Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship Grant

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Council of Learned Societies
Amount: Up to US $52,000
Last Updated: October 11, 2025

Summary

The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship offers a $42,000 stipend plus $8,000 for project-related expenses to support early-stage doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences. This fellowship encourages innovative dissertation research and aims to diversify academic methodologies and perspectives. Applicants must be PhD students in relevant fields, with certain eligibility criteria, including not having advanced to candidacy before January 2025. The fellowship promotes inclusive excellence, contributing to a diverse academic community.

Overview

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship Supporting early-stage doctoral students pursuing innovative approaches to dissertation research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. ACLS invites applications for Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowships, which provide a year of support for doctoral students preparing to embark on innovative dissertation research projects in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. This program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation. Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowships support graduate students who show promise of leading their fields in important new directions. The fellowships are designed to intervene at the formative stage of dissertation development, before research and writing are advanced. The program seeks to expand the range of research methodologies, formats, and areas of inquiry traditionally considered suitable for the dissertation, with a particular focus on supporting scholars who can build a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable academy. ACLS is committed to inclusive excellence, which we define as the pursuit of academic excellence that is enriched by a plurality of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that the humanities and social sciences thrive when they reflect the diversity of the experiences they seek to interpret. A deep understanding of human thought and action is essential to creating a just and peaceful world and to building a society that recognizes and respects all of its members. Each year, our awardees and program participants represent scholarly diversity in their backgrounds and identities, professional affiliations, career stages, scholarly fields, and research methodologies. Fellowship Details Award: $42,000 base stipend for the fellowship year, plus up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, development, and travel costs. The award also provides a separate $2,000 stipend for external mentorship.Tenure: one year beginning between July 1 and September 1, 2026.For information on how to request reviewer feedback, see FAQ.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Be a PhD student in a humanities or social science department in the United States.Be able to take up a full year (9-12 months) of sustained specialized research and training, released from normal coursework, assistantships, and all teaching responsibilities.Have completed at least two years and all required coursework in the PhD programs in which they are currently enrolled by the start of the fellowship term.Have not advanced to PhD candidacy/ABD status prior to January 1, 2025.Have not previously applied for this fellowship more than once.

Ineligibility

The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship program does not accept applications from students receiving professional or applied PhDs, terminal degrees that are not a PhD (such as an EdD or MFA), or PhDs outside of humanities and interpretive social science departments, including the following disciplines: business, clinical or counseling psychology, creative or performing arts, education, engineering, filmmaking, law, library and information sciences, life/physical sciences, public administration, public health or medicine, public policy, social work, or social welfare.