Sabbatical Opportunities

Below is a listing of some popular sabbatical funding opportunities. If you are an FAS faculty member with an upcoming sabbatical, we encourage you to contact the FAS Research Development team to discuss your funding needs. We are happy to help you find additional opportunities that are specific to your projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

What support or services does Research Administration Services offer to faculty looking for sabbatical funding?

The Research Development team in FAS Research Administration Services performs customized funding searches to locate those opportunities that best suit your sabbatical plans. We offer advice on strategies for submitting competitive proposals and will review your proposal against sponsor requirements. Please contact research_development@fas.harvard.edu to discuss your sabbatical needs.

Can I find sabbatical funding for one semester or less?

Yes. Some sabbatical funders will only support faculty for an entire academic year leave; however, some give faculty the option of receiving funding for 6 months or less while still others will only fund faculty for less than one semester. Be sure to read the sponsor’s award information or contact Research Development for a tailored funding search based on your needs.

I am a Junior Faculty member - am I eligible to apply for sabbatical funding?

Yes. Although some sponsors programs are directed toward mid- to senior-level faculty, most sponsors open competitions to all tenured and tenure-track faculty and even some offer programs specifically for junior faculty. Please keep in mind that competitions open to all faculty are highly competitive but certainly not out of reach for new faculty.

See also: Sabbatical
Sponsoring Organization Name of Fellowship Award Amount Deadline Month Notes
American Academy of Arts and Sciences Hellman Fellowship in Science and Technology Policy Stipend competitive and commensurate with experience January Educates early career scholars with training in science and engineering in public policy and administration; must have a Ph.D in an area of science or engineering; must be eligible to work in U.S.; Fellows are expected to be in residency at AAAS in Cambridge, MA; one year term with possibility of renewal
National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowships $25,000 March Prose and poetry grants alternate years; may submit only one application per year; must meet recent publication criteria (see website); no residency requirement
Open Society Foundation Open Society Fellowship Stipend of $80,000 or $100,000 plus project expenses February Supports individuals pursuing innovative and unconventional approaches to fundamental open society challenges. Applicants are invited to address the following proposition: New and radical forms of ownership, governance, entrepreneurship, and financialization are needed to fight pervasive economic inequality. Most fellowship terms are for one year, though the program will consider requests for shorter or longer durations; Foundation anticipates that most fellows will spend a portion of their fellowship term at one of the organization's main offices, in New York, Washington, London, Brussels, or Budapest, or at a regional foundation
Paris Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship Programs Varies; housing and travel to Paris is provided Varies The primary mission of the Paris IAS is to be a research centre anchored in the humanities and social sciences, open to any discipline and subject within this domain. Its aim is to enable a fruitful dialogue between researchers from different cultural and disciplinary backgrounds. The majority of fellowships are open to any discipline/subject within the humanities and social sciences. Paris residency for 5-9 months during the academic year is required. No citizenship requirements; applicants who have spent more than 12 months of the last 3 years in France are not eligible. 
National Endowment for the Humanities NEH Fellowship $5,000/ month for 6-12 months April Supports humanities projects; recipients usually produce articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources in the humanities. Funding may not be divided between researchers; teaching and administrative assignments or other major activities may not be undertaken during the fellowship period; no residency requirement; must be a U.S. citizen or have permanent residence
Council for International Exchange for Scholars Fulbright Scholar Program Varies September Teaching and/or research grants to scholars in all fields to spend 2-12 months overseas; must be a U.S. citizen; Ph.D or equivalent required; foreign language proficiency is required in some but not all programs
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) ACLS Fellowships Maximum: $70,000 for full professor; $50,000 for Associate Professor; $40,000 for Assistant Professor September Supports research in the humanities and related social sciences; tenure of 6-12 months devoted to full-time research; Ph.D must have been conferred at least 2 years before application deadline; most recent supported research leave must have ended at least 2 years ago; no residency requirement; must be a U.S. citizen or have permanent residence; also includes ACLS/New York Public Library Fellowships as well as ACLS/SSRC/NEH International and Area Studies Fellowships
Guggenheim Foundation Guggenheim Fellowship Varies September Mid-career awards for scholars who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship in any field or exceptional creative ability in the arts; 6-12 months of support available; former Guggenheim Fellows are not eligible to apply for another award
Harvard University Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program $78,000 for one academic year plus an additional $5,000 for project expenses; fellows may also be eligible to receive relocation, housing, and childcare funds  September

Fellows are expected to reside at Radcliffe in Cambridge, MA, for a period of nine months from September through May; all disciplines are welcome, including arts, journalism, humanities, sciences, and social sciences; may apply as an individual scholar or in a cluster; former Radcliffe Fellows are not eligible to apply again

New York Public Library Cullman Center Fellowship Up to $75,000 September Supports those who would benefit from access to the collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in New York NY, including academics and independent scholars in the humanities and social sciences, and creative writers; Fellows appointed for nine month terms; awards are made based on excellence in previous work and new project's need for access to NYPL research collection; no citizenship requirement
Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowships Varies October Provides opportunities for mid-career academics and professionals in the field of international relations to spend between six months and one year bridging the gap between the study and making of U.S. foreign policy. The program offers its fellows the chance to experience a new field and gain a different perspective at a pivotal moment in their careers. Academics are placed in public service and policy-oriented settings. Possible host placements for the fellowship appointment include the United States, Canada, or Japan. Concentrations are available in International Economics and Nuclear Security.
National Humanities Center National Humanities Center Fellowship Individually Determined October Residential Fellowships in Research Triangle Park, NC, for advanced study in the humanities; also accepts individuals from the natural and social sciences, the arts, the professions, and public life who are engaged in humanistic projects; must have Ph.D. or equivalent, and a record of publication; support available for junior and senior scholars; no citizenship requirement

Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study

Faculty Fellowships

Faculty Fellows typically receive up to half their salary per academic year (up to $75,000), subsidized housing, a research allowance, and a private office.

September

The Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study awards 10-15 faculty fellowships each year to scholars from across the disciplines whose work addresses its annual research theme. The NDIAS research theme for 2021-2022 is Resilience. This project brings together humanists, scientists, social scientists, legal scholars, and artists to consider how organisms, people, species, and social structures adapt or fail to adapt to novel challenges and the ethical implications of such adaptation.

Stanford Humanities Center External Faculty Fellowship Stipend up to $70,000 and up to $40,000 for moving and housing October Supports projects in the humanities; must have had Ph.D. for at least three years by start of the fellowship year; fellowships are awarded across the spectrum of academic ranks (assistant, associate, and full professor); appointments are for one academic year and require residency in Stanford, CA; no citizenship requirement; applicants who have received a major research grant within the last three years generally will not be as competitive as other applicants; former Fellows are not eligible to apply for another award
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Fellowship $90,000 October Supports research by outstanding and award winning scholars, practitioners, journalists and public intellectuals addressing public policy challenges both nationally and internationally; 4-9 month residential fellowships in Washington, DC; no citizenship requirement
Institute for Advanced Studies The School of Historical Studies Typically $39,000 per semester October Must have several articles published in scholarly publications and must hold Ph.D (or equivalent) at time of application; areas of study include: all fields of historical research, but is concerned principally with the history of Western, Near Eastern and Asian civilizations, with particular emphasis upon Greek and Roman civilization, the history of Europe (medieval, early modern, and modern), the Islamic world, East Asian studies, art history, the history of science and philosophy, and modern international relations; supports one or two semesters of residency at IAS in Princeton, NJ; no citizenship requirement
American Association of University Women (AAUW) AAUW Research Leave Fellowships $30,000 November Designed to assist female scholars in obtaining tenure and other promotions by enabling them to spend a year pursuing independent research; no residency requirement; must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Ford Foundation Fellowships One year stipend of $50,000 and expenses to attend one conference of Ford Fellows November One year awards will be made to early career faculty and postdocs in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences who have demonstrated superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Open to scholars who obtained PhD or ScD within the last seven years; must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.
Harry Ransom Center, UTexas Austin Research Fellowship $3,500/ month for 1-3 month Fellowships or $2,000 Travel Stipend November Supports fellowships for humanities projects that require substantial on-site use of the Center's collections in Austin, TX; range from 1 month-3 months; must have a Ph.D. or be an independent scholar with a substantial record of achievement; no citizenship requirement
Institute for Advanced Studies The School of Social Science Up to $75,000 November Must hold Ph.D (or equivalent) at time of application; awards are made to both junior and senior scholars; areas of study include economics, political science, law, psychology, sociology and anthropology, history, philosophy, literary criticism, literature and linguistics; fellowships are for full academic year residency at IAS in Princeton, NJ
The Newberry Library Long Term Fellowships $4,200/ month November Supports residential fellowships for 4-9 months at the Library in Chicago, IL; there are a number of different fellowship opportunities with specific criteria - see web site for more information; preference given to those who haven't held major fellowships in last three years; must live and work outside Chicago area
Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research Office of Naval Research Summer Faculty Research & Sabbatical Leave Program $1,400-$1,900/ week for summer research plus assistance for travel and relocation; Stipend level varies for sabbatical leaves December Supports participation of science and engineering faculty in research of mutual interest to the faculty member and peers at U.S. Navy Laboratories; Summer Faculty Research program offers 10 week residency and Sabbatical Leave Program offers fellowships for one semester or one year; at discretion of lab, may bring undergrad or grad student to assist with research; open to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who hold teaching or research appointments at U.S. colleges and universities; some restrictions may apply to permanent residents regarding eligibility for a DoD security clearance