Keywords: Photojournalism leadership, Documentary photography education, Editorial research, Media management, Social change initiatives
- AIA Site Preservation Grant
- Archaeological Institute of America
- Description: Provides funding from the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) to support projects that directly preserve, protect, and manage threatened archaeological sites worldwide, while incorporating public outreach, community engagement, and educational components.
- Deadline: 11/01/2026
- Keywords: Archaeological conservation, Cultural heritage management, Site protection and monitoring, Public outreach and education, Threat mitigation
- Samuel H. Kress Grants for Research and Publication in Classical Art and Architecture
- Archaeological Institute of America
- Description: Provides funding from the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) supported by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation to professional members for research and publication preparation relating to classical art and architecture.
- Deadline: 12/15/2026
- Keywords: Pre-modern European art, Classical art and architecture, Scholarly research and publication, Art history, Material culture and archaeology
- MLA Pathways Step Grants
- Modern Language Association
- Description: Supports faculty members and small teams in humanities programs seeking to improve undergraduate recruitment, retention, and career readiness. The grants fund initiatives such as curriculum development, student mentoring, internships, research opportunities, and collaborations that strengthen pathways for students in language, literature, writing, culture, and related fields.
- Deadline: 10/30/2026
- Keywords: Humanities Education, Student Success, Curriculum Innovation, Undergraduate Research, Career Readiness
- Lemelson Center Fellowship Program
- Smithsonian Institution
- Description: Supports scholars, researchers, and professionals studying the history of invention and innovation in American society. The fellowship provides access to Smithsonian collections, research resources, and expert staff to support projects such as publications, exhibitions, educational initiatives, and other scholarly or public-facing works.
- Deadline: 10/15/2026
- Keywords: History of Technology, Invention, Innovation, Museum Research, Smithsonian Fellowship
- Eileen Southern Fellowship
- Society for American Music
- Description: Supports scholarly research on music of the African diaspora in the Americas, providing funding for archival, ethnographic, and field research projects. The fellowship helps scholars explore the history, culture, and impact of Black music traditions through research activities such as travel, collection work, and media resource development.
- Deadline: 10/15/2026
- Keywords: African Diaspora Music, Music History, Ethnomusicology, Cultural Research, Archival Research
- Program in Latin American Studies (PLAS) Fellowships
- Princeton University
- Description: Supports scholars conducting advanced research related to Latin America and the Caribbean through visiting, postdoctoral, and short-term fellowships. The program provides opportunities for independent research, collaboration with Princeton faculty, access to academic resources, and engagement with the broader scholarly community.
- Deadline: 10/16/2026
- Keywords: Latin American Studies, Humanities, Social Sciences, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Research Fellowship
- Fellowships (for Scholars of British and American History and Culture)
- Huntington Library
- Description: Supports scholars conducting humanities and arts research using The Huntington’s extensive library, rare book, manuscript, art, and special collections resources.
- Deadline: 11/15/2026
- Keywords: Humanities, History, Literature, Art History, Archival Research, Rare Books, Manuscripts, Special Collections, Cultural Heritage, History of Science, Fellowship
- Vital Worship Grants Program
- Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
- Description: We welcome grant proposals on a wide range of Christian worship practices. In particular, we invite proposals related to universal design, cultural engagement, preaching, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper.
- Deadline: 10/15/2026
- Keywords: Christian, Worship, Culture, Religion
- Public Humanities Projects
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Description:
- Deadline: 12/09/2026
- Keywords:
- Public Humanities Projects
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Description:
- Deadline: 12/09/2026
- Keywords:
- Artist Protection Fund
- Institute of International Education (IIE)
- Description:
- Deadline: Applications and submissions are accepted on a rolling basis at any time throughout the year.
- Keywords: