FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY ARTISTIC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
About Artistic Research Fellowships
Folger Institute Artistic Research Fellowships are open to all artists whose work would benefit from significant primary research related to the histories, concepts, art, and objects of the early modern world (ca. 1400-1800), as well as its legacies and ongoing impacts. Artistic applicants are not required to hold a formal degree, but should describe their training and level of industry-specific experience in their CV.
Artistic applicants may apply for one, two, or three months of research support and have the option to take their fellowships fully onsite, fully virtual, or a combination of the two. Fellowship awards are $4,000 per virtual month and $5,000 per onsite month, and may be taken any time between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028. Applicants may propose the research schedule that best fits their project’s needs. Please note that while we do award three-month residencies, most awards are one or two months in length.
A final art deliverable is not required upon conclusion of the fellowship residency and the Folger is not able to serve as a dissemination site for current fellows except by invitation. However, we do require all fellows to complete an evaluation survey to help us continue to improve our program.
Please note that while fellowships taken onsite at the Folger provide access to and time with our collection, they do not include studio space. Artists who need studio space while in residence will be expected to arrange their own.
Virtual and Hybrid Fellowships
The option to take an artistic fellowship as fully or partially virtual was designed for individuals who cannot, for a variety of reasons, travel or commit to an extended residential research period, but whose projects will be significantly advanced by the funding of access to primary sources online, dedicated time to work, and the validations of a fellowship award. By alleviating financial, professional, and personal barriers to fellowship participation, full and hybrid virtual opportunities provide greater access to research fellowships while simultaneously allowing artists to take advantage of the increasing multitude of digital resources accessible to them at home.
We also recognize that, in addition to working with archival materials, time to think, experiment, work in a home studio, and create are all equally important aspects of artistic research. As such, our virtual fellowships allow researchers to “buy time,” or use their fellowship funds to offset personal and professional expenses such as caregiving and supplementary employment. In their applications, artists must make their own best cases for how they will utilize the onsite and/or virtual portions of their fellowship.
Resources and Benefits
- Research using the Folger’s vast collections, including rare materials, visual art, theatre history, and secondary publications
- Online resources such as the Folger’s Digital Image Collection, which contains thousands of open-access and out of copyright files
- Consultation with Researcher Services, onsite or virtually
- Remote access to undigitized rare materials via the Virtual Reading Room
- Discounted ticket to Folger Theatre, Poetry, and Consort performances while in residence
- Participation in community-building programs with other Folger Fellows
- Exposure on the Folger website, social media, blogs, and newsletters
- J1 Visa sponsorship, if needed
- Membership in the Artist Alumni Network, a group that provides continued community and support for former Artistic Research Fellows, as well as additional competitive funding opportunities
Applications open:
October 15
Applications due:
January 15 by 11:59 pm (ET)
Leah Thomas
Public Humanities Program Manager
lthomas@folger.edu
Virtual Information Sessions will be offered on October 9 and December 1, 2026, at 12pm ET. Please register to attend.
Application Instructions
The application portal for Artistic Research Fellowships is now open. All applications must be completed and submitted through our online portal.
Please be sure to carefully review the Fellowships FAQs page before applying. To evaluate applications each year, the Fellowships Program assembles an external committee of respected artists, aiming for disciplinary, methodological, and geographical diversity. Committee membership changes annually.
To apply for a 2026–2027 Artistic Research Fellowship, please submit the following:
1. 250-word abstract of your project.
2. 1,500-word description of the project you propose to work on while in residence at the Folger. Please utilize subheadings in your proposal to explain:
- your proposed topic’s impact and relevance to the field
- the originality and sophistication of your approach
- the feasibility of your research goals
- a preliminary plan for dissemination upon the project’s completion
- how many months of research you are applying for (1, 2, or 3 months), why that is an appropriate length of time, and how you will utilize each month (virtually and/or on site)
3. Two-page CV.
4. One-page list of Folger sources you wish to consult during your fellowship, including collections materials, publications, digital assets, and/or other resources. Please consult the Folger’s Online Catalog and Finding Aids.
5. One letter of recommendation. You will identify your recommender in the online application portal and will be given guidance on how to upload their letter. Anyone is eligible to act as a recommender: artists, scholars, teachers, colleagues. We recognize that, due to continuing contractions in the humanities, we are all under unique and significant pressures. Letters of recommendation are very helpful to interdisciplinary selection committees as they work to understand how a project fits within its field. Applications may be disadvantaged, but they are not rendered ineligible or formally penalized if they are missing a letter of recommendation.
6. Portfolio materials that will help the selection committee to better understand your application, such as work samples, drafts, performance recordings (up to 5 minute or time-stamped), music samples, and film stills. Please upload your materials as one file through the application portal or as a document that includes a link to your online portfolio. DO NOT upload portfolio materials that are unrelated to your proposed fellowship project.
It is helpful to start your online application early. You can revise your application at any point in the process right up to the deadline. You must hit the “submit” button for your application to be completed.
