Dissertation Resources: Research Grants, Completion Fellowships, and Dissertation Prizes

Any history dissertation requires support, particularly financial support. Unfortunately, external dissertation research awards, fellowships, and grants are not amplified as much as they could be. Every scholar—students and advisors—should know about opportunities regularly available to graduate students who are working on their dissertations.

The following three lists, crowdsourced on Twitter, can be used by PhD students seeking dissertation support, as well as recent PhDs. The first two lists focus on research and writing support as you complete the dissertation. The last list features the prizes available once you finish your dissertation and are ready to move on to the next phase of your project. Each list is organized by subfields, including time period, region, and theme. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at nathanellstrand@gmail.com.

Note: These lists are not exhaustive. If you know of additional awards, fellowships, and grants, please comment below. Additionally, it’s important to know that funding sources are not permanent and that some of these may be canceled or removed by the institution sponsoring them.

Dissertation Research Grants

These grants are for funding research during the PhD process. Some provide general funds, whereas others are location-specific. This section begins with “general” grants that historians in many subfields can apply for, and then lists grant categories alphabetically, including time period, region, and theme. The categories below general are: African History, Asian History, Economic History, Eighteenth-Century History, European History, History of Education, History of Science and Medicine, Latin American History, Military History, North American History, and Women’s History.

General

American Council of Learned Societies/Mellon Dissertation Innovation Fellowship

American Historical Association research grants

Council on Library and Information Resources Mellon Fellowships for Dissertation Research in Original Sources

Institute for Citizens and Scholars Fellowships

Mellon Mays Predoctoral Research Grants

African History

The American Institute for Maghrib Studies

American Research Center in Egypt Antiquities Endowment Fund

Asian History

American Institute of Indian Studies Fellowships

Association for Asian Studies Northeast Asia Council Japan Studies Grants

Association for Asian Studies Council Grants

American Institute of Iranian Studies (AAIS) Fellowships

Duke University Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Travel Grants

East-West Center Short- and Long-Term Programs

D. Kim Foundation for the History of Science and Technology in East Asia

Economic History

Duke University Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Travel Grants

Economic History Association Grants and Fellowships

Eighteenth-Century History

American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Travel Grants

European History

American Research Center in Sofia Fellowships

Leo Baeck Institute

Chateaubriand Fellowship

Duke University Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Travel Grants

Dumbarton Oaks Fellowships and Awards

Medieval Academy of America Dissertation Grants

North American Conference on British Studies Dissertation Fellowship

Newberry Library Research Fellowships

Renaissance Society of America Research Fellowships

Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study Birgit Baldwin Fellowship in Scandinavian Studies

Society for French Historical Studies Prizes & Awards

History of Education

National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program

History of Science and Medicine

American Meteorological Society Graduate Fellowships in the History of Science

Hagley Museum and Library Grants

D. Kim Foundation for the History of Science and Technology in East Asia Fellowships and Grants

Science History Institute Fellowship Program

Taylor-Wei Dissertation Fellowship Opportunity

F.C. Wood Institute for the History of Medicine at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Grants

Latin American History

The Conference on Latin American History James R. Scobie Award

Dumbarton Oaks Fellowships and Awards

University of California, San Diego Center for US-Mexican Studies Visiting Fellows Program

Military History

Society for Military History ABC Clio Grant

North American History

Academy of American Franciscan History Dissertation Fellowships

American Antiquarian Society Visiting Research Fellowships

American Philosophical Society Research Grants

Arizona Historical Society Research Fellowship

Dumbarton Oaks Fellowships and Awards

Gerald Ford Scholar Award Doctoral Research Grant

George H.W. Bush Presidential Library O’Donnell Travel Grant

Dirksen Congressional Center Research Fellowships

Duke University Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Travel Grants

Eisenhower Foundation’s Abilene Research Travel Grants Program

Friends of the Missouri State Archives William E. Foley Research Fellowship

Hagley Museum and Library Grants

Immigration and Ethnic History Society George E. Pozzetta Dissertation Award

International Center for Jefferson Studies Fellowship

Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation Research Grants

Newberry Library Research Fellowships

North American Society for Sport History Dissertation Research Award

Organization of American Historians Huggins-Quarles Award

Brigham Young University Charles Redd Center Fellowships and Grants

Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Dissertation Research Grants

Truman Library Institute Research Grants

United States National Archives and Records Administration Grants

University of California, San Diego Center for US-Mexican Studies Visiting Fellows Program

Western History Association-Huntington Library Martin Ridge Fellowship

Western History Association Sara Jackson Graduate Student Award

Western History Association Walter Rundell Graduate Student Award

Women’s History

Coordinating Council for Women in History/Berks Graduate Student Fellowship

Duke University Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Travel Grants

Western Association of Women’s Historians Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship

Dissertation Completion Fellowships

These grants are for completing dissertation writing during the PhD process. Some provide general funds, whereas others are location-specific. This section begins with “general” grants that historians in many subfields can apply for, and then lists grant categories alphabetically, including region and theme. The categories below general are: Asian History, European History, History of Education, History of Religion, History of Science and Medicine, North American History, Women’s History, and World History/Global History/Transnational History.

General

Dartmouth College School of Graduate and Advanced Studies Provost’s Fellowship Program

Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies Academy Scholars Program

IEG Fellowships for Doctoral Students

Institute for Citizens and Scholars Charlotte W. Newcombe Fellowship

School for Advanced Research Weatherhead Fellowship

Asian History

Hagley Museum and Library Henry Belin du Pont Dissertation Fellowships

European History

Council for European Studies (CES) Mellon-CES Dissertation Completion Fellowships in European Studies

Hagley Museum and Library Henry Belin du Pont Dissertation Fellowships

History of Education

National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship

History of Religion

Institute for Citizens and Scholars Charlotte W. Newcombe Fellowship

Louisville Institute Dissertation Fellowship

History of Science and Medicine

Hagley Museum and Library Henry Belin du Pont Dissertation Fellowships

Science History Institute Beckman Center Dissertation Fellowships

North American History

Hagley Museum and Library Henry Belin du Pont Dissertation Fellowships

Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Research Fellowship

Women’s History

American Association of University Women, American Dissertation Fellowship

IUPUI Lily Family School of Philanthropy Debra Mesch Doctoral Fellowship for Research on Women’s Philanthropy

World History/Global History/Transnational History

Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Research Fellowship

Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Marilyn Blatt Young Dissertation Completion Fellowship

University of Texas at Austin Clements Center for National Security Predoctoral Fellowship

Dissertation Prizes

These prizes are for outstanding dissertation research and are awarded after the PhD is complete. The categories below are: European History, History of Business, History of Communication, History of Education, History of Religion, History of Sexuality, Intellectual History, Latin American History, Legal History, North American History, Sport History, Women’s History, and World History/Global History/Transnational History.

European History

American Conference for Irish Studies Adele Dalsimer Prize for Distinguished Dissertation in Irish Studies

Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Robert C. Tucker/Stephen F. Cohen Dissertation Prize

European History Section of the Southern Historical Association Parker-Schmidt Award

Friends of the German Historical Institute Fritz Stern Dissertation Prize

University of Minnesota Center for Austrian Studies 2022 Dissertation Prize

History of Business

The Business History Conference Herman E. Krooss Prize

History of Communication

American Journalism Historians Association Margaret A. Blanchard Doctoral Dissertation Prize

History of Education

History of Education Society Eggersten Award