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Fellowships

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The Historical Society of Pennsylvania awards a number of four-week fellowships for research in its collections during each academic year. 

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Fellowship Details

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Historically, the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania have offered many opportunities for support in the form of one-month fellowships for advanced research in residence in either or both institutions. For this year, the two programs will be administered separately. As part of its continued commitment to supporting researchers, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania will award a number of fellowships for research in its collections during the 2025–26 academic year. Fellowships may be used for any four-week period between June 2025 and May 2026, with flexible scheduling available. The stipend is $2,500. Fellowships support research for advanced, postdoctoral, dissertation, independent, and creative projects. Candidates are strongly encouraged to inquire about the appropriateness of the proposed topic.  

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Application Procedures

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Fellowship applications will open on September 1, 2024, with a due date of January 15, 2025. To apply, please submit via email a single PDF file including the following:  

 

  • project abstract (100–150 words) 

  • narrative proposal (not to exceed 1,500 words) 

  • CV or resume, and  

 

Name the file using this convention: Lastname, Firstname_application. 

 

You may arrange for one letter of recommendation (optional) to be submitted separately. Note that for 2025–26 you must apply separately for Library Company of Philadelphia fellowships (details here).

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For questions or to apply for an HSP fellowship, contact Christina Larocco, Scholarly Programs Manager at HSP (clarocco@hsp.org). 

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The Collection â€‹

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The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has collections capable of supporting research in a variety of fields and disciplines relating to the history of America and the Atlantic world, as well as mid-Atlantic regional history, from the 17th through the 20th centuries. HSP collections are strong in local newspapers and printed ephemera, prints and photographs of the Philadelphia region, and graphics by local artists. They possess extraordinary strength in the history of women and African Americans, popular literature, business and banking, popular medicine, philanthropy and reform, education, natural sciences, technology, art, architecture, German Americana, American Judaica, and a host of other subjects. 

 

Now enriched by the holdings of the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, HSP holds more than 19 million personal, organizational, and business manuscripts, as well 560,000 printed items and 312,000 graphic images concerning national and regional political, social, and family history. The Balch Institute collections bring the HSP added strength in documenting ethnic and immigrant history, with significant holdings of ethnic newspapers, records of benevolent societies and other local and national ethnic organizations, and personal papers of prominent leaders in ethnic and immigrant communities across the nation. Explore HSP’s library catalog. 
 

Fellows are also encouraged to use the collections of the Library Company of Philadelphia, located next-door to HSP in Philadelphia’s Center City. The two independent research libraries have complementary collections capable of supporting research in a variety of fields and disciplines relating to the history of the United States in its Atlantic world context from the 17th through the 19th centuries, as well as Mid-Atlantic regional history to the present. 

 

LCP contains printed materials relating to every aspect of American culture and society from its founding in 1731 through the latter part of the 19th century. It holds over half a million rare books and graphics, including the nation’s second-largest collection of pre-1801 American imprints and one of the largest collections of 18th-century British books in America. Search LCP’s catalog of rare books and graphics. Note that use of LCP collections will not factor into application evaluations. Learn how to apply for LCP fellowships here. 

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Supported Research Subjects 

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For the 2025–26 academic year, HSP will award fellowships in some or all of the following areas: 

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  • Barra Foundation International Fellowships (which also cover travel expenses) are reserved for citizens of other countries living outside the US 
      

  • Balch Institute Fellowships will support research in the HSP/Balch collections on the ethnic and immigrant experience in the United States and/or American cultural, social, political, or economic history post-1875 
      

  • Richardson Dilworth Fellowship will support research on legal or political history, or on the history of reform movements 
      

  • Albert M. Greenfield Fellowship will support research in HSP’s collections on 20th-century American history 
      

  • Esther Ann McFarland Fellowship in memory of Judge William Lewis will support research in either 17th-century Pennsylvania history (with a preference for research on New Sweden or on the influence of early Swedish settlers) or in the history of African Americans in Pennsylvania 
      

  • Robert L. McNeil Jr. Fellowships will support research in early American history 
      

  • Indian Rights Association Fellowship will support research in the field of Native American studies.

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