Massachusetts Historical Society Fellowships
The Massachusetts Historical Society now offers more assistance than ever before to scholars who need to use its library and archival collections. The research projects that the MHS supports through its fellowship programs produce cutting-edge historical scholarship. In addition, the MHS facilitates the visits of scholars in residence at the MHS through the support of other funding agencies.
During their residence, MHS Research Fellows become part of a scholarly community that includes other current fellows, MHS staff, Boston-area scholars, and former fellows. They participate in "brown-bag" lunchtime programs, present their own research, attend seminars, and join MHS staff and other fellows for collegial lunches every Thursday at a neighborhood eatery.
The Four Fellowship Programs
Each year, in addition to more than two dozen short-term fellowships, the Society helps to provide about the same number of New England Regional Fellowship Consortium grants for projects that draw on the resources of 26 participating research and cultural institutions. Thanks to the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent agency of the U.S. government, there will be at least two long-term MHS-NEH fellowships.
MHS Short-term Fellowships
The MHS awards over 20 short-term fellowships annually, each of which provides a stipend for four weeks of research at the Society. Several of these fellowships are for research in specific topics or collections. The stipend is $2,000. Awards are open to advanced graduate students as well as scholars who have completed their professional training.
Suzanne and Caleb Loring Fellowship
Each year, the MHS and the Bostonian Athenaeum offer one Suzanne and Caleb Loring Fellowship on the Civil War, Its Origins, and Conequences , which carries a stipend of $4,000. The recipient will conduct research for at least four weeks at each institution.
New England Regional Fellowship Consortium
This collaboration of 27 major cultural agencies, including the MHS, awards approximately two dozen fellowships annually, each of which carries a stipend of $5,000. Each recipient will conduct research for a total of at least eight weeks at three or more participating institutions.
IMPORTANT: Please see the NERFC website for news regarding access to the Boston Public Library Rare Books and Manuscripts Department.
MHS-NEH Long-term Fellowships
The MHS awards at least two long-term MHS-NEH fellowships annually, for a minimum of four months and a maximum of 12 months. The NEH stipend is $4,200 per month in 2019-2020. The MHS provides a supplement to assist with professional and housing expenses. Applicants must have completed their professional training and be U.S. citizens or foreign nationals who have lived in the United States for at least three years immediately preceding the application deadline.
Publications: Our Legacy of Scholarship
Since 1985, the MHS has awarded more than 875 fellowships. These research projects have resulted in more than 470 publications, including more than 160 books!
Researchers Funded by Other Agencies
The MHS has been pleased to welcome researchers whose tenure has been underwritten by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), Fulbright Fellowship Program, and Germany's Deutscher Akademischer Austasch Dienst (DAAD).
Fellows Alumni
The MHS continues to maintain professional relationships with, and extend benefits to, former fellows. Many alumni choose to support the mission of the Society by returning to the MHS to deliver programs or serve on committees.