NCAIS Fellowships and Grants

Project Title

The current or proposed title of your project.

Project Abstract

A brief summary of your project, describing its subject and significance. 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 with which your project engages. The final third should explain the research to be conducted during your fellowship/award period.

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

Optional

If you are planning to conduct research at the Newberry, please list some of the collection items or materials that you plan to consult.

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

• NCAIS Long-Term Faculty Fellowships applications provide 4 to 9 months of funding.
• NCAIS Short-Term Faculty Fellowships provide 1 month of funding. 
• NCAIS Graduate Student Research Awards provide 1-2 months of funding.

Where do you intend to spend your fellowship months?

NCAIS faculty fellows can apply to be in continuous or intermittent residence at the Newberry or complete their fellowships entirely offsite, conducting research in existing digital collections or the collections of other institutions. NCAIS graduate student fellows can elect to visit the Newberry as part of their research award, but it is not required.

• Continuous residence at the Newberry
• Intermittent residence at the Newberry
• Entirely offsite

Budget

Graduate Research Award Only

Please provide a brief budget outlining how you will use the Research Award. Examples of expenses might includes research travel, lodging, and meals.

This document should be uploaded in Word or PDF format.

Previous Fellowships

You will be asked to provide information about recent fellowships and research awards at any institution, as well as whether you have applied for or been awarded any Newberry or NCAIS research funding in the past. The answers to these questions will not affect your fellowship eligibility.

These short answer questions ask you to position your work in relation to the field of Native American and Indigenous Studies and to the Native people and communities which your project engages. All answers should be a maximum of 250 words (1500 characters).

• What is your relationship to the field of Native American Indian and Indigenous Studies and the communit(ies) you write about? If your project is community-facing, please explain the nature of this relationship.
• In what ways does your project attend to any community protocols or guidelines in place to protect Indigenous stories and intellectual property? If this is not relevant to your project, please explain why.
• In what ways is your project accountable to Indigenous people?
• How does your work center the voices of Native people?
• Graduate Research Award Only: Which faculty who work within the field of Native American and Indigenous Studies are you working with as an advisor or committee member?

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.

Letters of recommendation should be English. They should speak to the scholarly contribution of the proposed project, the value of the fellowship or award to the applicant, and the qualifications of the applicant.

Requirements

Long-Term Faculty Fellowship: Two letters of recommendation

Short-Term Faculty Fellowship: One letter of recommendation

Graduate Student Research Awards: One letter of recommendation is required. It should generally come from an advisor or other faculty member who can address your project and engagement with the field of Native American Indian and Indigenous Studies. There is also the option to request a second letter. If you are planning to work directly with a Native community as part of your research project, it is highly recommended that you request a letter from a representative of the community to indicate that you have already begun building the connections necessary for this type of work.