The Beinecke Library offers, on a competitive basis, short-term fellowships to support research in the Yale Library special collections. This application is open to academic and independent scholars, locally and globally, who would like to apply for funding to pursue research projects that require up to two months of onsite research with the collections. We welcome applications from all interested researchers, regardless of their institutional association, race, cultural background, ability, sexual orientation, gender, or socioeconomic status. Applications from scholars utilizing traditional methods of archival and bibliographic research are encouraged as are applications from individuals who wish to pursue creative, interdisciplinary, and non-traditional approaches to conducting research in the collections.

The application for the 2026-2027 awards open June 2, 2025. Click here for the application on Interfolio. Applications close July 31, 2025.

Applicants will be notified of all decisions by January 31, 2026.

Research must be conducted between June 1, 2026, and May 31, 2027. We are unable to defer awards. 

COVID Advisory Note

Our ability to award fellowships to visiting researchers will be dependent on public health conditions and university guidelines. Current library policies can be viewed on the University library’s website.

Eligibility

• Applicants cannot be enrolled in a degree program at the time of their fellowship award. You may apply for this award if you will have graduated by the time of the fellowship residency. Make this clear in your application. 
   
• Students currently enrolled in degree-granting programs should apply to the graduate student fellowship program 

Expectations for Fellows

• This is a residential fellowship and fellows are expected to spend the majority of their time in the reading room. Fellows are meant to participate in the intellectual life of the university and are encouraged to participate in the activities of library.
   
• Seating in the reading room is limited, therefore applicants’ first choice for arrival cannot be guaranteed. Fellows must finalize their visit dates with the Fellowship Program team prior to arrival.
   
• At the end of the fellowship period, fellows are asked to complete a questionnaire about their experience and to acknowledge the fellowship in publications and lectures that result from research conducted during the fellowship term. The Beinecke Library appreciates being informed of additional work related to your fellowship period.

Funding Information

Fellowships will be awarded in the amount of $5,000 per month for research visits between two weeks and two months in length. Fellows’ funding will be awarded at the beginning of the fellowship whenever possible; payment of international fellows often takes several weeks. All fellows are responsible for paying taxes related to the receipt of their fellowship award.

Application Requirements

All materials must be received through Interfolio by the deadline of July 31, 2025.

• An application form
   
• A curriculum vitae (3 pages max)
   
• A research proposal (1,000 words max) that outlines:

o   Significance of the proposed collections research to your larger project

o   Value of your project to your field

o   Feasibility of completing the scope of research proposed within the proposed fellowship period (2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks)

• A detailed list of materials to be examined during your fellowship, including call numbers, collection names and boxes, and any other bibliographic information available. Also include links to the description of the materials in Orbis, Quicksearch, and/or Archives at Yale. If you anticipate consulting oversize materials (broadsides, posters, maps, etc.), please indicate those clearly in your list.
   
• One confidential letter of recommendation that speaks to the impact of your research on your field and the centrality of accessing the collections to this project.

To assist with your application, you may consult these search tools:

Archives at Yale– a database of descriptions of archival collections (also known as finding aids)

Quicksearch – a search tool that looks at multiple sources, including printed books, manuscripts, and archives

LUX – a new search tool that looks across Yale’s cultural heritage collections (please note only Yale University Library materials are eligible for fellowship funding).

Orbis– online catalog of the Yale University Library

If you have any further questions, please consult our FAQ page or contact beinecke.fellowships@yale.edu. For any techinical difficulties with the application, contact Interfolio directly for assistance.