Fellowships & Grants

SHAFR will make one six-month award in the amount of $15,000 to support the writing and completion of the doctoral dissertation in each academic year. This highly competitive fellowship will support the most promising doctoral candidates in the final phase of completing their dissertations.

Applicants are automatically considered for all four grants and must be actively working on dissertations dealing with some aspect of U.S. foreign relations history. These awards are announced formally in January.

The Michael J. Hogan Foreign Language Fellowship was established to honor Michael J. Hogan, long-time editor of Diplomatic History. Applicants must be graduate students whose research on some aspect of U.S. foreign relations history benefits from proficiency in a foreign language. The fellowship is intended to defray the costs of studying foreign languages needed for research, or for the travel costs associated with research in foreign language archives. Given current travel restrictions, these funds can be used for online language learning programs. The award is announced formally in January.

The William Appleman Williams Emerging Scholar Research Grants are intended to promote scholarly research in U.S. foreign relations by members who are within six years of the Ph.D. Grants are limited to scholars working on their first research monograph. A limited number of grants of varying amounts (generally, up to $2,000) will be awarded annually to help defray the costs of domestic or international travel necessary to conduct research on significant scholarly projects. The award is announced formally in January.

The Myrna F. Bernath Fellowship was originally established by the Bernath family and SHAFR Council in 1990 to promote scholarship in U.S. foreign relations history by women. The award committee now invites applications from women, nonbinary, and/or trans scholars. The Myrna Bernath Fellowship of up to $2,500 is intended to defray the costs of scholarly research by women. It is awarded biannually (in odd years) and announced at the SHAFR conference. Applications are welcomed from scholars at U.S. universities as well as those abroad who wish to do research in the United States. Preference will be given to graduate students and those within five years of completion of their Ph.Ds.

SHAFR will award several Robert A. and Barbara Divine Graduate Student Travel Grants to assist graduate students presenting papers at the 2027 conference. No award will exceed $500. Priority will be given to graduate students who receive no or limited funds from their home institutions.

Applications must include: A copy of the individual paper proposal along with a short cv (2-page maximum), a 1-page letter from the applicant, proposed budget, and an email from the graduate advisor that confirms the lack of departmental travel funds.

These grants are aimed at scholars whose participation in the annual meeting helps to diversify the organization. Preference will be given to individuals who have not previously presented at the annual meeting. The awards are intended for scholars who represent groups historically underrepresented at SHAFR, scholars who offer diverse and complementary intellectual approaches, and scholars from outside the United States. “Scholars” includes faculty, graduate students, and independent researchers. To further integrate grant winners into SHAFR, awards include a one-year membership to the organization, with subscriptions to Diplomatic History and Passport.

Applicants should submit: A copy of their individual paper proposal along with a short cv (2-page maximum), proposed budget, and a 2-3 paragraph essay addressing the fellowship criteria (including data on previous SHAFR meetings attended and funding received).

Leffler Scholars grants subsidize SHAFR conference attendance by members who hold a Ph.D. and who aspire to attend the conference but lack professional funding to do so. This includes contingent faculty, K-12 educators, independent scholars, and those working in fixed-term or temporary positions.

Applications must include: A copy of the individual paper proposal along with a short cv (2-page maximum), proposed budget, and a 1-page letter from the applicant addressing the fellowship criteria.