NEH Long-Term Fellowships

• Applications due: January 27, 2025
• Recommendation letters due: February 10, 2025
• Applicants notified: May 1, 2025
• Award period: September 1, 2025 - May 31, 2026

Individuals seeking support for research leading to degrees are not eligible for the fellowship. Candidates for advanced degrees must have received the degree by the application deadline, January 27, 2025. U.S. Citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply, as are foreign nationals who have lived in the United States for at least three years immediately prior to the January 27, 2025 application deadline. Fellows are expected to be in continuous residence throughout the fellowship award period from September 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026.

Applicants should have a clear understanding of relevant NYPL resources before applying and are encouraged to explore the NYPL Research Catalog, Archives and Manuscripts Portal, and Research Guides for more information on collections and resources accessible at the Schwarzman Building. Questions regarding collections or additional holdings should be directed to staff in the relevant research division(s). Staff cannot provide feedback on individual applications or project proposals. 

This fellowship is intended to support projects that will utilize collections accessible at the Schwarzman Building. To learn about current fellowship opportunities at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture or Library for the Performing Arts, please visit nypl.org/fellowships.

To apply for an NEH Long-Term Fellowship, please visit the NYPL Fellowship Portal. To be considered complete, your application must include: 

• A profile and application form completed in the NYPL Fellowship Portal
• A project proposal of no more than five double-spaced pages, approx. 1250 words (see guidelines below)
• A writing sample of no more than five pages
• An up-to-date CV 
• Three professional letters of recommendation (accepted until February 10, 2025). 

Successful proposals will include an in-depth explanation of how in-person access to collections existing only at The New York Public Library’s Schwarzman Building is essential to the progress and completion of the research project.

• Abstract of the project’s major themes, questions, and theses
• Specific Library materials/collections to be consulted during the fellowship 
• Sketch of the project plan
• Description of the proposed methodological approach
• Significance of the proposal to the applicant’s field and the humanities in general
• Expected project outcomes, including dissemination plans at NYPL and beyond

Please submit a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to express ideas and make a clear argument. Evaluators will use the sample to assess the clarity of your writing as well as your knowledge of the subject area. The writing sample may not exceed the equivalent of five single-spaced pages, including footnotes or endnotes.

Applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee made up of external reviewers, accomplished specialists from across the fields of study represented within this fellowship. Applicants will be notified of the Committee’s decision, regardless of outcome, by May 1, 2025.

• Quality and feasibility of the project proposal, including a demonstrated need for access to the unique holdings of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
• Significance of the project to the applicant's field and to the humanities
• Impact this fellowship might have on the applicant’s project or career trajectory
• Likelihood that the project will be completed successfully
• Efficacy of the plan to disseminate project results to scholars and the public at large
• Applicant qualification, based on strong recommendations and either prior accomplishments or a promising proposal

Fellows will have sustained access to world-class collections and digital resources in quiet, shared study rooms within the Library’s Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities and are encouraged to connect with the Library’s expert librarians, subject specialists, and curators for consultation or guidance. The Library will provide an orientation to collections and services and opportunities to connect with NYPL’s broader scholarly community for engagement with peers and the public. 

As part of the Library’s educational mission, and to provide Fellows with public platforms for their scholarship and research, it is expected that each Fellow will participate in at least two activities to share their project, work, or expertise in a public forum. The Library will provide opportunities to fulfill this requirement and more information will be provided before the start of the term. 

 

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The NEH Long-Term Fellowships at the New York Public Library have been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.