David Center for the American Revolution Short-Term Resident Research Fellowships

The David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society's Library & Museum in Philadelphia invites applications for its short-term resident research fellowships. David Center Fellowships continue the 30-year tradition of the David Library awarding over 200 fellowships to scholars who have gone on to write hundreds of dissertations, academic articles, academic papers and books, and to teach at major institutions of higher learning worldwide, about the American Revolution and Founding Era. These funding opportunities provide one month of support for researchers in residence and are open to scholars in all fields who show a demonstrated need to use the collections for their project.

The David Center for the American Revolution integrates the rich manuscript, microfilm, and print collections of the David Library with the Early American history collections of the APS to create a one-stop-shop for the study of the American Revolution. The David Library collections consist of approximately 8,000 volumes, 9,000 reels of microfilm, and the large Sol Feinstone manuscript collection. The Sol Feinstone Collection, a rich collection of letters and documents, was assembled by DLAR Founder Sol Feinstone (1888-1980) over a period of fifty years. It includes material on almost all notable Americans from before the Revolution to the 1850s, as well as prominent Europeans and documents related to military affairs. This adds to the APS Library's Early American History Collections, which are particularly strong for the period from 1750 to 1840. In addition to the Benjamin Franklin Papers and the Thomas Paine Collection, the APS has a wide assortment of documents from the revolutionary era. Among these are official government documents and correspondence, military records that range from the Continental Army to Pennsylvania county records, and personal correspondence from various historical actors. Comprehensive, searchable guides and finding aids to these collections are available online at www.amphilsoc.org/library and http://amphilsoc.pastperfectonline.com/.

Successful applicants are awarded a stipend of $3,000. The stipend is paid after the awardee arrives at the APS's Library & Museum to begin their fellowship. The purpose of the stipend is to defray the costs of working in Philadelphia. Awards are taxable income, but the Society is not required to report payments. It is understood that recipients will discuss their reporting obligations with their tax advisors.

Fellowships may be taken starting any day no earlier than June 1, 2025 and must be completed by May 31, 2026. Fellows are required to be in residence for four consecutive weeks. Fellows do not have to decide on the dates of their fellowship right away.

If you have already applied for APS's Library & Museum Short-Term Resident Research Fellowships and are working on a topic related to the American Revolution and founding, you will be automatically considered for a David Center Fellowship.

The American Philosophical Society is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly excellence while supporting a working and intellectual environment that fosters an inclusive atmosphere for learning, prizes diverse origins and points of view, advances equal opportunities to learn and communicate, and encourages the widest possible access to its collections. The APS has titled these goals the APS IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equality, and Access) for its enduring institutional commitment to these values.

Deadline: March 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Notifications will be sent in May 2025.

Applicants may be:

• Holders of the Ph.D. or its equivalent.
• Ph.D. candidates who have passed their preliminary examinations and are working on their dissertation research.
• Degreed independent scholars (without current academic affiliation).
• U.S. citizens or foreign nationals. Candidates who live 75 or more miles from Philadelphia receive some preference.

Application Instructions 

 All Applicants must submit:

• A cover letter,
• Curriculum vitae,
• A research proposal (2 pages double-spaced), that outlines the status of your work and what you will research at the American Philosophical Society's Library & Museum. Special attention must be made to specific collections that will be of use during your fellowship.
• Two confidential letters of reference