Leon Levy Center for Biography: Dissertation Fellowships Grant

Leon Levy Center for Biography: Dissertation Fellowships Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)
Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Summary

The Leon Levy Center for Biography at CUNY offers Dissertation Fellowships for two Ph.D. candidates focusing on biography. Open to all nationalities, applicants must have a dissertation project devoted to biography. Fellows receive writing space, attend monthly seminars, and participate in the annual lecture and conference. The program supports emerging and established biographers, particularly those who have not yet published a biography or received similar fellowships. This initiative fosters innovation and excellence in the craft of biography.

Overview

About Us Established with a generous gift from the Leon Levy Foundation in 2007 as a hub for writers, scholars, students, teachers, and readers of biography, the Leon Levy Center for Biography at the CUNY Graduate Center builds connections between independent and university-affiliated biographers across disciplines and cultivates important discussions about the art and craft of biography historically and in our time. To achieve its mandate of identifying, supporting, and fostering excellence and innovation in biography, the Leon Levy Center for Biography (LLCB) hosts frequent public events as well as the annual Leon Levy Biography Lecture in the fall; an annual conference or biography clinic in the spring; a resident fellowship competition to fund the research and writing of outstanding biographies; and academic courses at the Graduate Center in the art and craft of biography. Leon Levy Center for Biography: Dissertation Fellowships The Leon Levy Center for Biography offers Dissertation Fellowships for two Ph.D. candidates at the Graduate Center. Applications are welcome from students in any discipline, but an applicant’s dissertation project must be devoted to biography in order to be considered. Dissertation Fellows are provided with writing space, and participate in the monthly biography fellow seminars. They will also be expected to attend the Leon Levy Center for Biography’s annual lecture and the annual conference.

Eligibility

We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Writers of any and all nationalities are eligible.Biographies of subjects who lived in any era qualify.Who Can Apply?While our selection committees evaluate each application on its own merits, preference in the award of fellowships is given to those who have not yet published a biography or received fellowships for the writing of a biography. While the Leon Levy Center strives to support first-time biographers in the process of writing their first biographies, mid-career and senior biographers are also supported by the Center.Normally fellows are required, at minimum, to attend in-person monthly seminars at the Graduate Center, which is located on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. During the pandemic period, we have been conducting these seminars on Zoom, along with the many events showcasing new biographies that we put on.

Ineligibility

The Leon Levy Center for Biography does not award fellowships for memoirs, essays, plays, films, or fiction.