Radcliffe Fellowship Program in Humanities, Social Sciences, and Creative Arts
The Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program offers scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, and artists a rare chance to pursue ambitious projects for a full academic year in a vibrant interdisciplinary setting amid the resources of Harvard University.
We welcome applications proposing innovative work that confronts pressing social, scientific, and policy issues and seeks to engage audiences beyond academia. Reflecting Radcliffe's unique history and institutional legacy, we welcome—but do not limit eligibility to—proposals that focus on women, gender, and society or draw on the Schlesinger Library’s rich collections.
We also invite proposals relevant to the Institute’s multiyear focus area, which for 2024–2029 is academic freedom and connecting across difference. Proposals should address intellectual virtues, free and open inquiry, diversity of thought, political polarization, peace and conflict, inequality, religious pluralism—including religion and public and family life—and other policy issues as they relate to institutions of higher education. Within this focus area, we also welcome proposals that constructively challenge disciplinary orthodoxies or advance new and potentially transformative perspectives or approaches.
Get Started
The application for 2027–2028 fellowship program is now available. Please visit our application portal to access the application.
Application Deadlines
The deadline for applications in the humanities, social sciences, creative arts, and nonfiction and journalism is September 10, 2026, at 5 PM ET.
The deadline for applications in science, engineering, and mathematics is October 1, 2026, at 5 PM ET.
How to Apply
To begin an application, you will need to register as a new user by creating a new account with your name, email address, and password. Once you have registered, you may log in to the Online Fellowship Application Portal and select an application area: Humanities and Social Sciences; Creative Arts; Nonfiction and Journalism; or Science, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Eligibility Criteria
We accept applications in a wide array of disciplines across the humanities, social sciences, and creative arts and applicants must meet discipline-specific eligibility criteria. This fellowship program is not intended to serve as a postdoctoral fellowship, and those currently enrolled in a degree program are ineligible to apply. We accept applications from individuals across career stages and do not require academics to have tenure to apply.
Former Harvard Radcliffe fellows (1999-present) are ineligible.
Application Materials
The fellowship application consists of an application form, curriculum vitae, 1,400-word project proposal (with bibliography when appropriate), a writing or work sample, and the contact information of three references who will be prompted over email to upload letters of recommendation in support of your application. All materials must be submitted via our online application portal.
