FAQ: ACLS Leading Edge Fellowships

Applicants must have a PhD that will have been formally conferred by their university between September 1, 2020, and August 31, 2025. Applicants scheduled to graduate in Spring or Summer 2025 must be prepared to verify, with confirmation from their university registrar’s office, a PhD conferral date on or before August 31. Applicants who do not have a PhD officially conferred by their university by August 31, 2025, will not be able to take up the fellowship.

While the stages and timing of PhD completion varies from institution to institution, ‘conferral’ refers to the official issuing of the diploma by your university, often coinciding with graduation. Defense, filing, and submission of the dissertation are usually earlier stages in this process, and for the purposes of eligibility for this program will not suffice. Please confirm your official conferral date with your university registrar before reaching out to ACLS with questions about this criterion.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the US for the entire duration of the fellowship term. This includes Indigenous individuals residing in the United States through rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794, and those who hold DACA status, Temporary Protected Status, or political asylee or refugee status. Unfortunately, neither ACLS nor the host organization can sponsor fellows for visas or provide advice on visa applications.

No, the Leading Edge Fellowship program is specifically targeted to recent recipients of a PhD in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. Individuals with terminal degrees other than a PhD are not eligible.

Yes, your PhD may come from a non-US institution, as long as you meet the work eligibility requirements described above.

For the purpose of the spring 2025 competition of the Leading Edge Fellowship competition, PhDs in any field in the humanities or interpretive social sciences may apply. The humanities and related social sciences include but are not limited to American studies; anthropology; archaeology; art and architectural history; classics; economics; ethnic studies; film; gender studies; geography; history; languages and literatures; legal studies; linguistics; musicology; philosophy; political science; religious studies; rhetoric, communication, and media studies; sociology; and theater, dance, and performance studies. PhDs in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary humanistic studies are welcome.

PhDs in psychology are eligible only if the degree’s focus is on the history of psychology or environmental psychology. Degrees in clinical, organizational, or counseling psychology are not eligible for this competition. PhDs in education are eligible only if the degree is in the anthropology, history, or sociology of education. PhDs in Curriculum, Educational Leadership, and Administration are ineligible for this competition. EdDs are not eligible for the purposes of this program. This program also does not accept applications from students receiving a PhD in any field of pre-professional or applied study, including in the fields of business, public policy or public administration, arts or arts education, creative writing, journalism, library sciences, law, social work, social welfare, urban planning, public health, filmmaking, and performing arts. While the pursuit of degrees in such fields often involves engagement with the humanities, this program aims to promote the value of humanities disciplines that have not traditionally been recognized as preparatory for careers beyond the academy. Master’s degrees, even if they are the terminal degree in the field, will not be accepted as substitutes for the PhD.

Please write to us at [email protected] if your degree is not listed above, or if you have any questions about your eligibility status.

Most of the Leading Edge fellowship opportunities will require the fellow to be present for regular onsite work in the city and state listed for their location. Candidates who are not located in these cities will be expected to relocate to within commuting distance, and fellows should expect to be available for in-person work during regular business hours. For these positions, the stipend level will be $72,000 in the first year of the fellowship and $74,000 in the second year. If you must relocate for the position, ACLS will provide up to $5,000 in funds for relocation. While some hybrid work might be possible for some of these fellowship positions, the particulars of each organization’s hybrid work policy are subject to change and will be discussed with finalist candidates.

A few positions will be held remotely, and the position descriptions are labeled as such. For these positions, the stipend level will be $70,000 in the first year of the fellowship, and $72,000 for the second. When travel is required, this has been specified in the position description. For these positions, unless specified, geographic proximity is not a factor in the selection process. All fellows, even fellows in remote positions, must reside and maintain authorization to work in the United States for the duration of the fellowship.

No, applicants must be prepared to begin the fellowship term within the advertised date range in the position description.

Yes, as long as the Leading Edge program’s stated eligibility requirements are met. ACLS awardees are not permitted to hold two ACLS fellowships concurrently.

Yes, you may apply to the program more than once, provided that you still meet the eligibility requirements. ACLS awardees are not permitted to hold two ACLS fellowships concurrently.

Applicants may choose to apply to either one or two of the Leading Edge Fellowship positions offered in the current competition.

Each applicant may apply to up to two positions. We encourage you to read through all of the position descriptions on the competition webpage. Applicants have many reasons for selecting the position(s) they apply to, but the two most important factors are 1) interest in/dedication to the organization’s mission; and 2) fit with or aptitude for the particular position within the organization. Applicants sometimes wonder whether it is possible to “game” the application process by applying to what they think might be a less competitive position, but the best strategy is to apply for the position(s) for which you feel you are best suited and would align best with your interests, skills, and career goals.

This will vary, depending on how much work you have prepared before you begin the application process. Simply filling in the form will probably take an hour if not two, plus you will need to submit a cover letter and resume for each position to which you choose to apply. We highly recommend that you start the process before the deadline to get a sense of what is required and start preparing your materials.

Please find the short answer questions below for your reference:
1. The ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship program aims to demonstrate that advanced training in qualitative and interpretive methods has the potential to advance social justice work beyond the academy. Leading Edge host organizations benefit from recent humanities PhDs’ capacity for collaborating with teams, communication, strategic thinking project management and interpersonal skills, as well as cultural competencies and language skills. Please provide a concrete example of a skill, capacity or perspective honed in the course of earning your PhD that you hope to contribute to work advancing social justice beyond the academy. (<300 words)

2. The ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship program provides fellows with cohort-based and individual opportunities for professional development and career exploration, including group and individual career coaching, mentoring, virtual and in person events, and professional development funding. Please use the space below to share your interest in exploring careers beyond the academy, and some of the professional skills and experiences you would hope to gain in the fellowship. (<300 words)

No, you may work on it in multiple sessions, though you will need to save your work after you finish each section of the application. Once you have submitted the application, you cannot work on it again.

Applicants should address all materials to their selected host organization, not ACLS. It is very important to review the position description and do some research about the host organization. Read the position description carefully, visit the organization’s website, and familiarize yourself with the work they do. NOTE: Applicants may not contact the host organization with any questions about the fellowship, position, or application process. Questions about the program should be directed to ACLS at [email protected].

The deadline to submit completed applications for this fellowship is March 12, 2025, 9:00PM EDT.

No, your application will be judged as it is at the time of submission. However, you may be contacted during the review process for further information or clarification about elements in your application.

If you are selected as a Leading Edge Fellow, you will be asked to submit university documentation of PhD conferral (such as a scanned transcript or diploma). If you are a Spring or Summer 2025 graduate and selected as a finalist for a Leading Edge award, you will be required to submit a confirmation from your university registrar’s office with an official university conferral date on or before August 31, 2025. Only providing your dissertation defense, filing, or submission date will NOT be sufficient.

Your main priority should be to designate references who can speak to the strength of your qualifications for a particular position. A referee may or may not be someone you worked with during your graduate studies and is not required to be an academic.

Please include the name, title, and contact information (email address and phone number), and a brief description of your relationship to the referee. Should you be designated as a finalist, you should inform your referees that they may be contacted as part of the review process.

When you are contacted by the host organization for an interview, please be communicative and offer as much availability as you can to help the interview process proceed as quickly as possible. Be sure to review your own job materials and the position description once again before the interview. It is also important to remember that talking in detail about your academic specialty is probably not the best way to spend your limited time speaking with the host organization. It is most important to demonstrate your sincere interest in and qualifications for the position, and that you have learned everything you can from the organization’s publicly available information. Host organizations will want to know how the fellowship position, and specifically working with them, will help advance your professional goals.

It is also important to know that some aspects of the fellowship are determined by program policy and not by the host organization itself. The fellowship’s start in September 2025 and the stipend, for example, are not negotiable. The fellowship also cannot be held alongside other significant employment or professional commitments.

However, each organization approaches the interview process somewhat differently, so we also encourage you to approach the process as a learning opportunity in and of itself—ultimately, our partners are seeking intellectually curious and enthusiastic colleagues.

Successful Leading Edge Fellowship applicants are able to demonstrate the connection between their past academic, extracurricular, and professional experience and the position to which they are applying. It is important to translate the skills and capacities you honed in the course of your doctoral studies and extracurricular activities to make them legible to a new audience and connect them to the responsibilities in the position description. There is a growing body of literature online with advice about applying to jobs outside the academy, which would be useful to consult as you prepare your Leading Edge Fellowship application. A number of ACLS’s member scholarly societies have developed programming and online resources for career exploration, among them the Modern Language Association’s Connected Academics initiative, the American Historical Association’s Career Diversity programming, and the American Philosophical Association’s Beyond Academia report. Other resources include career services websites at your graduate institution, for example: University of Michigan Career Center.

The most competitive applicants are able to demonstrate sincere, well-researched interest in the organizations they seek to work with as well as an understanding of how their experience and skillsets can help advance the goals outlined in the posted fellowship position descriptions. There is no one perfect format for a cover letter, or a resume, but in any case they should be tailored to the particular position description for which you are applying and should not resemble traditional academic job letters or CVs.

The most competitive applicants are able to demonstrate sincere, well-researched interest in the organizations they seek to work with as well as an understanding of how their experience and skillsets can help advance the goals outlined in the posted fellowship position descriptions. There is no one perfect format for a cover letter, or a resume, but in any case they should be tailored to the particular position description for which you are applying and should not resemble traditional academic job letters or CVs. This resource from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences provides helpful advice on converting an academic CV to a resume.

The University of California Humanities Research Institute’s Humanists@Work website features a variety of useful resources, including an interview with an ACLS program officer offering tips for writing a strong application to the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows program, closely related to the Leading Edge Fellowship program. ImaginePhD, which is a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences, also has a number of resources for creating job search materials and interviewing. The National Humanities Alliance’s Humanities for All site catalogues public humanities projects as well as bibliography and other resources about the publicly engaged humanities.

Applications go through three separate stages of review. First, all eligible applications are read by peer reviewers whose collective expertise covers a range of disciplines in the humanities as well as a broad spectrum of career experience. The first stage of review determines which applications will go on to the second stage. At that point, applications are reviewed by the host organizations, who will send rankings and feedback to ACLS. Finally, ACLS interviews top-ranked candidates to offer the fellowship.

ACLS does not require reviewers to provide feedback to applicants, though we greatly appreciate those who choose to do so. Applicants can request reviewer comments at the conclusion of a competition cycle. Any available comments requested within a month of the end of the competition will be provided by the following fall.

When you are contacted by the host organization for an interview, please be communicative and offer as much availability as you can to help the interview process proceed as quickly as possible. Be sure to review your own job materials and the position description once again before the interview. It is also important to remember that talking in detail about your academic specialty is probably not the best way to spend your limited time speaking with the host organization. What is most important is to demonstrate your sincere interest in and qualifications for the position, and that you have learned everything you can from the organization’s publicly available information. Host organizations will want to know how the fellowship position, and specifically working with them, will help advance your professional goals.

It is also important to know that some aspects of the fellowship are determined by program policy and not by the host organization itself. The fellowship’s start in September 2025 and the stipend, for example, are not negotiable. The fellowship also cannot be held alongside other significant employment or professional commitments.

However, each organization approaches the interview process somewhat differently, so we also encourage you to approach the process as a learning opportunity in and of itself—ultimately, our partners are seeking intellectually curious and enthusiastic colleagues.

Beyond reflecting ACLS’s organization-wide commitment to inclusive excellence, the Leading Edge Fellowship Program aims to demonstrate that the skills and capacities gained in advanced humanistic study can contribute to advancing justice and equity in society, by creating opportunities for recent PhDs to contribute to the work of social justice organizations across the country. These fellowship opportunities are meant to foster fellows’ professional skills and networks beyond the academy, through the creation of roles which draw on their training and experience and supplemental resources to encourage career exploration and developing new professional skills. Thus, reviewers and host organizations will be attentive to applicants’ stated career goals and aspirations, as well as their potential to successfully apply their academic and pre-PhD experience to the work of the fellowship position.

Please write to [email protected].