ACLS Leading Edge Fellowships

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to invite applications for the 2024 Leading Edge Fellowships, made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation. The program demonstrates the dynamic capacity of the humanities to advance justice and equity in society and illuminates career pathways for early-career PhDs beyond the academy.

In 2024, the ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship Program will offer 21 two-year fellowships with mission-driven nonprofits for recent humanities and interpretive social sciences PhDs. Fellows will join organizations advancing social justice and equity in communities across the United States in staff positions designed to draw on the humanistic skills, capacities, and frameworks developed in the course of earning the PhD.

This year, ACLS is partnering with 21 nonprofit organizations including the UFW Foundation, United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and Western North Carolina Community Health Services.

Application deadline: Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 9:00 PM EDT

Each Leading Edge Fellow will earn $70,000 in year one and $72,000 in year two, and receive employer-sponsored health insurance and professional mentorship. In addition, ACLS provides fellows with separate professional development funding, access to peer mentorship and professional networks, and a relocation stipend (if needed). Fellows will take on roles in advocacy, policy research, communications, public engagement, and more, advancing LGBTQ+ equity, college access, youth development, and empowering workers in the care sector and the agricultural economy. ACLS also provides a variety of professional development and networking activities, including alumni mentorship, career coaching, and events designed to help translate the experiences of their two-year placements into post-fellowship career opportunities.

Applicants for the Leading Edge Fellowship competition must have a PhD in the humanities or interpretive social sciences officially conferred by their university on or after September 1, 2019, and no later than August 31, 2024. All scholars must be authorized to work legally in the United States.

Read more about past and current Leading Edge Fellows, and learn more about our guidelines and selection process.