American Antiquarian Society

Located just outside of Boston, the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) is a national research library for the study of American history and culture. Its early American collections are both extensive and unique. The AAS offers annual Fellowships to researchers, including Long-Term Fellowships and Short-Term Fellowships, and a pilot program of Short-Term Virtual Academic Fellowships.

American Philosophical Society

The American Philosophical Society (APS) is a national center for early American research. It offers various Research Grants and Fellowships each year, including Long-Term Residential Fellowships, Short-Term Residential Fellowships, and Short-Term Non-Residential Fellowships. Funding is available both for graduate students and holders of the PhD.

Autry Museum of the American West

The Autry Museum of the American West is one of the leading research institutions on the histories and cultures of the American West. It offers several Fellowships each year for visiting scholars and UCLA graduate students.

The Bancroft Library

The Bancroft Library serves as the special collections library for the University of California - Berkeley. Each year, the Bancroft awards numerous Fellowships and Awards for scholars to research its extensive early American collections. Undergraduates, graduates, and independent scholars are all eligible for funding.

Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Part of the Yale University Libraries, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library holds an extensive collection of early American sources. The Beinecke Library offers several Fellowships annually. Among these are the its Short-Term Research Fellowships, its Research Fellowships for Graduate Students, and The Walter O. Evans Fellowship for the Study of Slavery or Race.

David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

The David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library is one of the premier research libraries for the study of early America. It offers a variety of Grants & Fellowships each year to sponsor research in its collections.

Eccles Centre for American Studies

The Eccles Centre for American Studies connects researchers with the British Library’s North American collections. They offer various Fellowships and Awards for early Americanists, including Visiting Fellowships, the Canada-UK Foundation and Eccles Centre Canadian Fellowship, and The Philip Davies Fellowship.

The Filson Historical Society

The Filson Historical Society collects and preserves the documentary and material history of the Ohio Valley. It offers several short-term and residential Research Fellowships each year.

The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington

Located at Mount Vernon, the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington serves scholars interested in George Washington, colonial America, the Revolutionary War, and the early republic. It offers various Research Fellowships to undergraduates, graduates, holders of the PhD, and independent scholars. The Washington Library also partners with Kings College London to offer their joint Mount Vernon Georgian Papers Fellowship.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is a private organization that promotes the historical research and understanding of the United States. It offers various Scholarly Fellowships each year for scholars researching in New York City that are open to doctoral students, college and university faculty, and independent scholars.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

One of the United States’ leading repositories for early American sources, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania offers several Fellowships each year. Many of these are in conjunction with the neighboring Library Company of Philadelphia. Early Americanists may be especially interested in the Barra Fellowship, the Dilworth Fellowship, the McFarland Fellowship, and the McNeil Fellowship.

The Historic New Orleans Collection

The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) is a museum and research center that focuses on the history of New Orleans and the Gulf South. THNOC offers several Prizes and Fellowships each year, which are open to graduate students, academic and museum professionals, and independent scholars.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

The Huntington is an independent research library that holds one of the world’s best collections of early American sources. Each year the Huntington awards 150 Fellowships, including both long- and short-term fellowships, as well as travel grants.

The John Carter Brown Library

Located at Brown University, the John Carter Brown Library (JCB) curates one of the largest collections of early American sources in the United States. The JCB grants over 40 Fellowships each year. These Opportunities include full- and short-term residential fellowships, as well as the Remote Fellowship Program.

The Library Company of Philadelphia

Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, the Library Company of Philadelphia is the oldest subscription library in the United States. Its manuscript collections on early America are quite vast. The Library’s Program in Early American Economy & Society offers an array of Fellowships.

Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library

The Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library is home to the Southern Historical Collection, one of the largest archives of material related to the American South. Each year, the Wilson Library offers several Fellowships, including its Visiting Research Fellowships, the Rare Book Collection Fellowships, and the Southern Studies Doctoral Fellowships.

Maryland Center for History and Culture

The Maryland Center for History and Culture holds a vast assortment of early American materials, particularly those associated with colonial and early national Maryland. It offers several Fellowships & Prizes each year.

Massachusetts Historical Society

The Massachusetts Historical Society is one of the United States’ premier research institutions for early America. It offers various Fellowships annually, including, Long-Term Fellowships, Short-Term Fellowships, and the Suzanne and Caleb Loring Research Fellowship. The MHS is also a participating member in the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium.

McNeil Center for Early American Studies

The McNeil Center for Early American Studies (MCEAS) is one of the premier research institutions for the study of early America. It offers several Fellowships each year, including Dissertation Fellowships and Postdoctoral Fellowships.

National Endowment for the Humanities

An independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) provides research funding for historians and other scholars of early America. The NEH’s Division of Research Programs provides both Grants and Fellowships, as well as a wide range of other funding opportunities. Although NEH funding is highly competitive, it is also highly lucrative.

The Newberry Library

The Newberry is an independent research library in Chicago. Its collections are quite vast and early America is well represented, especially indigenous history and the history of the Midwest. Each year, the Newberry offers several Fellowships, including Long-Term Fellowships and Short-Term Fellowships.

New England Regional Fellowship Consortium

A collaboration of over 30 cultural agencies in New England, the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium (NERFC) provides dozens of Fellowships each year. Awards can be applied to cover research expenses at multiple participating institutions.

New-York Historical Society

A leading repository for early American sources, the New-York Historical Society provides multiple Fellowship opportunities each year.

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library maintains one of the best collections of early American sources. It offers various Fellowships each year, including NEH Long-Term Fellowships and Short-Term Fellowships. Early Americanists may also be interested in the Schomburg Center Scholars-in-Residence Program, the Lapidus Center Fellowships, and The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Fellowships in American Civilization.

Omohundro Institute for Early American History and Culture

The Omohundro Institute (OI) is a leading research institution for the study of the early Americas. It offers a diverse array of fellowships and funding opportunities for various forms of historical inquiry. Some of the available fellowships include the Omohundro Institute - NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Georgian Papers Programme, the Scholars’ Workshop, the Digital Collections Fellowship, the Lapidus - OI Fellowship, the Travel Scholars Fellowship, and many others.

Osler Library of the History of Medicine

Located at McGill University in Montreal, the Osler Library of the History of Medicine is one of Canada’s premier research libraries. It offers several Awards and Grants each year to support research in its collections.

Princeton University Library Special Collections

The Princeton University Library Special Collections maintains an extensive array of early American materials. Several Library Research Grants are awarded each year to recipients whose work will benefit from these special collections.

Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies

Located at Monticello, the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies fosters scholarship on Thomas Jefferson for the global audience. The Center offers several Fellowships, including Short-Term Fellowships, the Fritz and Claudine Kundrun Open-Rank Fellowship, the Fellowships for the Digital Archaeological archive of Comparative Slavery, and joint fellowships with the McNeil Center for Early American Studies.

Rothermere American Institute

The Rothermere American Institute is the University of Oxford’s center for the study of the United States. It offers various Fellowships to fund research based both in the United Kingdom and the United States.

University of Florida Special & Area Studies Collections

The University of Florida offers several Travel Grants and Fellowships for scholars to research the various collections held at its Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, its Center for Latin American Studies, and the P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History.

William L. Clements Library

The William L. Clements Library boasts one of the finest collections of early American sources in the world. It offers a variety of lucrative Fellowships for both graduate students and holders of the PhD. They include long- and short- term fellowships, week-long fellowships, the Jacob M. Price Digital Fellowship, the Introduction to Archival Research Fellowship, and the Transatlantic Fellowship.