Deadline: December 1, 2026
Applications are open for the UCLA Library Special Collections (LSC) Research Fellowships 2027. UCLA Library Special Collections (LSC) Research Fellowships provide one-time funding disbursements to help defray travel and other research-related expenses for projects that would significantly benefit from on-site research.
The call for applications opens in the mid- to late fall quarter, and awardees are notified in early January. LSC prioritizes applications from those working toward a discrete project, publication or research using collections representing marginalized and stigmatized groups.
Fellowships are not limited to scholarly research: LSC encourages applications from artists, activists and individuals engaged in inquiry using primary source materials. Fellowships must be completed within the awarded calendar year, and fellows will be asked to create or participate in an outreach deliverable around their research and project.
Available Fellowships
- James and Sylvia Thayer Short-Term Research Fellowships: Thayer fellowships provide support for research in any collections administered by UCLA Library Special Collections, with preference to students enrolled in a graduate program at UCLA. Multiple annual fellowships will be awarded in the amount of $3,000 to facilitate research lasting one to three months. Awards are funded by an endowment established by longtime UCLA benefactors James and Sylvia Thayer.
- Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Research Fellowship in UCLA Library Special Collections: The Karmiole fellowship supports the use of UCLA Library Special Collections materials by visiting scholars and graduate students. One annual fellowship will be awarded in the amount of $5,000 to allow a scholar to pursue research lasting from one to three months.
- Barbara Rootenberg Short-term Research Fellowship in the History of Medicine and the Life Sciences: The Rootenberg fellowship promotes the use of materials in History & Special Collections for the Sciences in UCLA Library Special Collections. One annual fellowship is awarded in the amount of $1,000 to allow a scholar to pursue research lasting from two to six weeks. The award is named for Barbara Rootenberg, an alumna of the UCLA School of Library Science and an internationally renowned antiquarian bookseller.
Eligibility
- Eligibility is limited to United States citizens and permanent residents with the legal right to work in the U.S.
- Applicants may apply to multiple fellowships, but each application requires a separate application form.
- Fellowships may support research using all processed collections and materials administered by UCLA Library Special Collections, though some fellowships support subject-specific research.
Application
To apply for an LSC Research Fellowship, complete a fellowship application form and include the following required documents:
- An abbreviated CV (under two pages)
- A project proposal that is under two pages and includes the title and project format; a general description or abstract of the project; a detailed explanation of how materials stewarded by UCLA Library Special Collections are essential to the progress or completion of the project
- Contact information for one reference who can speak on the applicant’s work, proposed project or their research.
For more information, visit UCLA LSC Research Fellowships.
