National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowships 2026: $60,000 Research Funding for Scholars Worldwide
- Omran Aburayya
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
If you are a scholar in the humanities seeking to dedicate six to twelve months of full-time research, writing, or digital humanities work without financial constraints, the NEH Fellowships 2026 offer a powerful opportunity. Applications open soon for this prestigious fellow-award from the U.S. federal agency that supports high-calibre humanities projects globally. Here's everything you need to know.
🎓 Fellowship Summary
Location: United States (awardees may conduct research internationally or domestically)
Level: Independent scholars, early-career and established academics; all disciplines of the humanities
Target Group: Scholars worldwide (including independent researchers) working on humanities projects
Fields of Research: Humanities broadly defined—history, literature, philosophy, linguistics, digital humanities, translations, critical editions, etc.
Value and Coverage: Up to US $60,000 (i.e., US $5,000 per month for 6–12 months)
Duration: 6 to 12 months of full-time work on the proposed project.
Application Deadline: Anticipated April 10, 2026
Project Start Date: Between January 1, 2027 and September 1, 2028
📚 Fellowship Overview
The NEH Fellowships program supports individual scholars in the humanities to devote themselves full-time to significant research, writing, and publication projects. The fellowship is designed to remove financial barriers so that recipients concentrate on meaningful humanities work—such as authoring books, preparing peer-reviewed articles, creating digital scholarly resources, producing critical editions or annotated translations.
The 2026 cycle includes a notable update: digital projects (born-digital publications, online scholarly resources) are fully integrated into the main fellowships stream—not treated as a separate program.
💲 Benefits
Substantial stipend: Up to US $60,000 over the fellowship period—equivalent to about US $5,000 per month for full-time work.
Time freedom: The award allows scholars to focus exclusively on their project (with limitations on other commitments).
Prestige and visibility: Being an NEH Fellow is a mark of excellence in the humanities.
Full-time research space: Whether you are finishing a monograph, working on a critical edition, or developing a digital humanities resource, the fellowship gives you the time to complete it.
Global scope: Although U.S.-based, scholars may conduct research abroad or in collaboration; digital/hybrid projects are eligible.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must propose a humanities project of 6-12 months full-time duration. Projects shorter than six months or longer than twelve months will NOT be considered.
The project must clearly articulate its contribution to humanities scholarship or to general audiences; it must involve rigorous analysis, clear writing, and a viable output (book, peer-reviewed article, digital resource, translation with annotations, critical edition)
Both junior and independent scholars are welcome to apply — institutional affiliation is not strictly required (though applicants should meet the program’s eligibility rules).
Applicants must ensure they can commit full-time for the stated period; as per terms and conditions, other major commitments (like full teaching loads) may not be permissible.
Applicants must follow the federal regulations applicable to NEH awards (including 2 CFR Part 200 for awards issued on/after Oct 1, 2024).
📝 Application Procedure
Review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on the NEH website (Fellowships program) to confirm eligibility, project guidelines, allowable outputs, and deadlines.
Register on Grants.gov (if not already) and prepare your applicant account ahead of time.
Prepare your full application package, which may include:
Project narrative describing your research, its significance, timeline and output
CV / resume
Bibliography or references
Letters of recommendation (vary by NOFO)
If applying as an independent scholar: documentation of credibility and capacity to complete the project
Submit via Grants.gov by the deadline (anticipated April 10, 2026) for the 2026 cycle.
After submission, ensure that all supporting materials and letters are received; track your submission.
If selected, the project start date must fall between January 1, 2027, and September 1, 2028.
ℹ️ Additional Information & Tips
Ensure your project is well-scoped for a 6-12 month full-time effort. Oversized or overly broad projects may be rejected.
Because funding is competitive (the program has limited slots and high standards), emphasize both your scholarly credentials and the clarity of your project’s contribution.
Digital humanities, born-digital outputs, and online scholarly resources are now fully eligible within this fellowship stream—consider leveraging this if your project has a digital component.
Although the fellowship stipend is higher for 12-month projects, you may choose a shorter period (minimum 6 months) — but the amount awarded will adjust accordingly.
Since the project must be full-time, coordinate with your institution (if you have one) on leave or release for the fellowship period. The NEH terms and conditions emphasise full-time commitment.
🚀 Conclusion
The NEH Fellowships 2026 represent a major opportunity for humanities scholars globally to gain the time, freedom, and financial support necessary to complete significant research, writing, or digital scholarship. With up to US $60,000 available and the possibility to conduct work anywhere between January 2027 and September 2028, now is the moment to prepare a strong proposal and join the ranks of distinguished NEH Fellows.
