American Philosophical Society Fellowship

• Research visit at the University of Edinburgh for two to four months
• A bursary of up to $6,000 is offered to successful candidates to contribute towards travel expenses and a monthly subsistence payment
• Dedicated office space, University e-mail and library access
• Weekly Fellows’ Lunch to build community
• Collegial work-in-progress seminars series in IASH for testing new ideas
• Calendar of engaging events at the Institute and College
• Opportunities to participate in and design funded workshops, colloquia, etc. at the Institute
• Visa sponsorship if required

The American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States, was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge.” In the 21st century we sustain this mission in three principal ways. We honor and engage leading scholars, scientists, and professionals through elected membership and opportunities for interdisciplinary, intellectual fellowship, particularly in our semi-annual Meetings. We support research and discovery through grants and fellowships, lectures, publications, prizes, exhibitions, and public education. We serve scholars through a research library of manuscripts and other collections internationally recognized for their enduring historic value. The American Philosophical Society’s current activities reflect the founder’s spirit of inquiry, provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas, and convey our conviction that intellectual inquiry and critical thought are inherently in the best interest of the public.

American Philosophical Society Website

IASH provides an enviable location in one of the world’s most intellectually inspiring cities, together with a dynamic network of international connections.

Home to the Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh has a rich cultural heritage of scholarship and creativity that continues to the present day. In this haven of libraries and archives, galleries and music venues – all set amid iconic architecture – IASH takes the humanities beyond campus to engage the public and work with organisations in a variety of different sectors.

The Institute welcomes visiting researchers from across the world. Since 1970, over 1,500 Fellows have stepped through our doors. Up to 30 researchers are in residence at any one time in our amazing – and eclectic – nineteenth-century building just on the edge of the University’s central campus, boasting views of the Meadows.

From upwards of 65 countries, IASH Fellows form a global alumni community, and many career-long connections begin at the Institute.

Dr Benjamin Morgan (English Literature, University of Chicago), 2013
Dr James Delle (Anthropology and Archaeology, Kutztown University, Pennsylvania), 2014
Dr Carla Manfredi (English, University of Winnipeg), 2017
Dr Michelle Brock (History, Washington and Lee University), 2019
Dr Michael Kyle Thompson (History, Pittsburg State University), 2020 deferred to 2021
Professor Ronald A. Johnson (History, Baylor University), 2021
Professor Anahid Nersessian (English Literature, University of California, Los Angeles), 2023
Dr Hilary Buxton (History, Kenyon College), 2024

• Applicants are expected to have a doctorate by the date of application, or to have published work of doctoral character and quality. PhD candidates are not eligible to apply, but the Society is particularly interested in supporting the work of young scholars who have recently received their doctorate. Independent scholars and faculty members at all four-year and two-year research and non-research institutions are welcome to apply provided that all eligibility guidelines are met.
• Applicants must be either residents of the United States (either American citizens or foreign nationals or permanent residents affiliated with a U.S. institution) or American citizens resident abroad. Applicants who have previously received a Franklin grant may reapply after an interval of two years.
• Applications can be for research in any aspect of the humanities and social sciences, although we especially welcome applications that contribute to our 2025-26 theme, Making A Nation.

You can find our application form here.

As well as the application form, you are asked to supply a short CV (no more than one page, listing publications related to your proposal, and up to ten most significant publications) and a project proposal of no more than two pages including a bibliography, and a 1-page budget statement. Your budget should detail amounts for travel, subsistence, photo-reproduction, supplies / other (please specify) and a total amount requested. You should then provide a short statement explaining the reasons for the requested budget allocations.

If languages other than English are required for your project, please also outline the degree of your conversational and reading competence in each.

If you have received a grant from the American Philosophical Society in the past, please give the title(s), year(s), and amount(s). If you have applied for other grants to support the same project during the same time period, please also list these in your application.

Applications for the 2025-26 round will close on 28 February 2025.

Successful candidates will be notified by email by the end of the selection process with a formal letter of confirmation to follow; please ensure that you supply a valid email address so that you can be contacted quickly after decisions are made.

• Applicants should give evidence of any contact they have made with researchers at the University of Edinburgh, and of proposed collaboration during and beyond their visit to Edinburgh; those who do make such contact before submitting their applications will be at an advantage. Competition for Fellowships is intense and preference may be given to applicants who have not previously held a Fellowship at the Institute or an equivalent institution.
• Funding is offered up to a maximum of $6,000. Grants are not retroactive. Grants are payable to the individual applicant. Franklin grants are classed as taxable income, but the Society is not required to report payments. It is recommended that grant recipients discuss their reporting obligations with their tax advisors.
• The Franklin program is particularly designed to help meet the costs of travel to libraries and archives for research purposes; the purchase of microfilm, photocopies, or equivalent research materials; the costs associated with fieldwork; or laboratory research expenses.
• Franklin grants are made for non-commercial research. They are not intended to meet the expenses of attending conferences or the costs of publication. The Society does not pay overhead or indirect costs to any institution, and grant funds are not to be used to pay income tax on the award. Grants will not be made to replace salary during a leave of absence or earnings from summer teaching; pay living expenses while working at home; cover the costs of consultants or research assistants; or purchase permanent equipment such as computers, cameras, tape recorders, or laboratory apparatus.
• Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh throughout the tenure of their Fellowship and to play a full part in the activities of the Institute. The Institute will be pleased to help with finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh but is unable to pay accommodation costs. The minimum tenure for a Fellowship is two months; applications for less than two months will not be considered.
• No regular teaching is required but Fellows will give at least one seminar at IASH on their current research work and may be asked to speak to an appropriate subject group within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science.
• Only fully completed applications will be considered. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that all documentation is complete, and that referees submit their reports to the Institute by the closing date.
• Project and financial reports are due one month after completion of the funded portion of the work, per the time frame indicated on the proposal. Instructions will be provided with notification of an award.
• The Institute is close to the University Library and within easy reach of the National Library of Scotland, the Central City Library, the National Galleries and Museums, the Library of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland, the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the National Archives of Scotland. Access to both the extensive archival and online resources of all of these collections can be arranged for Fellows as appropriate.