Stanford Humanities Fellowships for External Faculty

External fellowships are intended primarily for individuals currently teaching in or affiliated with an academic institution, but independent scholars may apply. Faculty fellowships are awarded across the spectrum of academic ranks (assistant, associate, and full professor). The selection process intends to create a community of scholars from diverse institutions, roles, experiences and perspectives. Applications are open to any and all candidates that meet the below requirements. We welcome and encourage applicants of all identities and backgrounds. There are no citizenship requirements for these fellowships; non-U.S. nationals are welcome to apply. Awards are made from an applicant pool of approximately 350.

Applications for 2027-2028 are now open. Apply online. The deadline is 11:59 pm on October 1, 2026.

Eligibility

• We sponsor research in the traditional and emergent disciplines of the humanities and the interpretive social sciences. (Creative arts projects are not eligible.) The projects of our fellows have drawn on every imaginable approach, from conventional methods to those critical of the disciplines themselves. In partnership with the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis, we welcome applications in the digital humanities. Especially appropriate are projects that are likely to contribute to intellectual exchange among a group of scholars.
• All applicants must have a PhD and be at least three years beyond receipt of the degree at the start of the fellowship year. Junior fellowships are for scholars who will be at least three and no more than ten years beyond receipt of the PhD by the start of the fellowship year. Senior fellowships are for established scholars who are more than ten years beyond receipt of the PhD.
• External faculty fellowships are offered once only. Former external faculty fellows are not eligible to reapply.
• Fellowships are for one full academic year, and require the fellow to be in residence during Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters (mid-September to mid-June). We do not consider applications for different amounts of time.
• Since we are a residential center, where intellectual life depends on collegial interaction, we encourage fellows to reside within easy commuting distance of Stanford University. All fellows are expected to attend lunch regularly and to participate in weekly research presentations.
• During the year, faculty fellows are required to make an intellectual contribution to the Stanford community, usually by participating in a Research Workshop at the Humanities Center. Precise details regarding the intellectual contribution will be determined with the Center's Associate Director after fellowships are awarded.

Stipends

Fellows are awarded stipends of up to $70,000 and a housing and moving allowance of up to $30,000. Applicants who require additional support are expected to seek supplementary funding in the form of external grants or sabbatical or other contributions from home institutions.

The Center is unable to provide or finance medical insurance. Fellows are required to make individual arrangements for reasonable coverage during their fellowship year.

Application Content

• Contact and biographical information about the applicant
• A curriculum vitae of no more than 10 pages
• Statement of your project’s scholarly significance: Provide a concise explanation of the ways in which your project is a significant contribution to its area of study. Assume your audience to be academics who are not specialists in your field (250 word maximum).
• A brief description (not more than 1,000 words) of a research project. State clearly the objectives, significance, methodology, and originality of the project in a manner clear to nonspecialists (the selection committee is composed of a range of scholars from humanities fields and may not include specialists in your field). For sample project proposals, view: Project Proposal 1 (PDF); Project Proposal 2 (PDF).
• Two reference letters. Applicants are advised to have no more than one reference letter from an individual at their home institution. Reference letters should be written in English. If this is impossible, we reserve the right to request a translation. Reference letters must be received in the online system by the application deadline. Consideration of letters received after that date cannot be guaranteed.