Society Fellowships 2026-27 Grant

The Society for the Humanities at Cornell University offers the Society Fellowships for 2026-27, inviting applications from scholars and artists focusing on the theme of Scale. This one-year residential fellowship provides selected fellows with $62,000 to support their research. Participants engage in a collaborative environment, teaching a seminar and attending weekly discussions. The program emphasizes a commitment to community and inclusivity, welcoming diverse perspectives in the humanities to enrich the academic experience.

The Society for the Humanities at Cornell University invites applications for residential fellowships from scholars and artists whose projects reflect on this year's theme of Scale. Up to six fellows will be appointed. The fellowships are held for one year (August through July). Each Society Fellow will receive $62,000.
Fellows include scholars and practitioners from other universities and members of the Cornell faculty released from regular duties. Fellows at the Society for the Humanities are “residential,” and will collaborate with one another and the Taylor Family Director of the Society for the Humanities, Durba Ghosh, professor of history. Fellows spend their time in research and writing during the residential fellowship, and are required to participate in a weekly Fellows Seminar workshopping each other’s projects and discussing readings based on the yearly theme.
The nature of this fellowship year is social and communal—fellows forge connections outside the classroom and the lecture hall by sharing meals following the weekly seminar and attending post lecture receptions and other casual events throughout the year. Fellows live and work in Ithaca, NY, and are expected to be in their offices on campus frequently. All applicants for Society Fellowships should share in this commitment to creating a supportive and intellectually stimulating community.
Fellows teach one small seminar during their fellowship year appropriate for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. Though courses are designed to fit the focal theme, there are no additional restrictions on what or how the course should be taught. Fellows are encouraged to experiment with both the content and the method of their seminar particularly as it relates to their current research.

Eligibility

Applicants must have received the Ph.D. degree before January 1 of this year. Applicants must also have one or more years of teaching experience, which may include teaching as a graduate student. International scholars are welcome to apply, contingent upon visa eligibility.Fellows should be working on topics related to this year's theme of Scale. Their approach to the humanities should be broad enough to appeal to students and scholars in several humanistic disciplines.

Ineligibility

The Society for the Humanities will not consider applications from scholars who received the Ph.D. after January 1 of this year.