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Funding Amount

Varies

Deadline

September 30, 2026

174 days left

Grant Type

foundation

Overview

Guggenheim Fellowship

Overview: The Guggenheim Fellowship offers support to exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge and creation in any art form, under the freest possible conditions. For over a century, Guggenheim Fellowships have helped artists, writers, scholars, and scientists at the highest levels of achievement pursue the work they were meant to do. Since the Foundation's founding, over 19,000 Fellows have been supported.

Award Details:

  • Roughly 190 Fellowships awarded each year

  • Fellowship term may last from 6 months to 1 year, although the proposed project does not need to be completed within that period

  • Award funds can generally be used for any purpose related to the pursuit of the Fellow's project – living expenses, materials, travel, equipment, etc.

  • The Foundation does not require academics to be on sabbatical leave or free from administrative or teaching duties during the Fellowship period

  • The Foundation does not commit to replacing full salaries or guaranteeing specific costs

    • Philosophy:

  • Past achievement, future promise: The Fellowship is not a lifetime achievement award. It is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their chosen field and exhibit great promise for their future endeavors

  • The freest possible conditions: Fellows are at liberty to follow their ideas and chosen paths of study without expectation or constraint. The foundational premise is grounded in free inquiry, original thought, and intellectual autonomy. The Foundation encourages exploration, pivots, and risk-taking

    • Fields Supported (50+ fields across):

  • Creative Arts: Choreography, Dance Studies, Drama & Performance Art, Film-Video, Fine Arts, Music Composition, Photography, Theatre Arts & Performance Studies

  • Humanities: African Studies, American Literature, Anthropology & Cultural Studies, Biography, Classics, Drama & Performance Art, English Literature, European & Latin American History, European & Latin American Literature, General Nonfiction, History of Science/Technology/Economics, Intellectual & Cultural History, Law, Linguistics, Literary Criticism, Medieval & Early Modern Studies, Near Eastern Studies, Philosophy, Photography, Poetry, Religion, Slavic Studies, Translation, U.S. History

  • Interdisciplinary Studies: Indigenous Studies, and others

  • Natural Sciences: Applied Mathematics, Astronomy–Astrophysics, Biology, Chemistry, Climate Studies, Computer Science, Data Science, Earth Science, Engineering, Geography & Environmental Studies, Mathematics, Medicine & Health, Neuroscience, Physics, Science Writing

  • Social Sciences: Anthropology & Cultural Studies, Constitutional Studies, Economics, Education, Geography & Environmental Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

    • Geographic Scope: United States and Canada only – All applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or Canada at the time of application

    Eligibility Criteria:

  • Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or Canada at the time of application

  • Mid-career professionals whose work is well-established

  • Must have achieved notable success in their careers

  • Not open to students (undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate)

  • Individuals only – not available to organizations, institutions, or groups

  • Individuals who have already received a Guggenheim Fellowship are not eligible to reapply

  • While many applicants are affiliated with an academic institution or university, independent scholars, writers, and artists are eligible to apply

    • Project Criteria – What IS Supported:

  • Applications from individuals proposing scholarly or creative projects in the creative arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary fields

  • Collaborative projects: The Foundation accepts applications for collaborative projects from two individuals working together on the same project (joint applications)

    • Project Criteria – What is NOT Supported:

  • Creation of residencies

  • Curriculum development

  • Educational programs of any kind

  • Development of websites or blogs

  • Anthology, oral history, e-book, or textbook projects

  • Writing of literature for children or young readers

  • Any other type of work (e.g., films, plays, etc.) intended for young audiences

  • Self-published works

  • Publications for which the author has paid

  • Publications by publishers who do not engage in a process of critical review of submitted work

  • Genre work (e.g., mysteries, romance, fantasy, etc.)

  • In the arts, the Foundation supports only the creators of works, not individuals who perform or interpret works created by others (e.g., provides Fellowships to composers but not conductors, singers, or instrumentalists; choreographers but not dancers; filmmakers and playwrights but not actors or theater directors)

    • Contact Information:

  • Email: competition@gf.org

  • Address: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 90 Park Avenue, 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10016

  • Website: gf.org

    • Background:

  • Founded by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

  • Over 100 years of supporting exceptional individuals

  • Over 19,000 Fellows supported since founding

  • Unique broad mandate supporting 50+ fields of study

  • Notable past Fellows include Linus Pauling (Chemistry, 1926, 1927, 1965; Nobel Prize winner), Aaron Copland (Music Composition, first class), Zora Neale Hurston (General Nonfiction, 1936, 1937), Robert Frank (Photography, 1955, 1956), Julie Dash (Film-Video, 1981), Alvin Ailey (Choreography, 1968), Jennifer Doudna (Biology, 2020; Nobel Prize winner), Claudia Goldin (Economics, 1987; Nobel Prize winner 2023), Janet Yellen (Economics, 1985), Ben Bernanke (Economics, 1999), and many others

    • How to Apply

    How to Apply

    Application Timeline:
    1. August & September - Applications Open & Preparation Phase
    - Create an account on the Guggenheim Fellowship application portal (only available when competition is open)
    - Craft your application including:
    - Project proposal
    - Career narrative
    - List of works
    - Reach out to potential references
    - Gather work samples that best reflect your achievements
    - Note: The staff at the Guggenheim Foundation cannot advise you on the content of your application or work samples

    2. October to November - Work Examples & References Phase
    - The Foundation contacts you with instructions on submitting your chosen work samples (critical for evaluation)
    - The Foundation contacts all of your references, asking them to upload reference letters directly to the portal

    3. January to April - Review Process
    - Expert advisers (readers or jurors, depending on the field) review completed applications in their domains
    - Advisers submit recommendations to the Committee of Selection
    - The Committee of Selection considers advisers' recommendations and finalizes a list of Nominees
    - Nominees are sent to the Board of Trustees for review and approval
    - Typically, new Fellows are announced in April

    Selection Process:

  • The Foundation has a network of several hundred advisers who either meet at the Foundation offices to review applicants' work or receive application materials to read offsite

  • During the review process, expert advisers carefully assess each application, ensuring that the evaluation is impartial, comprehensive, and of the highest possible standard

  • The identities of the advisers are kept confidential, guaranteeing a fair and meticulous review and ensuring that the focus stays squarely on the merit and originality of your work

  • The process is based on rigor, fairness, and confidentiality

  • The Foundation regrets that it is unable to provide feedback on applications or offer reasons for rejection

    • Required Materials:

  • Account registration on the application portal

  • Project proposal

  • Career narrative

  • List of works

  • Work samples (specified by the Foundation during October-November phase)

  • Reference letters (submitted by references directly to the portal)

    • Important Notes:

  • Account creation is required before applying

  • If you created an account in a previous year's competition, you may log in and apply again

  • If you are new, you must first create an account

    • Apply with Grantable Learn more

    Focus Areas & Funding Uses

    Fields of Work

    science-researchhumanitiesarts

    Categories

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