Below are a sampling of awards that are available to early career scholars (broadly defined), as well as our awards spotlight. Check out our Tips for Early Career Faculty page for additional advice as you identify and apply for award and fellowship opportunities.
ACLS invites research proposals from scholars in all disciplines of the humanities and related social sciences. ACLS Fellowships are intended to help scholars devote 6-12 continuous months to full-time research and writing. (Visit the FAQ: ACLS Fellowships page).
The ultimate goal of the project should be a major piece of scholarly work by the applicant, which can take the form of a monograph, articles, digital research project, critical edition, or other scholarly resources. The fellowships support projects at any stage of development. This program does not fund works of fiction (e.g., novels or films), textbooks, straightforward translation, or pedagogical projects. The fellowship stipend is set at $60,000 for a 12-month fellowship.
The fellowship is open to untenured scholars, working on or off the tenure track, who have earned a PhD in the humanities or humanistic social sciences on or after Sept. 29, 2015.
Application Deadline: Sept. 17, 2026
The National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program supports 25 early career scholars working in critical areas of education research. These $70,000 fellowships support non-residential postdoctoral proposals that make significant scholarly contributions to the field of education. The program also develops the careers of its recipients through professional development activities involving National Academy of Education members.
Application Deadline: Fall 2026
The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. These two-year, $75,000 fellowships are awarded yearly to early career researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions in the following fields: