The American Council of Learned Societies is pleased to announce the third competition of the Leading Edge Fellowship program, which demonstrates the potential of humanistic knowledge and methods to solve problems, build capacity, and advance justice and equity in society. Leading Edge Fellowships place recent humanities PhDs with nonprofit organizations committed to promoting social justice in their communities.

Fellows take the lead on 12-month projects with leading organizations tackling significant social issues: from unequal access to childcare, education, and elder services, to the disproportionate impacts of incarceration, petrochemical pollution and climate change. Fellows will research, collaborate, and advocate alongside colleagues at the Environmental Law Policy Center, Center for Popular Democracy, Hunger Free America, Freedom Project Network, and many more. (See below)

The application consists of a résumé, cover letter, professional references, and an application questionnaire. (No reference letters are required.) Fellows receive stipends of $60,000 per year, plus health insurance and professional development funding. Fellowships begin in September 2021, and will be held remotely for the duration of the fellowship term.

Applicants may be considered for up to two of the fellowship projects offered in this competition. To be eligible, applicants must have a PhD that was/will be conferred by their university between September 1, 2016, and October 1, 2021. Applicants’ PhDs may be in any field in the humanities or humanistic social sciences [acls.org]. Please visit https://www.acls.org/Competitions-and-Deadlines/Leading-Edge-Fellowships [acls.org] for complete project descriptions, eligibility criteria, and application information. Applicants should not contact any of the organizations directly.

Application deadline: May 6, 2021, 9pm EDT

Questions about the program may be addressed to leadingedge@acls.org.

ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship - 2021 Competition