The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship supports early-stage doctoral students pursuing innovative approaches to dissertation research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.
Donor Name: American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Fellowship
Deadline: 10/29/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowships support graduate students who show promise of leading their fields in important new directions. The fellowships are designed to intervene at the formative stage of dissertation development, before research and writing are advanced. The program seeks to expand the range of research methodologies, formats, and areas of inquiry traditionally considered suitable for the dissertation, with a particular focus on supporting scholars who can build a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable academy. ACLS is committed to inclusive excellence, which they define as the pursuit of academic excellence that is enriched by a plurality of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. They believe that the humanities and social sciences thrive when they reflect the diversity of the experiences they seek to interpret. A deep understanding of human thought and action is essential to creating a just and peaceful world and to building a society that recognizes and respects all of its members. Each year, the awardees and program participants represent scholarly diversity in their backgrounds and identities, professional affiliations, career stages, scholarly fields, and research methodologies.
The program supports projects that push the traditional approaches and forms of dissertation research in new directions. The strongest applications will show evidence of thoughtful plans for engaging the sources, resources, scholars, and communities – on campus and/or off – necessary to advance their projects. Fellows might design a fellowship year that includes:
- directed interdisciplinary research and methodological training that pushes beyond the scope of their field’s norms with faculty within and/or outside their home institutions;
- exploration of new modes of scholarly communication and dissertation design;
- intensive digital methods training and research;
- equitable collaboration with community partners;
- a short-term practicum with a non-academic organization (such as a cultural, policy, or social justice organization) to develop experience with applied methods, site-based research involving community-engaged or collaborative approaches.
Funding Information
$42,000 base stipend for the fellowship year, plus up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, development, and travel costs. The award also provides a separate $2,000 stipend for external mentorship.
Grant Period
One year beginning between July 1 and September 1, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
- Be a PhD student in a humanities or social science department in the United States
- Be able to take up a full year (9-12 months) of sustained specialized research and training, released from normal coursework, assistantships, and all teaching responsibilities.
- Have completed at least two years and all required coursework in the PhD programs in which they are currently enrolled by the start of the fellowship term.
- Have not advanced to PhD candidacy/ABD status prior to January 1, 2025.
- Have not previously applied for this fellowship more than once.
For more information, visit ACLS.
