David Center for the American Revolution Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant

David Center for the American Revolution Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Philosophical Society
Amount: US $30,000
Last Updated: December 06, 2025

Summary

The David Center for the American Revolution offers a nine-month residential postdoctoral fellowship for graduate students focusing on the American Revolution and Founding Era (1750-1800). This fellowship, based at the American Philosophical Society Library & Museum, is designed for advanced Ph.D. candidates nearing dissertation completion. A stipend of $50,000 per year for two years is available. The fellowship emphasizes the importance of utilizing the extensive collections at the APS and encourages applicants from both U.S. and foreign backgrounds.

Overview

The David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society Library & Museum in Philadelphia invites applications for a nine-month, residential fellowship for graduate students working on topics related to the American Revolution and Founding Era (1750-1800). The fellowship is intended for advanced Ph.D. students working toward the completion of the dissertation. The caliber of the project, the need to use the collections of the David Center for the American Revolution at the APS's Library & Museum and other research institutions in the Philadelphia area, and evidence that the project will be completed in a timely manner, are the three most important criteria for selection. Applicants may be U.S. citizens or foreign nationals. The David Center for the American Revolution integrates the rich manuscript, microfilm, and print collections of the David Library with the Early American history collections of the APS to create a one-stop-shop for the study of the American Revolution. The David Library collections consist of approximately 8,000 volumes, 9,000 reels of microfilm, and the large Sol Feinstone manuscript collection. The Sol Feinstone Collection, a rich collection of letters and documents, was assembled by DLAR Founder Sol Feinstone (1888-1980) over a period of fifty years. It includes material on almost all notable Americans from before the Revolution to the 1850s, as well as prominent Europeans and documents related to military affairs. This adds to the APS Library's Early American History Collections, which are particularly strong for the period from 1750 to 1840. In addition to the Benjamin Franklin Papers and the Thomas Paine Collection, the APS has a wide assortment of documents from the revolutionary era. Among these are official government documents and correspondence, military records that range from the Continental Army to Pennsylvania county records, and personal correspondence from various historical actors. Stipend $50,000 per year for two years will be awarded to all successful applicants

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. This fellowship is open to those who are not U.S. citizens or residents, but it does not provide visa sponsorship.