Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies Grant

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies offer $35,000 stipends for PhD candidates. The ten-month fellowship supports full-time dissertation work including fieldwork and writing. A supplementary $5,000 is available for childcare, health insurance, or professional training. Open to eligible candidates globally, the program emphasizes diversity and inclusion in its selection process, ensuring a broad range of backgrounds and research topics are represented.

Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies provide stipends to PhD candidates for full time preparation of dissertations. The ten-month fellowship period may be used for fieldwork, archival research, analysis of findings, or writing after research is complete. There are two types of support: research fellowships for fieldwork or archival investigations and writing fellowships for use after research is complete to write the dissertation.
Fellowship Details
Stipend:
$35,000 and an award supplement of up to $5,000 for childcare/elder care, health insurance, learned society conference attendance, or related professional training.
Tenure:
10 consecutive months, starting by September 30, 2026, devoting full time to the dissertation. No other employment is permitted during the fellowship period.
The total award should be used for expenses associated with the fellowship work, not for tuition or other university fees. Home universities are requested to waive fees for fellows while allowing access to university facilities during the fellowship year. If university policy or regulations prevent the university from following this procedure, the university should be willing to negotiate with ACLS an alternative, mutually acceptable formula that avoids the necessity for the fellow to use the fellowship stipend for university fees.
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies, administered by ACLS, is committed to inclusion, equity, and diversity as integral components of merit that enhance the scholarly enterprise. It is a priority of this program that cohorts of fellows and grantees be broadly inclusive of different backgrounds, cultures, and any aspects that make one unique. In Buddhist Studies we seek a range of university affiliations, as well as diversity in languages, topics, Buddhist traditions, and locations of research. The program welcomes applications from all eligible individuals, and selection is made without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, age, or any other aspect of identity.

Eligibility

Pursuit of the PhD degree at an accredited university anywhere in the world.Applicants must have ABD (All But Dissertation) status or equivalent by April 15, 2026. ABD status indicates completion of all doctorate coursework requirements and comprehensive exams for a PhD degree. Upon reaching ABD status, PhD students become PhD candidates and focus on research and writing of a dissertation and defending a doctoral thesis.(At the time of application) an institutional representative (e.g., department chair, director of graduate studies, dean) must confirm through the OFA system that the applicant has or is on schedule to have ABD status. This is an online form, not a reference letter.The application must be written in English by the applicant.There are no restrictions on the location of work proposed or the citizenship/residence of applicants.Work proposed must be in the humanities or social sciences.

Ineligibility

This fellowship cannot be held concurrently with any other fellowship or grant.