Grants to USA, Canada, and International Nonprofits for Projects that Foster International Scholarship Related to American Art Topics is a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies that funds scholarly projects advancing research and education about American art. The program supports nonprofits and academic institutions in the U.S., Canada, and internationally that foster humanistic inquiry into American artistic traditions.

Awards of up to $25,000 are available. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations and educational institutions engaged in scholarship related to American art. The application deadline is November 30, 2026.

# Fellowships & Grants - ACLS * Our HistoryToggle SubNav * ACLS Strategic Framework * What We DoToggle SubNav * Supporting Scholars & ScholarshipToggle SubNav * Fellowship & Grant Programs * Amplifying Humanistic Scholarship * Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program * Community College Humanities Initiative * Publicly Engaged Religion Mapping Project * Connecting Academic NetworksToggle SubNav * Our Work with Member Societies * Our Work with Member Institutions * Future of the AcademyToggle SubNav * Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy * Doctoral Futures Initiative * Building Blocks for A New Academy * Publications & DiscussionsToggle SubNav * Commission on Fostering and Sustaining Diverse Digital Scholarship * ACLS Scholar Recommendations * Our CommunitiesToggle SubNav * Conference of Executive Officers * ACLS Research University Consortium * Fellowships & GrantsToggle SubNav * Fellowship & Grant Programs * Recent Fellows & GranteesToggle SubNav * News & EventsToggle SubNav * Support ACLSToggle SubNav * ACLS Strategic Framework * Supporting Scholars & Scholarship * Fellowship & Grant Programs * Amplifying Humanistic Scholarship * Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program * Community College Humanities Initiative * Publicly Engaged Religion Mapping Project * Connecting Academic Networks * Our Work with Member Societies * Our Work with Member Institutions * Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy * Doctoral Futures Initiative * Building Blocks for A New Academy * Publications & Discussions * Commission on Fostering and Sustaining Diverse Digital Scholarship * ACLS Scholar Recommendations * Conference of Executive Officers * ACLS Research University Consortium * Fellowship & Grant Programs * Recent Fellows & Grantees The American Council of Learned Societies began awarding fellowships and grants to individual scholars in 1926.

Since then, ACLS has sought to meet the needs of an ever-changing academy and meet new challenges faced by scholars, whether early-career, independent, established educators, those working within the administrative ranks, and those forging paths in public-facing research.

ACLS Fellowship & Grant Programs ACLS supports individual scholars and scholarly teams around the world in their pursuit of research that advances knowledge in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.

### HBCU Fellowship & Grant Program Supporting the scholarship of humanities and social sciences faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities ### Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowships Supporting innovative approaches to dissertation research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences ### ACLS Digital Justice Grants Providing resources for projects that diversify the digital domain, advance justice and equity in digital scholarly practice, and contribute to public understanding of racial and social justice issues ### The Robert H.

N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars Placing recent recipients of the PhD in professional positions at museums, libraries, and publications that present and interpret knowledge of Buddhist traditions > “It is important to bridge the scholarly gap, as well as the gap that exists in terms of access to resources, networks, and archives between academic communities in the Global North and the Global South.

” Parjanya Sen F’23 shares his research on the links between Tibet and colonial Bengal, as well as his perspective as a scholar from Kolkata, India.

Humanistic Scholarship Responding to Today’s Most Pressing Issues * **“Functional Fashions: Dress and Disability in the United States, 1950-1975,”** Natalie Wright, 2025 Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellow in American Art * **“Cripping Time Across “Realities”: Technology-Integrated Storytelling through a Co-Curated Disability and Neurodiversity Arts Exhibition,”** Ria J.

Gualano, 2025 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellow * **“An Environmental History of the Crimean War,”** Catherine M.

Ashcraft, 2025 Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe * **“Sounding Data Justice for Environmental Liberation in Southeast Queens,”**2024 ACLS Digital Justice Seed Grantee * **“Strategic Play: The Labor Politics of Online Gaming in China,”** Mengyang Zhao, 2025 Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellow in China Studies * **“With Her Cutlass Always Raised: Slavery and Collective Struggle in the Plantation Caribbean,”**Patrick Barker, 2025 ACLS Community College Faculty Research Fellow * **“A Refuge of Resistance: A History of the U.S. Sanctuary Movement,”** Lloyd D.

Barba, 2025 ACLS Fellow * **“The Walls Speak: Migration and Memory in Chinese American Architecture and Ornament,”** Elizabeth Fair, 2024 Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellow in American Art Video Interviews with ACLS Fellows and Grantees ### David Sterling Brown F’21 David Sterling Brown F’21 shares his Mellon/ACLS Scholars and Society Fellowship experience and his new book Shakespeare’s White Others ### Prithi Kanakamedala F’21 Mellon/ACLS Community College Faculty Fellow Prithi Kanakamedala F’21 discusses her research on Brooklyn abolitionists ### Ned Benton G’22 & Judy-Lynne Peters G’22 ACLS Digital Justice Grantees Ned Benton G’22 and Judy-Lynne Peters G’22 discuss their work on the Northeast Slavery Records Index ## Support for Scholars Before and Beyond the Award ACLS continues to provide valuable professional development resources for both applicants and awardees beyond the award period.

We regularly host office hours sessions and webinars during the application period to answer questions and provide technical assistance to prospective applicants. Current and past awardees also participate in ACLS professional development workshops and convenings, including dissertation workshops for Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellows and Robert H. N.

Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies awardees; roundtable discussions and panels on topics including public-facing scholarship and mentorship for Luce/ACLS Fellows in China Studies; and an annual career seminar for ACLS Leading Edge Fellows. * ACLS Joins Buddhism Public Scholar Tierney B. Brown at the American Museum of Natural History ACLS staff met Tierney B.

Brown F’25 at the American Museum of Natural History to learn project updates, meet with Brown’s advisor, and receive a museum tour.

News Article January 13, 2026 * ACLS Joins 2025 American Academy of Religion and Society for Biblical Literature Annual Meeting ACLS joined the 2025 American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting and Society for Biblical Literature (SBL) Annual Meeting in Boston, MA bringing scholars together to discuss and share update.

News Article January 13, 2026 * ACLS Joins AHA Amicus Brief in Support of Foreign Scholars The brief supports Harvard University’s lawsuit against the federal government over the university’s ability to host foreign scholars and students.

News Article January 5, 2026 * Sounding Data Justice for Environmental Liberation in Southeast Queens Learn how a community-driven 2024 Digital Justice Seed Grant project is increasing data literacy, ethics, and environmental awareness.

News Article January 6, 2026 * ACLS Fellows Share Expertise on Birthright Citizenship Learn about ACLS fellows at the forefront of shaping public understanding and informing policymakers on birthright citizenship.

News Article December 11, 2025 * ACLS Launches 2026 ACLS Open Access Book Prize and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award Competition Publishers are invited to nominate books for the 2026 prizes now through Friday, February 27, 2026. News Article December 9, 2025 * Support and Connection on the Leading Edge From July 24-25, 2025, ACLS hosted a career development seminar for Leading Edge Fellows in Philadelphia, PA.

News Article August 12, 2025 * ACLS Gathers Community of Buddhist Studies Scholars at Early Career Retreat The tenth annual retreat included 32 participants, gathering a global network of fellows and grantees, program mentors and advisors, and staff.

News Article August 11, 2025 * ACLS Convenes Scholars of East Central and Southeastern Europe for 2025 Summer Institute in Bulgaria The residency offered 15 scholars time and space to research and writing in a collaborative, interdisciplinary setting.

News Article August 6, 2025 * ACLS Hosts Workshop on Supported Research on Impact of Liberal Arts Education Fellows discuss College and Beyond II and Arthur Vining Davis Foundations-sponsored research with key stakeholders. News Article August 8, 2025 * ACLS Joins Association for Asian Studies 2025 Annual Meeting ACLS hosted receptions for fellows and alumni of The Robert H. N.

Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies and Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies. News Article April 8, 2025 * ACLS Hosts 2024 Early Career Buddhist Studies Retreat in Mexico City The 2024 Early Career Retreat in Mexico City brought together scholars of Buddhism from around the globe.

News Article September 9, 2024 * ACLS Grantees Meet at 2024 Digital Humanities Conference in Virginia ACLS hosted digital humanities scholars, librarians, and archivists for workshops alongside the annual conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations.

News Article August 21, 2024 ### Elevating the Voices of Black Womxn and Girls Leading Edge Fellow Amber Reid F’23 uses her humanities PhD as a research analyst at the Afiya Center in Dallas, TX. ### Innovating Dissertation Methods 2023 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellows share their pathbreaking research methods and fellowship experiences.

### Researching Uyghur Dispossession and Terror Capitalism Luce/ACLS Fellow in China Studies Darren Byler F’21, G’14 shares his research on Uyghurs and other minoritized groups in Northwest China. ### Supporting Scholars at HBCUs Trushna Parekh F’24, Lamon B. Lawhorn G’24, and Ana Lucia Araujo F’24 share their research and the impact of the ACLS HBCU Faculty Fellowship and Grant Program.

Formed in 1919, ACLS is a nonprofit federation of 81 scholarly organizations. As the preeminent representative of American scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, ACLS holds a core belief that knowledge is a public good. * Online Fellowship and Grant Administration (OFA) Portals 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6706 Telephone: 212-697-1505