ORC FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS
In addition to CAORC Fellowships, each Overseas Research Center offers fellowships, grants, and language and cultural programs specific to its region. Browse the summary list below to learn about opportunities in your region of interest. Several of the ORC grant programs use the online application portal SM Apply.
Please note: this list is intended as a reference; ORCs may offer additional opportunities (i.e. additional fellowships, publication awards, workshops, etc.) not listed here. Always check with the ORC directly for the most current information.
AFGHANISTAN
American Institute of Afghanistan Studies
John F. Richards Fellowship Program
THE AMERICAS
Transnational Research Fellowship: This fellowship supports innovative research on U.S.-Mexican Transnationalism and Communities to foster collaboration among U.S. and Mexican scholars. Research projects on any aspect of U.S.-Mexican Transnationalism and Communities will be considered. To qualify you must be U.S. graduate students and scholars with doctorates to conduct up to eight weeks of research in Mexico.
BANGLADESH
American Institute of Bangladesh Studies
Senior, Junior, and Pre-dissertation Fellowships
Fellowships for Bangladesh Citizens: for Bangladeshi graduate students studying in the U.S. The fellowships are intended to help PhD and Masters students meet expenses related to scholarly research and creative endeavors in Bangladesh.
CAMBODIA
Khmer Language and Culture Study Program(KLCP): an opportunity for faculty, post-graduate researchers and undergraduates from U.S. universities to participate in an intensive eight-week study abroad program in Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap Cambodia.
Senior Fellowship Program: in-country research fellowships for US, Cambodian and French scholars (or EU citizens holding a degree from a French university) and doctoral students on a yearly basis.
Summer Junior Resident Fellowship Program: A six-week program in Cambodia for Cambodian, French, and US students to live and study alongside peers about contemporary Cambodian history and society.
CYPRUS
Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute
Graduate Student and Post-doctoral Fellowships: CAARI offers a large number of fellowships specifically for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and scholars at all levels
GREECE
American School of Classical Studies at Athens
Post-Doctoral and Senior Scholar Fellowships: The School has funding available for short-term and academic year study for recent PhD graduates, as well as established scholars, in a wide range of fellowships.
Fellowships and Grants for Graduate and Post-Doctoral Students: there are a large number of funding opportunities separated by short-term and academic year for graduate and post doctoral students.
Summer Seminars: 18-day programs that focus on specific cultural themes, historical periods, or geographical regions and led by exceptional scholars of Classics and related fields. Under their direction, participants study texts, visit archaeological sites and museums, and engage with expert guest speakers in order to deepen their understanding of Greece’s landscape, history, literature, and material culture.
Summer Session: a six-week session to become acquainted with Greece and its major monuments, and to improve your understanding of the country’s landscape, history, material culture, and literature from antiquity to the present. Led by exceptional scholars of Classics and related fields, participants visit many of the major archaeological sites, monuments, and museums throughout Greece. The program has a strong academic component and participants are expected to research and then present topics on-site.
EGYPT
American Research Center in Egypt
Antiquities Endowment Fund: one-year and three-year grants for discrete and highly focused professional projects that serve the conservation, preservation and documentation needs of Egyptian antiquities that are more than 100 years old. Projects may involve the actual conservation or protection of sites, buildings or objects; the participation of conservators or other appropriate specialists in antiquities projects; the training of conservators and students; or the production of publications and presentations that disseminate knowledge about Egypt's cultural heritage.
Research Fellowships and Pre-dissertation Travel Grants: ARCE offers funded fellowships and a research associate program for a wide range of scholars looking to conduct research in Egypt. Previous fellows have represented the fields of anthropology, archaeology, architecture, fine art, art history, Coptic studies, economics, Egyptology, history, humanistic social sciences, Islamic studies, literature, political science, religious studies and even music. See the full list by clicking the link.
ARCE Annual Meeting Grant for Underrepresented Students: created to benefit from the increased participation of students from typically Underrepresented Groups (based upon race; color; national origin; religion; sex (including LGBTQ status); disability; or first- generation college student), at the ARCE Annual Meeting. The grant pays for certain costs regarding transportation, lodging, and other specifics regarding the meeting.
Short-Term Research Grant for Postdoctoral, Adjunct Faculty and Independent Scholars: This grant is open to U.S. citizen postdoctoral, adjunct, community college, HBCU/MSI faculty, and visiting or independent scholars whose access to institutional funding for research travel may be limited. For these scholars, ARCE will offer a short-term travel grant designed to support research travel to Egypt. Minimum stay is three weeks; maximum stay is six weeks. During this period the grantee will conduct research pertaining to a new or ongoing research project.
INDONESIA
American Institute for Indonesian Studies
AIFIS/CAORC Grants for American Scholars: for graduate and post-graduate researchers who are US citizens and wish to pursue their research activities in Indonesia to conduct research projects in any field of contemporary and traditional Indonesian Studies. AIFIS encourages applications for projects that foreground collaboration with Indonesian counterparts as well as that produce open-source content for public dissemination and/or curriculum development.
AIFIS/Luce Grants for American and Indonesian Scholars
INDIA
American Institute of Indian Studies
Indian Language Programs: intensive, immersion-based training in modern and classical South Asian languages at multiple sites in India. Courses regularly include Bangla (Bengali), Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Mughal Persian, Pali/Prakrit, Punjabi and many more.
Junior and Senior Research Fellowships: Junior research fellowships are for graduate students conducting research for their doctoral dissertations in India and Senior Long- and Short-term Fellowships are for those holding the PhD degree to pursue further research in India and to establish formal affiliation with an Indian institution.
Performing & Creative Arts Fellowships: available to accomplished practitioners of the performing arts of India and creative artists who demonstrate that study in India would enhance their skills, develop their capabilities to teach or perform in the U.S., enhance American involvement with India’s artistic traditions or strengthen their links with peers in India.
IRAN
American Institute of Iranian Studies
Persian Language Study in Tehran: for advanced language study at the Sa’di Foundation in Tehran. Applicants must be U.S. citizens traveling on a U.S. passport, who are enrolled in a Doctoral or Masters program in the humanities or social sciences, have an approved research topic that requires use of Persian, and have completed at least one full academic year of Persian language study.
Senior and Pre-doctoral Dissertation Fellowships in Iranian Studies: one- to two-month research travel to countries with resources essential to the dissertation. These fellowships enable students in the field of Iranian Studies to acquaint themselves with the range of academic activities and resources in relevant foreign countries.
Senior Fellowships for Iranian Scholars: or research travel to Iran of up to four weeks’ duration but will also consider short-term visits to other countries with resources essential to the research. These fellowships enable established scholars with research interests in the field of Iranian Studies to acquaint themselves with the range of academic activities and resources in Iran or relevant other countries.
IRAQ
The Academic Research Institute in Iraq
Dissertation Prizes: Every two years, TARII awards the best U.S. doctoral dissertations on Iraq. The Donny George Youkhana Dissertation Prize (named in 2011) recognizes the best dissertation on ancient Iraq. A second award recognizes the best dissertation on modern or medieval Iraq. The competition is open to U.S. citizens at any university worldwide and any student at a U.S. university.
Fellowships for Iraqi Citizens: Proposals are invited every year from post-doctoral and advanced pre-doctoral researchers for fellowships to conduct research related to Iraq in any field of the humanities or social sciences.
Fellowships for US Citizens: Proposals are invited from U.S. scholars every year for feasible research on Iraq-related topics to be conducted outside of the United States from American post-doctoral and advanced pre-doctoral researchers. Joint Iraqi - American proposals will also be considered.
ITALY
Italian Fellowships: The American Academy in Rome offers four fellowships for Italian artists and scholars. Italian artists and scholars live and work in the Academy community, pursuing their own projects, participating in its collaborative, interdisciplinary environment, and helping make connections between Rome Prize Fellows and their Italian peers.
Rome Prize: For over a century, the American Academy in Rome has awarded the Rome Prize to support innovative and cross-disciplinary work in the arts and humanities. Each year, the prize is awarded to about thirty artists and scholars who represent the highest standard of excellence and who are in the early or middle stages of their careers.
Summer Programs: The Academy in Rome offers Summer programs that are designed to provide qualified participants with a well-founded understanding of the growth and development of the city of Rome through a careful study of material remains and literary sources.
Visiting Artists and Scholars: This program provides artists and scholars of all nationalities the opportunity to experience the intellectual and artistic freedom, interdisciplinary exchange, and innovation that characterizes Academy life. Visiting Artists and Scholars can rent living and working space at the Academy and are granted access to the Academy’s noted resources, including the Library, the Photographic Archive, and the Norton–Van Buren Study Collection.
Affiliated Fellowships: There are currently 11 affiliated fellowships that offer a wide range of opportunities for artists and scholars of a variety of disciplines who are in different stages of their academic careers.
Rome Sustainable Food Project: A production and teaching kitchen whose daily success relies strongly upon a team of interns and visiting cooks. Living and training in Rome for a period of five-and-a-half months, they learn alongside an American and Italian kitchen staff to cook for the Academy community. The teaching philosophy of RSFP chefs takes root in a practical, hands-on approach to learning. By “diving in” to the busy workday of a professional kitchen, interns learn to prepare seasonal produce with a multitude of techniques.
JERUSALEM
W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research
Pre-doctoral and Post-doctoral Fellowships: Fellowships are one to four months and come with a stipend and room/board at the Albright. Fellowships are open to students and scholars in Near Eastern studies from prehistory through the Ottoman period, including the fields of archaeology, anthropology, art history, biblical studies, epigraphy, historical geography, history, language, literature, philology, religion, and related disciplines.
Sean W. Deaver Memorial Prize: This prize provides $750 for the best paper presented at a conference which treats a topic in the field of Syro-Palestinian or Biblical Archaeology. Authors must be Ph.D. candidates in the semester in which the winner is announced (Spring 2022). They may be of any nationality but the paper must be in English.
Summer Study Program: an in-depth on-the-ground archaeological and historical introduction to the Southern Levant from antiquity through the Middle Ages. Participants visit more than seventy historic places, archaeological sites, and museums over a three-week expedition across the region. Students participate in researching and presenting topics on-site and interact with scholars across a wide array of fields.
JORDAN
Named Fellowships: There are a number of named fellowships that are to encourage and facilitate scholarly research and archeology in Jordan. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers of all nationalities are eligible to apply.
Undergraduate, Graduate Student, and Post-doctoral Fellowships: ACOR has a number of other fellowships including CAORC and NEH affiliated fellowships that can be found through the link in the link above. Click to see the entire list and for links further explaining the opportunities, the qualifications needed, as well as how to apply.
Jordanian Citizen Fellowships: ACOR offers several fellowships specifically for Jordanian graduate students and undergraduate students, as well as travel awards for more advanced scholars to attend the American Society of Overseas Research Annual Meeting.
American Center of Research Educator Fellowship: One-month remote fellowships for faculty members and administrators teaching at community colleges and/or minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Topics should contribute to scholarship in Middle East studies and must include the use of the American Center of Research Digital Archive. Fellows will develop lesson plans and/or curricular materials, which will be made available via the American Center’s open-access digital archive. The advisor will host online curriculum-development workshops with fellows at the start of their programs and will continue to review the curricular materials produced. The advisor will also provide guidance on outreach methods.
MAGHRIB (ALGERIA, MOROCCO, TUNISIA)
American Institute for Maghrib Studies
Short-Term & Long-Term Research Grants: The Grant Program offers grants to U.S. scholars to conduct research on North African topics in Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, or Tunisia. AIMS Overseas Research Centers in Oran, Tunis, and Tangier facilitate AIMS grants and support AIMS scholars. AIMS funds only primary research conducted in the Maghrib.
MONGOLIA
American Center for Mongolian Studies
Field Research Fellowship: The program will provide awards of up to $4,000 for student, post-doctoral, or faculty to conduct short-term field research and should be conducted in conjunction with a Research Sponsor, such as a faculty member or senior researcher, and involve at least 6 weeks for students or 3 weeks for post-docs or faculty of fieldwork in Mongolia.
Library Fellowship: This fellowship supports advanced US graduate students, faculty members, or professionals in library and information sciences from colleges and universities to conduct short-term library development projects and/or research in Mongolia for a period of up to 12 weeks between May and October.
Intensive Mongolian Summer Language Program: invites students and scholars to enroll in an eight week Intensive Mongolian Language Program in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, which provides stipends of up to $2,000 to cover the cost of tuition, to provide Intermediate-level students of the Mongolian language with an opportunity to enhance their communicative competence through systematic improvement of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, in an authentic environment.
Mongolia Field School: The American Center for Mongolian Studies is planning to once again hold its onsite Field School offering multiple exciting travel/study course options in Mongolia open to all interested participants. Learn field research techniques, conduct self-selected research projects, travel within Mongolia to urban and countryside areas to get a unique insight into the landscapes and the people.
MYANMAR (BURMA)
Short-Term Fellowship Program for US Graduate Students: competition for research that will contribute to studies on Myanmar in any aspect of its wide linguistic, cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity and to a better understanding of the country’s past or present political and socio-economic situation. Applicants must be U.S. Graduate Students currently enrolled in a graduate program (Master’s or Doctoral level) at an institution of higher education in the U.S. or elsewhere.
CAORC-INYA Fellowship for U.S. Post Graduate Scholars: a competition for research that will contribute to studies on Myanmar in any aspect of its wide linguistic, cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity and to a better understanding of the country’s past or present political and socio-economic situation.
Summer Research and Mentoring Fellowship Myanmar’s Borderlands: Past, Present, and Future: The Fellow may be based in Thailand, India, or Bangladesh and will lead a series of online workshops sponsored by the institute with a group of 6-8 Myanmar researchers. During the online workshop sessions, the Fellow will mentor the group of Myanmar researchers on the development of their research papers. The first batch of online sessions will focus on research design, guidance on research methods and field research with all participating Myanmar researchers. The remaining weeks will involve one-on-one online mentoring sessions with each of the 6-8 Myanmar researchers.
NEPAL
Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies
Fellowships and Grants: The Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies sponsors several fellowships to recognize exceptional scholarship on the region. We seek to support scholars in the region as well as those outside the Himalayas writing and researching about the area. In addition to the fellowships and prizes offered by the Association, we also seek to publicize grants and awards that might be of interest to ANHS membership.
The James Fisher Prize for First Books on the Himalayan Region: honors the scholarly contributions of Dr. James Fisher to scholarship on the region. The prize will recognize an outstanding book on the Himalayan region, published recently. Single or co-authored books will be accepted which have high quality of research, significant contribution to Himalayan Studies, notable innovation, and clarity of writing in the English language.
PAKISTAN
American Institute of Pakistan Studies
Conference Travel Grants: fund travel to scholarly conferences for the presentation of papers or organization of panels on topics relevant to Pakistan Studies.
Junior and Senior Research Fellowships: opportunities for pre- and post-doctoral candidates where research must be at least 2 months and less than 9 months.
Short-term Research Grants: offer research travel grants to Pakistan each year for up to 3 months and strongly encourages graduate students to apply.
Book Prize: soliciting books (single authored monographs, no edited volumes) published during the last three years, or nearly published books (galleys must be available) for the annual AIPS book prize.
PALESTINE
Palestinian American Research Center
Faculty Development Seminar: a competition for U.S. faculty members with a demonstrated interest in, but little travel experience to, Palestine. Applicants may come from any field of study and the program hosts 10 to 12 to participate in roundtable discussions; visits to Palestinian universities, research institutes, and cultural institutions; tours of historic cities; as well as meetings with Palestinian colleagues.
Fellowships for Palestinian Scholars: the annual Palestinian research fellowship competition for research in the humanities and social sciences that will contribute to Palestinian Studies. Applicants must be Palestinian doctoral students or Palestinian scholars who have earned their PhD. Applicants may apply regardless of their country of residence or ID.
Fellowships for US Scholars: the annual U.S. research fellowship competition for research that will contribute to Palestinian studies. Applicants must be doctoral students or scholars who have earned their PhD and must be U.S. citizens.
Media Development Seminar: a competition for U.S. faculty members with a demonstrated interest in, but little travel experience to, Palestine. Applicants must be from fields related to journalism, film, communications, or media. The program will host 10 to 12 U.S. faculty members to participate in roundtable discussions; visits to university media departments, local media outlets, and cultural and civil society organizations; tours of historic cities; as well as meetings with Palestinian colleagues.
NEH/FPIRI Humanities Fellowships: a competition for research in the humanities or research that embraces a humanistic approach and methods. Applicants must be scholars who have earned their PhD or completed their professional training. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or have lived in the United States for the last three years.
SOUTH CAUCASUS (ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA)
American Research Institute of the South Caucasus
Graduate/Post-doctoral Fellowships:
in support of research in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), these are open to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, Canadian citizens, or Canadian permanent residents. Projects in all fields in the social sciences, humanities, and related sciences are eligible. Proposals will be judged on their quality and on the potential of the research to strengthen scholarship on the South Caucasus.
Research Fellowships: in support of research and mentoring activities in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and/or Georgia). The goals are 1) to support research in and the study of the South Caucasus; 2) to select, recognize and financially support individuals who demonstrate high potential to contribute to research in this region; 3) to support a mentoring relationship that will both develop the academic skills of the mentee and strengthen ties between the US and host country.
Collaborative Heritage Management Fellowship In Azerbaijan, Georgia:
invites proposals from collaborative teams in support of the preservation and conservation of Azerbaijan’s or Georgia’s archaeological and historical heritage. This program seeks to foster joint work between American and Azerbaijani or Georgian scholars and institutions dedicated to the proper curation and preservation of heritage materials such as artifacts, sites, and manuscripts.
Stipends for Lectures & Workshops, Collaborative Heritage Management Grant, Junior Research, and Small Grants: ARISC also has a number of other fellowship and grant opportunities listed on their site. Click the link above to view more information and how to apply.
SRI LANKA
American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies
Dissertation Planning Grants: designed to enable graduate students intending to do doctoral research in Sri Lanka to make a pre-dissertation visit to Sri Lanka to investigate the feasibility of their topic, to sharpen their research design, or to make other practical arrangements for future research. Applicants must be enrolled at an American university, or they may be US citizens enrolled at a foreign university.
Language Instruction Grants: support students and scholars who wish to acquire or improve language skills. These funds can be used to help to defray the costs of language instruction in Sinhala, Tamil, or Pali. Normally, the instruction must take place in Sri Lanka and the center will supply recipients with advice about language programs and tutors. The program is supported with funds provided by the US Department of Education.
Research Fellowships: support two to six months of research in Sri Lanka by US citizens who already hold a PhD or the equivalent at the time they begin their fellowship tenure. Both scholars with little or no experience in Sri Lanka as well as specialists are encouraged to apply.
TURKEY
American Research Institute in Turkey
Advanced Turkish Language Study Fellowships: for advanced participants in the summer program in intensive advanced Turkish language at Boğaziçi University* in Istanbul. This is a unique opportunity for intensive and immersive study of advanced Turkish language.
one to three advanced long-term fellowships for research in affiliation with ARIT centers in Turkey, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The fields of study cover all periods of history in the general range of the humanities and include humanistic oriented aspects of the social sciences, prehistory, history, art, archaeology, literature, and linguistics, as well as interdisciplinary aspects of cultural history. The fellowships tenures range from four to twelve continuous months.
Research Fellowships: Grants for tenures up to one academic year will be considered; applications for projects of shorter duration, as brief as one or two months, are also supported. ARIT offers research and study facilities as well as connections with colleagues, institutions, and authorities through its branch centers in Istanbul and Ankara. Scholars and advanced graduate students engaged in research on ancient, medieval, or modern times in Turkey, in any field of the humanities and social sciences, are eligible to apply.
WEST AFRICA
West African Research Association
Pre-doctoral & Post-doctoral Fellowships: provides funding for 2 to 3 month’s research in West Africa during the summer and is for the purpose of 1) preparing a doctoral research proposal; or 2) carrying out research related to the completion of another terminal degree program (e.g., MFA or MPH); 3) completing or elaborating upon an earlier project; 4) initiating a new project; 5)enhancing understanding of a particular topic in order to improve teaching effectiveness or broaden course offerings This competition is open to U.S. citizens already holding a Ph.D. who are currently affiliated with an academic institution or who work in another related domain or who are currently enrolled in graduate programs at institutions of higher education in the United States.
Residency Fellowships: offers Residencies for WARA member institutions to host a West African Scholar on their campus. Each residency will last 4-8 weeks and will provide the visiting scholar with opportunities for library research, guest lecturing, and/or collaborative work with American colleagues.
Travel Grants for West African Scholars:
promotes intra-African cooperation and exchange among researchers and institutions by providing support to African scholars and graduate students for research visits to other institutions and regions on the continent. Travel grant funds may be used to; attend and present papers at academic conferences held on the continent of Africa, visit libraries or archives located in Africa with resources necessary to the applicant’s academic work, engage in collaborative work with colleagues at another African institution, travel to a research site in Africa.
Library Fellowship: open to U.S. citizens, is designed to provide experience in West Africa for practicing librarians and for the next generation of Africana librarians, and to assist in capacity building at the library of the West African Research Center (WARC) in Dakar, Senegal. The WARC Library Fellow will work with the WARC librarian on electronic cataloguing and use of electronic research databases, and should have well developed skills in these areas. Preference will be given to those who have a working knowledge of French.
YEMEN
American Institute for Yemeni Studies
Fellowships for US Scholars: U.S. citizens who are either current graduate students or post graduate scholars as well as team submissions are welcome, though all team members must meet the eligibility criteria. This fellowship enables scholars to travel and complete research on Yemen in any academic discipline. Travel must be carried out outside of the U.S. and Yemen.
Fellowships for Yemeni Scholars: Citizens of Yemen who are enrolled as full-time graduate students in recognized degree programs, who are post-graduate professionals or who are acknowledged experts are eligible. AIYS gives grants of up to $1,500 for original scholarly research projects in Yemen in any discipline, with a focus on issues related to Yemen’s rich cultural heritage.