Virginia Humanities Fellowship Program
Our Public Humanities Fellowships help writers, independent scholars, community historians, and college and university faculty members share meaningful research, stories, and cultural expressions that are relevant to Virginia’s diverse communities and that connect audiences to wider regional, national, and global contexts. If you’re engaged in the public humanities, and you’re interested in sharing your work with a wider audience, we’d love to hear from you.
Since 1974, we’ve awarded more than 400 fellowships for projects that help Virginians better understand the state, Virginia’s role in the world, and each other.
Application deadline: March 31, 2025
Pictured: 2022–23 Public Humanities Fellow Abraham Gibson gives a talk in the Lemon Lounge at Virginia Humanities. Photo by Nina Wilder/Virginia Humanities
About Our Public Humanities Fellowships
All Public Humanities Fellows will receive a $15,000 stipend to support a four-month project.
Fellows will receive access to both the University of Virginia’s library system and the archives available at the Library of Virginia to complete their projects. They will become part of a community of fellows working on innovative humanities topics in the public interest and will have the opportunity to share their ideas with other fellows working in related fields. They may also have the opportunity to participate in programs such as our With Good Reason radio show and podcast, Virginia Festival of the Book’s Shelf Life, and the Library of Virginia’s UncommonWealth blog.
Preference will be given to projects that engage the public in meaningful and creative ways and explore issues around public humanities topics related to subjects such as history, literature, religion, community stories.
Timeline
- January 8, 2025: Application Opens
- March 31, 2025: Application deadline
- May 14, 2025: Decisions announced
- June 2025: Fellowships may begin as early as June 1, 2025
- June 2026: Fellowship projects should conclude no later than June 30, 2026
