Our research fellowships are funded by a matching grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and gifts from individuals. We offer fellowships of up to three weeks a year. For the purpose of this program, a week is defined as five days in the research library, which is open 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Saturday.
Andrew W. Mellon Research Fellowships cover the broad sweep of Virginia and American history. They support research in the following general categories of study, but are not limited to:
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Political, constitutional, religious, military, and Black studies
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Business history, economic history, and labor relations
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Gender, women’s, and LGBTQ+ studies
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Social, cultural, and literature studies
We confer fellowships on the basis of the applicants’ scholarly qualifications, the merits of their proposals, and the appropriateness of their topics, as demonstrated by citation to specific sources in our collections. Applicants whose research promises to result in significant publication, including the Virginia Magazine of History & Biography, will receive primary consideration.
Deadline: Jan. 26, 2024
Because the program is designed to help defray travel expenses, residents of the Richmond metropolitan area are not eligible for fellowships. We offer a few grants ($500 per week) for mileage to commuting researchers who live outside that area. The majority of fellowships ($1,000 per week) go to those who live farther away and incur greater expenses. We expect recipients to work on a regular basis in our reading room during the period of their fellowships. We welcome applications from doctoral candidates. Undergraduates, master’s students, and graduate students not yet admitted to Ph.D. candidacy are not eligible.