HBCU Scholars Fellowship Eligibility
- HBCU affiliation is required and defined as current faculty or alumni (does NOT need to be a Virginia-based institution).
- No residential requirement or Virginia address needed. This is a mostly remote opportunity with at least one in-person commitment at our office in Charlottesville.
- Fellowship deliverables should result in a scholarly contribution or meaningful public humanities work engaging a large audience (e.g., journal article, book proposal, chapter, or folio, higher-ed related pedagogical or curricular outcome, documentary, public project, etc.). Please take time to view the work of prior fellows and other Virginia Humanities sponsored projects to see the type of work we support.
- We do not fund advocacy or political action projects that promote a certain policy, exclusively K-12 focused work (please see our K-12 Educator fellowship), or non-humanities related projects.
- For further questions please contact Yosef Medina at ymedina@virginia.edu.
Pictured: Janira Teague, historian and member of our 2022–23 Virginia HBCU Scholars Fellowship cohort, gave a free talk titled “Beyond Black Radicalism: How America’s Great Migration to New York City Shaped Electoral Politics” on June 13, 2023 at the Library of Virginia. Photos courtesy Library of Virginia
Both Short-term (3-6 months) and Long-term (9-12 months) fellowship options will have the same general focus of contributing to the production of knowledge in the academy and public humanities spaces. However, short term opportunities will be reserved for applicants with limited windows of flexibility (e.g., Summer and Winter breaks) due to an inability to attain releases from courses/committee responsibilities or otherwise, projects that are smaller in scope, and/or in their nascent stages of development. Successful applicants will effectively communicate how either option (short or long-term) best serves them in reaching their desired goals.
- Short-term fellowship awards range from $5,000 to $15,000 based on the applicant’s proposed budget.
- Long-term fellowship awards range from $20,000 to $45,000 based on the applicant’s proposed budget.
- Budgets should include any expenses associated with the applicant’s pursuit of their project goals. This may include but is not limited to:
- Research associated expenses (library/special collections or database fees, research assistants, teaching support, supplies/equipment, editorial services, etc.).Course releases.Travel related costs (conferences, workshops, visiting centers/archives, etc.).
- Childcare and other personal expenses that directly contribute to the successful completion of project goals.
Fellowship Deliverables and Expectations
- Fellows are expected to dedicate a significant amount of their time towards their project throughout the duration of the fellowship term and are advised to reduce their workload or take leave, if possible.
- Attend at least one in-person convening, typically our annual Fall workshop with Princeton University Press or the Spring writing retreat and workshop with University of Virginia Press.
- Share your work publicly on our radio show and podcast, With Good Reason. Prior fellow interview.
- A final public presentation of your project at the conclusion of the fellowship. Prior fellow presentation.
- Post fellowship survey/brief final report documenting your experience and accomplishments and expectation to welcome the next cohort.
