The Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to twelve months of support to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled in PhD programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research on non-US topics. Seventy fellowships are awarded annually. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $23,000. The fellowship includes participation in an SSRC-funded interdisciplinary workshop upon the completion of IDRF-funded research.

Eligibility
The program is open to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences—regardless of citizenship—enrolled in PhD programs in the United States. Applicants to the 2022 IDRF competition must complete all PhD requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins or by December 2022, whichever comes first.

In addition to international dissertation research, the program invites proposals for dissertation research with US Indigenous peoples — Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, or Pacific Islanders — on Native topics that are conducted within the United States. Proposals on non-US topics that identify the United States as a case for comparative inquiry are welcome. Other proposals that focus predominantly or exclusively on the United States are not eligible. Applications for dissertation research can be grounded in a single site, informed by broader cross-regional and interdisciplinary perspectives, or can be multi-sited, comparative, or transregional.  

Please note that the IDRF program supports research only and may not be used for dissertation write-up or data analysis.