Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship Grant

Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Musicological Society Inc
Amount: US $25,000
Last Updated: December 26, 2025

Summary

The Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship, administered by the American Musicological Society, supports graduate students from historically underrepresented groups at U.S. or Canadian universities. Established to enhance diversity in musicology, it offers a $25,000 stipend for one year of full-time study. Applicants are expected to have completed at least one year of graduate work and demonstrate academic excellence. The fellowship encourages institutions to provide additional financial support, fostering a vibrant academic community.

Overview

Our Mission The American Musicological Society (AMS) exists to expand understanding of music and sound through research, teaching, learning, and advocacy. To realize its mission, the Society fosters new work through a range of grants, fellowships, publication subventions, and awards; encourages exchange through publications, meetings, performances, lectures, and other public programs; and supports the professional lives of its members and constituents through workshops, mentoring, discussion forums, and other resources. As a guiding principle, the AMS promotes equity, access, and inclusion. Graduate Fellowships The AMS administers three fellowship programs. The Alvin H. Johnson AMS 50 Fellowship and Holmes/D’Accone Dissertation Fellowship in Opera Studies support dissertation research, and the Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship funds graduate work by students who are members of historically underrepresented groups. Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship The Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship was established by friends of the late Howard Mayer Brown on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday. Intended to increase the presence of scholars and teachers of diverse backgrounds in musicology, the fellowship supports one year of graduate work for a student at a U.S. or Canadian university who is a member of a historically underrepresented group. The fellowship carries a twelve-month stipend, currently set at $25,000. The recipient may also elect to accept the award on a non-stipendiary basis (thus freeing scarce resources for another). The fellowship is intended for full-time study. There are no provisions for the payment of tuition: it is hoped that graduate schools will provide tuition fellowships or waivers. The AMS encourages the institution at which the recipient is pursuing his or her degree to offer continuing financial support. Fellows are selected in the spring and announced in the summer.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Students at a U.S. or Canadian university who are a member of a historically underrepresented group. Eligible students must have completed at least one year of full-time graduate work, intend to pursue a Ph.D., and are in good standing at their home institution. They should show evidence of academic excellence and promise of continuing achievement in music scholarship. Students in any stage of the degree are welcome to apply, but those in the earlier stages are particularly encouraged to apply. An equivalent major award from another source may not be held concurrently or consecutively unless the AMS award is accepted without a stipend. Fellowships are for one year and are not deferrable or renewable; Fellows are expected to focus on completing their dissertations and not to undertake more than twenty (20) hours each week of paid or unpaid employment during the fellowship term.

Ineligibility

The award will not be made to those who already have full funding roughly equivalent to the amount of the Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship, regardless of whether it includes a teaching assignment, except on a non-stipendiary basis