Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art

ACLS believes that humanistic scholarship benefits from inclusivity of voices, perspectives, narratives, and subjects that have historically been underrepresented in academe.They also believe that diversity enhances the scholarly enterprise, and they encourage applications from PhD candidates from all degree-granting institutions in the United States.

The program offers seven fellowships for a non-renewable, continuous nine-to-twelve month term to be held between July 2024 and May 2026. The fellowships may be carried out in residence at the fellow’s home institution or any other appropriate site for the research. The fellowships may not be used to defray tuition costs or be held concurrently with any other major fellowship or grant. The entire fellowship term must conclude before the fellow receives the PhD.

This program is made possible by the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation.

Funding Information

• Stipend: $38,000, plus up to $4,000 as a travel and research allowance
• Tenure: An academic year or equivalent, to be held for any continuous period of nine to twelve months between July 2024 and May 2026.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must:
  • be a doctoral student at a university in the United States in art history or a related field, such as Native American and Indigenous studies, ethnic studies, or African American studies. (Students preparing theses for the Master of Fine Arts degree are not eligible.)
  • have a dissertation focused on a topic in the history of the visual arts of the United States, including all facets of Native American art. Projects should be focused foremost on the art object and/or image and employ an art-historical or visual studies approach.
  • have completed all requirements for the PhD except the dissertation before beginning fellowship tenure.
  • have not previously applied for this fellowship more than once.
  • be a US citizen, permanent resident, Indigenous person residing in the United States through rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794, DACA recipient, asylee, refugee, or individual granted Temporary Protected Status in the United States.

Evaluation Criteria

• Peer reviewers are asked to be mindful of ACLS’s commitment to inclusive excellence, and of how equity and diversity are integral components of merit. They are especially interested in supporting scholars who hail from diverse institutions and communities that are underrepresented in the academy. In addition, reviewers in this program are asked to evaluate all eligible proposals on the following criteria:
  • The quality of the proposal with regard to its methodology, scope, theoretical framework, and grounding in the relevant scholarly literature.
  • The potential of the project to advance the study of American art, both generally and in the specific field(s) it engages.
  • The applicant’s record of scholarly engagement and potential for scholarly achievement, taking into account the relative advantages and constraints on resources for the proposed project and over the course of the applicant’s doctoral training.

For more information, visit American Council of Learned Societies.