Deadline: January 15, 2026
Applications are open for the Folger Institute Artistic Research Fellowships 2026-2027. Folger Institute fellowships support individual scholarly and artistic research that enriches and expands the understanding of the early modern world. They value research that grapples with tough historical questions and that engages with what primary sources both say and do not say in order to produce histories encompassing diverse regions, questions, and methods. The Institute also aims to ensure equitable access to research funding by offering multiple fellowship modules and removing barriers to fellowship participation.
Each year the Folger Institute awards research fellowships to create a high-powered, multidisciplinary community of inquiry. This community of researchers may come from different fields, and their projects may find different kinds of expression. But our researchers share cognate interests in the history and literature, art and performance, philosophy, religion, and politics of the early modern world.
Benefits
Fellowship awards are $4,000 per virtual month and $5,000 per onsite month, and may be taken any time between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027.
Other resources and benefits include:
- Research using the Folger’s vast collections, including rare materials, visual art, theatre history, and secondary publications
- Online resources such as the Folger’s Digital Image Collection, which contains thousands of open-access and out of copyright files
- Consultation with Researcher Services, onsite or virtually
- Remote access to undigitized rare materials via the Virtual Reading Room
- Opportunities to network with Folger Theatre, Consort, Poetry, and public engagement professionals, as well as with Folger curators, librarians, and conservators
- Discounted ticket to Folger Theatre, Poetry, and Consort performances while in residence
- Participation in community-building programs with other Folger Fellows
- Exposure on the Folger website, social media, blogs, and newsletters
- J1 Visa sponsorship, if needed
Eligibility
- Open to all artists whose work would benefit from significant primary research related to the histories, concepts, art, and objects of the early modern world (ca. 1400-1800) and its legacies.
- Artistic applicants are not required to hold a formal degree, but should describe their training and level of industry-specific experience in their CV.
Application
To apply for a 2026–2027 Artistic Research Fellowship, submit the following:
- 250-word abstract of your project.
- 1,500-word description of the project you propose to work on while in residence at the Folger. Please emphasize your proposed topic’s impact, its relevance to the field, the originality and sophistication of your approach, and the feasibility of your research goals. Your proposal should also address at least a preliminary plan for dissemination upon the project’s completion. Please be sure to indicate how many months of research you are applying for (1, 2, or 3 months), why that is an appropriate length of time, and how you will utilize each month (virtually and/or on site).
- Two-page CV.
- One-page list of Folger sources you wish to consult during your fellowship, including collections materials, publications, digital assets, and/or other resources. Please consult the Folger’s Online Catalog and Finding Aids.
- One letter of recommendation. You will identify your recommender in the online application portal and will be given guidance on how to upload their letter. Anyone is eligible to act as a recommender: artists, scholars, teachers, colleagues. They recognize that, due to continuing contractions in the humanities, they are all under unique and significant pressures. Letters of recommendation are very helpful to interdisciplinary selection committees as they work to understand how a project fits within its field. Applications may be disadvantaged, but they are not rendered ineligible or formally penalized if they are missing a letter of recommendation.
- If you feel that portfolio materials or a link to an online portfolio will help the selection committee to better understand your application, upload them as one file through the application portal or provide a link to your online portfolio in your proposal. DO NOT upload portfolio materials that are unrelated to your proposed fellowship project. Providing portfolio materials is optional.
For more information, visit Folger Institute Artistic Research Fellowships.
