The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) invites research applications from scholars in all disciplines of the humanities and related social sciences. Faculty appointments are not required. 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 publication(s), critical edition, or other scholarly resources. ACLS does not fund creative work (e.g., novels or films), textbooks, straightforward translation, or pedagogical projects.

ACLS Fellowships are intended as salary replacement to help scholars devote six to twelve continuous months to full-time research and writing. The awards are portable and are tenable at the fellow's home institution, abroad, or at another appropriate site for research. An ACLS Fellowship may be held concurrently with other fellowships and grants and any sabbatical pay, up to an amount equal to the candidate's current academic year salary. Tenure of the fellowship may begin no earlier than July 1, 2020 and no later than February 1, 2021.

The fellowship stipend is set at three levels based on academic rank (or rank equivalency based on scholarly attainment). ACLS will determine the level based on the candidate's rank or equivalent rank as of the application deadline.

In addition to these awards, the program offers ACLS Project Development Grants that support projects from faculty at teaching-intensive institutions. Applicants from these institutions who are not selected for fellowships but present particularly promising proposals may be awarded a grant of $5,000 to help advance their projects.

Eligibility
Applicants must:

• be a US citizen or permanent resident
• have a PhD that was conferred at least two years before the application deadline. (An established scholar who can demonstrate the equivalent of a PhD in publications and professional experience may also qualify.)
• have had a lapse of at least two years between the last "supported research leave" and September 1, 2020.

ACLS/New York Public Library Fellowships
ACLS may award residential fellowships per year in conjunction with The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. The Center provides opportunities for up to 15 fellows to explore the rich, diverse collections in the NYPL's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. The Center also serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas among fellows, invited guests, the wider academic and cultural communities, and the interested public. It provides individual office space and common areas in the Library building. Fellows are required to be in residence from the beginning of September 2020 through the end of May 2021 and to participate in Center activities. These may include lunches, panel discussions, public conversations, symposia, and interviews.

Because this is a joint fellowship, applicants for ACLS/NYPL residential fellowships must also apply to the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the NYPL.