Best Social Science & Humanities Grants

University of California Humanities Research Institute

UCHRI was founded by UC President David Gardner in 1987 as a centerpiece of the University of California’s system-wide investment in humanities research. Over the past three decades UCHRI has promoted innovation and leadership in the practice and sharing of collaborative humanistic research across all 10 UC campuses, nationally, and globally.

The University of California Humanities Research Institute facilitates experimental, interdisciplinary humanities scholarship through partnerships, research initiatives, and competitive grants.

Grants

As a grantmaking organization, UCHRI primarily funds UC faculty and graduate students who participate in innovative research and projects that engage a variety of disciplines and stakeholders.

Faculty Summer Research Funding

UCHRI is pleased to offer $5,000 summer research awards for UC faculty to conduct research during Summer. Priority will be given to early-career scholars and to projects related to UCHRI’s new theme, Sustenance. Awards should support work on a research project that requires travel, fieldwork, the consultation of archives, and related needs during the Summer quarter.

Faculty Summer Research Funding aims to stimulate new research and publication in the humanities by:

• providing funding to individuals pursuing innovative research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.
• supporting active research projects, but especially early-stage research requiring travel.

About University of California Humanities Research InstituteThe University of California Humanities Research Institute facilitates experimental, interdisciplinary humanities scholarship through partnerships, research initiatives, and competitive grants. As a grantmaking organization, UCHRI primarily funds UC faculty and graduate students who participate in innovative research and projects that engage a variety of disciplines and stakeholders.Multicampus Faculty Working GroupsThe Multicampus Faculty Working Group Grant supports UC faculty as they collaborate on innovative agendas in ways that contribute to the advancement of the specific working group topic and the humanities as a whole. Although we will consider all humanistic topics, UCHRI is particularly interested in working groups that approach humanistic problems broadly related to its new theme, Sustenance. The initiative addresses sustenance and sustainability as material and metaphor to better understand the forms and outputs of human community building and disintegration as well as of our planetary predicament. 

About GMCCF

Our Mission

The mission of the Greater Madison County Community Foundation is to promote a culture of giving and investing in Madison County for the benefit of our people.

Grant Information

The Greater Madison County Community Foundation administers one grant cycle each year and accepts grant applications for charitable projects and programs that address a wide range of community needs.

Guided by best practices from the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, the Foundation typically allocates approximately 50% of available grant funds to a small number of larger projects (generally two to four awards), with the remaining 50% supporting smaller requests.

CT Humanities: Mini Grants

Mini Grants are small grants of up to $2500 that support small-scale humanities activities such as discussion-based public programs, mini exhibitions, and portions of tours. Please note smaller organizations will be prioritized for this grant line.

Successful proposals must be:

• Open to the general public
• Free or low-cost to attend

Mini Grants fund several project types, including small exhibitions, walking tours, parts panel discussions, digital learning tools, and community reading projects. 

About

The University of California Humanities Research Institute facilitates experimental, interdisciplinary humanities scholarship through partnerships, research initiatives, and competitive grants.

Grants

As a grantmaking organization, UCHRI primarily funds UC faculty and graduate students who participate in innovative research and projects that engage a variety of disciplines and stakeholders.

Supplemental Multicampus Faculty Working Group Graduate Student Fund

The UCHRI Supplemental Multicampus Faculty Working Group Graduate Student Funding provides financial resources to create or augment support of research-driven, graduate student engagement in Multicampus Faculty Working Groups. Prospective PIs as well as successful applicants from last year who are applying for a renewal grant are eligible to apply for supplemental funding for a graduate student stipend that will allow the substantive inclusion of one or two graduate students in the project. Please note that for administrative reasons, the graduate student(s) must be from the PI’s campus.

Supplemental funding is intended to allow graduate students to participate significantly in large-scale research projects, to receive sustained mentorship from the professors involved in the project and build on their own research, and to help them gain research and project management skills. Full integration means that PIs and project members share the full scope of the project with graduate students, including how it was conceived, what its future will be, and how its budget operates. Graduate students should be both collaborators and mentees and their participation in the project should be carefully considered and diligently managed.

UCHRI has funded integrated graduate student participation in many research-based projects in the past. Graduate students have helped to set the research agenda, used data from research projects to write scholarly articles, engaged with community members around research issues, and shared pedagogical and methodological resources through studio-built websites and workshops.

Integrated graduate student collaboration can take many forms, but grantees are especially encouraged to consider:

• Co-authorship of published materials based on the project
• Management or leadership of a smaller subset of the larger project (serving a particular community or dealing with a particular issue)
• Creation and maintenance of a website/blog/podcast or other multi-modal, public-facing tool to bring attention to the project and share methods and findings
• Participation in planning large seminars, workshops, and conferences and moderating or presenting on panels
• Assisting in grant and budget preparation if the participants decide to extend the project and seek additional funding from other sources

About

The University of California Humanities Research Institute facilitates experimental, interdisciplinary humanities scholarship through partnerships, research initiatives, and competitive grants.

UC Underrepresented Faculty Mentorship Fellowship, 2026-27

The UC Underrepresented Faculty Mentorship Fellowship is an intercampus faculty mentoring program serving the ten campuses of the University of California. Our fellowship program pairs junior and mid-career applicants from the humanities and qualitative social sciences with their desired senior mentors from other UC campuses. The aim is to build spaces of support, to share best practices and challenges, and to respond to unspoken expectations in the academy. In addition to providing mentorship training, the program facilitates monthly one-on-one meetings, provides quarterly professionalization workshops based on the needs and preferences of the group, and brings mentors and mentees together for at least one in-person event at UCHRI. Mentors and mentees each receive $1,500 in research funds as well as travel costs for meetings at UCHRI on the UC Irvine campus.

Open to all faculty at the University of California, this program aims to enhance campus climate, retention, and faculty success by connecting scholars across the system who are attuned to the needs, interests, and experiences of underrepresented and underserved communities and their contributions to the university. Applicants will be selected based on their ability to demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Navigation of one or more barriers, on behalf of themselves or others, such as being a first-generation college student, growing up in an underserved geographic area or community, and overcoming linguistic, cultural, or ableist challenges
• Demonstrated research regarding or service in underserved and systems-impacted communities

About

The University of California Humanities Research Institute facilitates experimental, interdisciplinary humanities scholarship through partnerships, research initiatives, and competitive grants.

Medicine & Humanities: The Andrew Vincent White and Florence Wales White Graduate Student Scholarship, 2026–27

The Andrew Vincent White and Florence Wales White Scholarship will be awarded to two regularly-enrolled, full-time UC graduate students working in appropriate fields. The award is intended to help students complete the writing of their dissertations by providing a monthly stipend over up to nine months from September 1 to May 31 that supports living expenses, and research-related costs.

University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI)

The University of California Humanities Research Institute facilitates experimental, interdisciplinary humanities scholarship through partnerships, research initiatives, and competitive grants.

UCHRI was founded by UC President David Gardner in 1987 as a centerpiece of the University of California’s system-wide investment in humanities research. Over the past three decades UCHRI has promoted innovation and leadership in the practice and sharing of collaborative humanistic research across all 10 UC campuses, nationally, and globally.

Graduate Student Dissertation Support

The Graduate Student Dissertation Support grant offers funds to support dissertation work for UC PhD candidates in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Support may include travel expenses for dissertation research, supplies such as books or copies directly related to the dissertation topic, and fees for summer institutes likely to advance the dissertation (such as language or theory programs). Funds may not be requested for rent or other regular living expenses. Please note that grant funds may only be used for projects taking place between July 1, 2026 and December 31, 2027. Plan your research travel accordingly.

University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI)

The University of California Humanities Research Institute facilitates experimental, interdisciplinary humanities scholarship through partnerships, research initiatives, and competitive grants.

UCHRI was founded by UC President David Gardner in 1987 as a centerpiece of the University of California’s system-wide investment in humanities research. Over the past three decades UCHRI has promoted innovation and leadership in the practice and sharing of collaborative humanistic research across all 10 UC campuses, nationally, and globally.

UCHRI Manuscript Workshop and Research Development Program

The UCHRI Manuscript Workshop and Research Development Program supports the publication goals of early- and mid-career faculty members in the humanities and qualitative social sciences while helping them build strong networks of support in their fields and across the University of California. Each participant convenes an online workshop with five experts in their field, including at least three UC faculty, who read and comment on their book manuscript. Based upon successful national models, this workshop provides faculty with quality feedback from experts in the field on a full draft of a pre-promotion book manuscript in preparation for submission to a publisher for a contract or for publication. To accommodate participants’ availability, the workshop can be divided into one or more separate online sessions, but respondents should not be expected to attend more than one session. We encourage applicants to submit full manuscripts for respondents’ review.

The program also provides quarterly research development sessions and culminates in a writing retreat with a press editor. In addition to supporting the publication goals of individual faculty, these workshops build new communities of concern around particular research topics, including areas that may not be fully supported by traditional departmental structures.

This opportunity is open to all UC faculty at the assistant and associate levels in the humanities and qualitative social sciences. Faculty who have contributed substantively to building a culture of inclusive excellence on their campus, have encountered unexpected obstacles in completing their research, and/or are working in emergent or underserved research areas are especially encouraged to apply.

This program is funded by and supports the goals of the Advancing Faculty Diversity Program run by the Office of the Vice Provost of Academic Personnel and Programs at the UC Office of the President.

John Randolph Haynes And Dora Haynes Foundation

THE HAYNES FOUNDATION has been a force for change in the Los Angeles Region (comprised of the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange) for over nine decades. The Foundation’s founders, Dr. John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes were passionate advocates of involved citizenship who believed that through social science research, the Foundation not only could identify critical social and political problems in Los Angeles but also offer solutions to them. The Foundation awards major research grants on governance and democracy in the Los Angeles region, archival grants, doctoral dissertation fellowships, and faculty fellowships.

Major Research Grants

Governance and Democracy in the Los Angeles Region

Our initiative on Governance and Democracy funds high-quality planning and research grants that:

• Add significantly to knowledge and understanding of governance and democracy issues in the Los Angeles region (Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties).
• Help influence policies and practices.
• Offer promise of helping to improve the lives of people and our communities.

We expect researchers to seek opportunities to collaborate with community-based organizations and/or policymakers. We are open to all fields of study and disciplines that address governance and democracy in the Los Angeles region.

Special Foundation Focus: County Governance Reform

The Foundation particularly invites proposals focused on Los Angeles County governance reform, as well as county governance reform across the broader LA region. Applicants can view the full RFP, including suggested topics, here.

Grant Type

There are two grant types for the initiative on Governance and Democracy: Planning Grants and Research-to-Action Grants

Research-to-Action Grants

Research-to-action grants can be made for up to two years, with a third-year renewable that may be considered. The grant maximum is $250,000 per year. Depending on the nature of the research-to-action project, consideration may be given to a larger award.

Emory University’s Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry

Emory University’s Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry (FCHI) supports ambitious research on culture, history, and society. We house a community of scholars working on individual and collaborative projects, and we design programming for the university and the broader community.

At the core of our activities is a set of residential research fellowships. Each year, we select faculty and advanced graduate students from Emory University, and postdoctoral fellows from around the world, to devote uninterrupted time to research and writing on large-scale projects. They meet weekly to share their work in progress—sometimes with invited guests from other universities—and to discuss important themes and issues in the humanities. We also provide mentorship and community for acohort of talented undergraduate students writing honors theses on humanistic topics.

NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Poetics

Description

The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry is pleased to open applications for our NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Poetics. This longstanding fellowship reflects the importance of Emory’s Raymond Danowski Poetry Library, part of the Stuart A. Rose Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Book Library, as a center for research in poetry. We are especially eager to support research projects which make use of Emory University's archival holdings in poetry.

We invite applications from scholars who are eager to be part of a community engaged in interdisciplinary conversations around our theme of Humanities Plural. (See below.) Research projects do not need to address the theme directly, but applicants should briefly address how the project relates to significant methodological, theoretical, or conceptual issues in the humanities. (For example, a project in an established scholarly tradition could make a case for the importance of carrying that tradition forward within the current humanities landscape; a project in an emerging area of scholarship could share some thoughts about interdisciplinarity or new methods.)

The Fox Center will appoint one NEH Postdoctoral Fellow in Poetics for the academic year. The appointment will be for one year with the possibility of renewal for one additional year. The fellowship includes a stipend of $62,000, a research budget of $2,000, and a one-time additional payment of $2,000 to defray the costs associated with moving to Atlanta. Fellows are eligible for a wide range of competitive benefits, including dental and vision care, and are required to be in residence for the term of the fellowship.

All postdoctoral fellows participate in a weekly interdisciplinary seminar, presenting their research at one of these meetings, and teach one undergraduate class in their area of expertise in the College of Arts and Sciences. If invited to continue for a second year, fellows will have additional teaching responsibilities and will receive teaching mentorship from Emory faculty in a relevant discipline.

Humanities Plural

At a moment when fields such as "history of the humanities" and "humanities theory" are coming into view, and as hybrid formations such as digital humanities, health humanities, and public humanities are taking humanities scholarship into new academic and extra-academic spaces, we seek to expand our horizons for thinking about the humanities as they have existed or are unfolding in our current moment. The questions we hope to address in our shared discussions and programming include: What are the contexts, across time and space, where humanistic learning occurs and matters (e.g., formal or informal academic settings, places of worship, prisons, online spaces, museums)? Where is humanistic scholarship enlisted into serving other systems of knowledge and value (e.g., medical schools, think tanks, revolutionary movements, corporate boardrooms), and what sorts of work is it asked to do there? Which communities have forged programs or practices of humanistic learning without having access to formal or elite institutional structures? What are the distinct methods, epistemologies, aesthetics, and/or values that take shape in these sites? What gave rise to "theory," where and why has it taken root, and what is its future? And how do or should "the humanities" function in hybrid formations, for example in digital humanities, environmental humanities, or health humanities?

If for any reason a Fellow’s circumstances change and the grantee is unable to use the Fellowship during the academic year for which it was granted, the Fellowship will be forfeited.

If the project involves human subjects, approval from the proper Emory Institutional Review Board Committee (IRB) is requiredbefore Fellowship funding can be released. For more information, please refer to this website: https://www.irb.emory.edu.

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2028: Humanities Plural

The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry is pleased to open applications for our Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships. We invite applications from scholars in any humanistic discipline who are eager to be part of a community engaged in interdisciplinary conversations around our theme of Humanities Plural.

At a moment when fields such as "history of the humanities" and "humanities theory" are coming into view, and as hybrid formations such as digital humanities, health humanities, and public humanities are taking humanities scholarship into new academic and extra-academic spaces, we seek scholars whose research expands our horizons for thinking about the humanities as they have existed or are unfolding in our current moment. Applications are open to scholars in any field, area, or historical period.

Projects need not explicitly foreground "the humanities" (or related formations such as "liberal arts") as an object of inquiry, but they should clearly address any core issue of humanities scholarship or learning, including its methods, its objects, its histories, its values and social valuation, its contradictions, its publics, or its institutional or social locations.

The Fox Center will appoint two Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows for one year (August 1, 2027-July 31, 2028), with the possibility of renewal for one additional year. Fellowships include a stipend of $62,000, a research budget of $2,000, and a one-time additional payment of $2,000 to defray the costs associated with moving to Atlanta, and competitive benefits including medical, dental, and vision care. Fellows are required to be in residence during the academic year for the term of the fellowship.

Litchfield Area Community Foundation

Litchfield Area Community Foundation began in 2002. Since its inception, the foundation has raised over $100,000 for our permanent endowment fund. An endowment fund is like a ‘savings account’—donations are invested and never spent. Only income generated from the original gift is used for community reinvestment. The endowment fund ensures a permanent, stable revenue stream for the benefit of our community.

LACF concentrates on the overall well-being of the community. We have partnered with parents to realize the construction of new park equipment. We have collaborated with community members to beautify Litchfield through the planting of trees. Through future grants, we anticipate working with concerned citizens to enhance our community.

Litchfield Area Community Foundation Grant

One of the principle purposes of the Litchfield Area Community Foundation is to promote and facilitate the distribution of charitable donations to our area. Since 2008, many lives were enriched thanks to $20,000 in grants being distributed in our area.

All projects should be focused on improving the Litchfield area. Primary focus of giving:

• Arts, culture, humanities
• Health and safety
• At-risk youth
• Youth development
• Community Club/Organizations

Grants for Research About Urban Communication Issues

Since our launch in 2005, the Urban Communication Foundation has provided awards and grants to dozens of distinguished scholars, researchers, and journalists to recognize and support provocative work that contributes in significant ways to the discourse around urban communication issues.

While most of our recipients hail from academia and journalism, we also encourage submissions from other practitioners whose work will lend new insights into the discipline, raise broader awareness of related socio-political, economic, and cultural concerns, or influence public policy.

Media Ecology Association / UCF Student Research Grant

The Media Ecology Association invites proposals for a research grant in the amount of $2500 sponsored by the Urban Communication Foundation.

Proposals will be evaluated via anonymous review, and in addition to the stipend, the author(s) will receive complimentary membership in the Media Ecology Association (including subscription to Explorations in Media Ecology) for the year of the award and registration at our annual convention. A program session at the annual convention will be devoted to the research study, and when completed, the study will be published in Explorations in Media Ecology (which would not preclude publication elsewhere).

Grants for Research About Urban Communication Issues

Since our launch in 2005, the Urban Communication Foundation has provided awards and grants to dozens of distinguished scholars, researchers, and journalists to recognize and support provocative work that contributes in significant ways to the discourse around urban communication issues.

While most of our recipients hail from academia and journalism, we also encourage submissions from other practitioners whose work will lend new insights into the discipline, raise broader awareness of related socio-political, economic, and cultural concerns, or influence public policy.

The Michael Brill Research Award in Urban Communication

Sponsored by the Urban Communication Foundation and the Environmental Design Research Association

The Michael Brill Award for Urban Communication, Design, and Human Behavior supports innovative research that seeks to enhance the quality of community life by examining human communicative behavior in the context of the technologies and the physical environments in which those interactions occur. This research should address and connect theoretical perspectives from the fields of communication, design and the social sciences. Research supported by the Brill Grant may focus on how physical community places influence the mode, nature, and content of human communicative behavior OR use a communication lens for examining community places and human activity.

The Junior and Senior Faculty Research Grants in Humanities and Arts Program at the University of Georgia supports tenured or tenure-track faculty in developing impactful research or creative projects. These grants serve as seed funding, fostering growth towards external awards and significant recognition through various forms of creative output. Proposals are welcomed annually, with eligibility limited to one submission per individual per year, ensuring focused and meaningful contributions to the humanities and arts.

The Nathan & Sarah Chesin and Bernard & Mollie Steuer Fellowships, established by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in 2019, support scholars in graduate, post-doctoral, or independent research in the JDC Archives. With a rich collection documenting modern Jewish history, the fellowship encourages innovative research in humanitarian assistance and related fields. Each year, one fellowship is awarded, culminating in a public presentation by the recipient, fostering a greater understanding of the Jewish experience.

The Global Micro-Residencies Grant, sponsored by the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts, supports tenure-line faculty from the College of Arts & Letters in pursuing scholarly micro-residencies abroad. With grants up to $7,000, faculty can engage in international collaboration and enhance their scholarship through prestigious host institutions outside the U.S. Additional funding is available for graduate research assistants. The program emphasizes collaborative scholarly exchange and requires prior arrangement with host institutions.

The Germantown Student Education Arts and Humanities Endowment, established by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, aims to enhance the educational experience in the arts and humanities for students in the Germantown Central School District. Grants ranging from $100 to $2,500 support projects initiated by teachers, parents, and community members, fostering creativity and academic excellence while ensuring that public funding remains intact.

The Graduate Student Conference Support Fund, provided by the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, aims to assist ABDs and recent PhDs in attending the Annual Meeting. This fund offers free or reduced registration for eligible students. Each year, the number of awards depends on contributions to the fund. Membership in ASECS is required for eligibility, and only one award can be granted to each recipient, ensuring broad access to this valuable support.

The Cuesta Foundation, established in 1962, focuses on funding organizations that create a lasting impact in the Tulsa, Oklahoma community. Their mission emphasizes support for Arts and Humanities, Education, Social Services, and Community Needs. Preference is given to organizations that demonstrate a commitment to helping those in need and fostering self-improvement. This grants program seeks to uplift communities through charitable contributions that align with its philanthropic vision.

The New Lebanon Arts and Humanities Fund, managed by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, aims to enrich the arts and humanities experiences for students and teachers in the New Lebanon School District. Grants ranging from $100 to $4,000 support diverse projects like extracurricular activities, visiting speakers, and professional development. The fund encourages community involvement while maintaining a strict non-discrimination policy. Applications are welcomed from all community members, fostering creativity and excellence in education.

The Northwestern University Publication Subvention Grants support eligible faculty and graduate students with production costs or translation expenses for published works. Applicants must have a formal publication contract for a book or journal article. Priority is given to tenure-track assistant professors, and only one grant is allowed per year. Non-allowable expenses include travel, advertising, and the purchase of copies. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are depleted.

The American Research Institute in Turkey and the Türk-Amerikan Ilmi Arastırmaları Derneği are pleased to announce the Ilse Böhlund Hanfmann, George Maxim Anossov Hanfmann, and the Machteld Johanna Mellink Fellowships for 2026. The purpose of these fellowships is to enable nationals of the Republic of Türkiye who are PhD students at Turkish universities working on their PhD theses, or recent PhD holders and currently in Türkiye working towards a career in Türkiye, to conduct research in affiliation with universities or research institutions abroad (in North America or elsewhere) for a period ranging from three to nine months.

The Harris Foundation Grant invites proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations in Oklahoma, focusing on religious, charitable, educational, benevolent, or scientific initiatives. Founded by Vernon V. Harris in 1938, the foundation aims to support public welfare and community service. Preference is given to organizations in Central Oklahoma and Enid. Applicants must submit an online application detailing their funding needs, with decisions communicated following the review of submissions.

The Lafayette Fellowship, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, offers funding for one year of master’s study in France to 30 exceptional American students. Open to both Francophone and non-Francophone candidates, the program partners with top French institutions across various fields. Participants engage in the French-American Leadership Program, enhancing transatlantic ties through lectures, mentorship, and cultural immersion, while addressing global challenges in health, technology, and social equity.

The Clinton Presidential Research Fellowship, offered by the Clinton Presidential Library and the Clinton Foundation, supports graduate students and early career academics in the humanities and social sciences. This fellowship enables research into President Clinton's administration and its legacy. Annual funding ranges from $1,250 to $5,000 USD, encouraging students and scholars to delve into American history and presidential legacies. Applications are invited from current graduate students or those who have earned a PhD within the last eight years.