How to Apply for a Fellowship

Personal Information

This section collects your identifying information such as name, preferred pronouns, country of citizenship, and preferred contact information. Please note that citizenship information is collected only for internal reference and is not a determining factor in fellowship selection. You will also be asked to identify if you live or work in the Chicago area. Please see our Frequently Asked Questions [LINK] for more information about residency restrictions by fellowship type.

Demographic Information

1. With which groups do you identify?

This optional section allows you to identify your racial or cultural identity. This information is for internal reference only, except in the case of the Frances C. Allen Fellowship and the Susan Kelly Power and Helen Hornbeck Tanner Fellowship, which require applicants to be citizens or documented descendants of federally recognized tribal nations in the United States or Native Hawaiian individuals.

2. How did you hear about the Newberry's fellowship program?

We gather this information to learn how effective our program advertising and sharing has been.

Professional Information

This section collects information about your professional role and rank.

1. Current Academic Institution or Affiliation. If you do not have an institutional affiliation, please enter "unaffiliated." Institutional affiliation is not required to apply for Newberry fellowships.
2. Location of Institution
3. Academic Rank
4. Department
5. Average Teaching Load per Academic Year (Long-term only)
6. PhD Granting Institution
7. Date of PhD Award

• Note on PhD institution and date: Long-Term Fellowships require applicants to hold a PhD at the time of application. Short-term Fellowships are open to PhD holders and current, ABD PhD students. If you are a graduate student, please indicate your anticipated date of completion.

Have you held any fellowships within the last 5 (long-term) or 3 (short-term) years?

Please list fellowships of one month or longer held at any institution.

Have you applied for any Newberry Fellowships in the past?

Your answer to this question is for internal reference only and will not affect your fellowship eligibility.

Have you received any Newberry Fellowships in the past?

Some project and time restrictions apply for previous fellowship holders. See our FAQ for more information.

How did you hear about the Newberry's fellowship program?

Project Title

The current or proposed title of your project.

Project Abstract

No more than 300 words (2000 characters).

Project Description

A description that elaborates on your abstract, with a maximum of 1,500 words. Around 2/3 of this description should contextualize your project, such as by referencing specific published scholarship that your project engage with. The final 1/3 should explain the importance of specific Newberry collection materials to your project and include a plan of work.

This document should be uploaded in Word or PDF format. Do not embed images in your document.

Materials you plan to consult at the Newberry

A list of some of the collection items or materials that you plan to consult at the Newberry. You may list particular items or the names of collections, as relevant. If possible, greater specificity is recommended, especially in the case of large and broad collections such as the Ayer Collection.

If you have questions about Newberry materials for your project, you can reach out to our librarians here.

Selective Secondary Source Bibliography

A one-page document listing secondary sources related to and/or contextualizing your project.

This document should be uploaded in Word or PDF format.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

No more than 5 pages. Please use the following terms to describe any forthcoming publications:

• “In progress” – not yet completed or submitted
• “Submitted” – currently under review at a journal or press
• “Accepted” – contracted for publication; currently under revision
• “In press” – in the hands of a copy editor, typesetter, or printer

This document should be uploaded in Word or PDF format.

Months Requested

Long-term fellowships are between 4 and 9 months. 

The majority of short-term fellowships are 1 month but some, including the Frances C. Allen Fellowship and the Lester J. Cappon Fellowship in Documentary Editing, may support 2 months.

This section allows you to elect to be considered for two joint fellowships, the Herzog August Bibliothek-Newberry Fellowship and the American Trust for the British Library (ATBL) Research Fellowship Program, which provide additional support for research visits to the Herzog August Bibliothek (Wolfenbüttel, Germany) or the British Library (London, UK). More information on these programs is available here.

Two letters of recommendation are required for long-term fellowship applicants. 

One letter of recommendation is required for short-term fellowship applicants.

These letters must be in English. They should speak to the scholarly contribution of the proposed project, the value of a Newberry residency to the applicant, and the qualifications of the applicant.

Letters are submitted by the letter-writer and will be accepted up to 10 days after the program deadline. For more information on that process, see our Frequently Asked Questions.