Leon Levy Center for Biography Fellowship Grant

Leon Levy Center for Biography Fellowship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)
Amount: US $72,000
Last Updated: July 07, 2025

Summary

The Leon Levy Center for Biography Fellowship, established in 2007, supports writers from all backgrounds in crafting biographies. It offers four resident fellowships and a Sloan fellowship for biographies in science, with a stipend of $72,000. Fellows gain writing space at CUNY Graduate Center, access to research facilities, and opportunities to engage in seminars and public events. This fellowship encourages both emerging and established writers to contribute to the vibrant biography community.

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 Fellowship The Leon Levy Center for Biography offers four resident fellowships and one Sloan fellowship for a biography in science.  Awards include writing space at the CUNY Graduate Center, full access to research facilities, research assistance and a stipend of $72,000. The period of the residencies is September – May of each year. Fellows devote their time to their projects and participate in monthly seminars and the public events of the Leon Levy Center for Biography, including the annual lecture and the annual conference, and they are encouraged to join in the dynamic intellectual community of the Graduate Center.

Eligibility

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. We also welcome applications from published and accomplished writers who are undertaking their first biography. 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.