Applications open for American Fellowships Program (US)

Candidates are evaluated based on scholarly excellence; quality and originality of project design; and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research.

Categories

• Dissertation Fellowship
  • The purpose of the American Dissertation Fellowship is to offset a scholar’s living expenses while they complete their dissertation. Fellows must use the award for the final year of writing the dissertation.
  • Applicants must have completed all course work, passed all preliminary examinations, and received approval for their research proposals or plans by the preceding November. Students holding fellowships for writing a dissertation in the year prior to the AAUW fellowships year are not eligible.
  • Open to applicants in all fields of study. Scholars engaged in science, technology, engineering, and math fields or those researching gender issues are especially encouraged to apply.
• Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship
  • The primary purpose of the American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship is to increase the number of women in tenure-track faculty positions and to promote equity for women in higher education.
  • This fellowship’s purpose is to assist the candidate in obtaining tenure and further promotions by enabling them to spend a year pursuing independent research. Tenured professors are not eligible. Open to applicants in all fields of study. Scholars engaged in science, technology, engineering, and math fields or those researching gender issues are especially encouraged to apply.
• Short-Term Research Publication Grant
  • The Short-Term Research Publication Grants provide support to scholars to prepare research manuscripts for publication. AAUW’s funding priority is for applicants whose work supports the vision of AAUW: to break through educational and economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance.
  • Time must be available for eight consecutive weeks of final writing and editing in response to issues raised in critical reviews. These fellowships can be for both tenure-track and part-time faculty, and to new and established researchers. The purpose is to assist the candidate in obtaining tenure and other promotions. Tenured professors are not eligible.
  • Open to applicants in all fields of study. Scholars engaged in science, technology, engineering, and math fields or those researching gender issues are especially encouraged to apply.

Award Amount

• Dissertation Fellowship: $25,000
• Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship: $50,000
• Short-Term Research Publication Grant: $8,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants of all American Fellowships must meet the following criteria:
  • Members of the AAUW Board of Directors, committees, panels, task forces and staff, including current interns, are not eligible to apply for AAUW’s fellowships and grants. A person holding a current award is eligible for election or appointment to boards, committees, panels and task forces.
  • American Fellowship candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
  • Fellowships are open to women, including people who identify as women, in all fields of study at an accredited institution of higher education. AAUW will make final decisions about what constitutes eligible institutions.
  • Applicants may not apply for another AAUW national fellowship or grant in the same year.
  • AAUW will accept applications from applicants who are temporarily studying remotely due to COVID-19 precautions at their institution.
  • American Fellowships are not open to previous recipients of any AAUW national fellowship or grant (not including branch or local awards or Community Action Grants).
• Dissertation Fellowships
  • Applicants of Dissertation Fellowships must also meet the following criteria:
    • Dissertation Fellows are not required to study in the U.S.
    • Students already holding a fellowship or grant for the purpose of supporting their final year of writing or completing the dissertation the year before the fellowship year are not eligible to apply for the American Dissertation Fellowship.
    • The Dissertation Fellowship is intended for applicants who are completing their first doctoral degree.
    • Applicants may apply up to two times for a fellowship for the same dissertation project.
• Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship
  • American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship applicants must hold a PhD. EdD, DBA, MFA, JD, MD, DMD, DVM, DSW, or MPH at the time of application.
  • Tenured professors are not eligible.
• Short-Term Research Publication Grant
  • Applicants of Publication Grants must also meet the following criteria:
    • American Short-Term Research Publication Grant applicants must hold a PhD, EdD, DBA, MFA, JD, MD, DMD, DVM, DSW, or MPH at the time of application.
    • Tenured professors are not eligible.
    • American Short-Term Research Publication Grants are for tenure-track, part-time, and temporary faculty, as well as new and established researchers at universities.
    • American Short-Term Research Publication Grants are not for preliminary research.
    • The grantee must be listed as the sole author, senior author, first author, or an author of equivalent significance.

Ineligible

• American Fellowships funds are not available for:
  • Purchase of equipment.
  • Indirect costs.
  • Research assistants.
  • Previous expenditures, deficits, or repayment of loans.
  • Publication costs (except for American Short-Term Publication Grants).
  • Institutional (overhead) costs.
  • Tuition for dependent’s education.
  • Tuition for coursework that is in addition to credits required for maintaining full-time status while completing a dissertation.
  • Extended field research (applicable to American Dissertation Fellowships only).

For more information, visit AAUW.