Guggenheim Fellowship

Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Type: Fellowship

Location: United States, Canada

Deadline: September 15, 2026

Funding: Partially Funded

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has backed artists, writers, scholars and scientists across the United States and Canada since 1925, and it runs one open competition a year. Awards go to mid-career people who already have a recognised body of work behind them, to spend six to twelve months on a single project of their own choosing, with no university post required and no set deliverables. Roughly 200 Fellows are selected each year and recent success rates have averaged around 5 percent. **What you get:** - A monetary award towards six to twelve months of work on one project you choose yourself - Freedom to follow your own direction, in what the Foundation calls the freest possible conditions, with no set deliverables - No institutional affiliation needed. Applicants without any university or employer affiliation are considered on equal footing - Eligibility is kept open alongside other support: people on sabbatical at full or part salary, and people holding other fellowships or research appointments, can still be appointed - Amounts are not published. The Foundation states that grant amounts vary and that it does not guarantee it will fully fund any project, weighing a Fellow's other resources and the scope of their plans **What you'll do:** - Choose one field from the Foundation's list of more than fifty, then propose a single, well defined project in it - Write a 1,000 word career narrative and a 1,000 word statement of plans, and list up to seven of your most significant works - Line up three references, with a fourth optional, who upload letters directly to the Foundation - Submit work examples if your field requires them, uploaded or postmarked two weeks after the portal closes - If selected, pursue the project over a six to twelve month Fellowship period **Key dates:** - Mid-August 2026: application portal opens - September 15, 2026: application due at 11:59 EST. Late applications are not accepted - September 29, 2026: work samples due or postmarked, in fields that require them - October 13, 2026: reference letters due - Late April 2027: Fellows announced by email **More information:** - The Foundation publishes a full application guide for this cycle, dated July 29, 2026 - The list of more than fifty eligible fields spans the creative arts, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and several interdisciplinary areas - The Foundation states that it charges no fees and has no affiliated application consultants or advisors, and that no third party has influence over its selection process - Each application is read in full by two to five expert reviewers, then goes to a Committee of Selection and finally the Board of Trustees. The process takes over six months - Questions go to competition@gf.org or (212) 687-4470

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationFellowship

Guggenheim Fellowship

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Partially Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

What you get:

A monetary award towards six to twelve months of work on one project you choose yourself
Freedom to follow your own direction, in what the Foundation calls the freest possible conditions, with no set deliverables
No institutional affiliation needed. Applicants without any university or employer affiliation are considered on equal footing
Eligibility is kept open alongside other support: people on sabbatical at full or part salary, and people holding other fellowships or research appointments, can still be appointed
Amounts are not published. The Foundation states that grant amounts vary and that it does not guarantee it will fully fund any project, weighing a Fellow's other resources and the scope of their plans

What you'll do:

Choose one field from the Foundation's list of more than fifty, then propose a single, well defined project in it
Write a 1,000 word career narrative and a 1,000 word statement of plans, and list up to seven of your most significant works
Line up three references, with a fourth optional, who upload letters directly to the Foundation
Submit work examples if your field requires them, uploaded or postmarked two weeks after the portal closes
If selected, pursue the project over a six to twelve month Fellowship period

Key dates:

Mid-August 2026: application portal opens
September 15, 2026: application due at 11:59 EST. Late applications are not accepted
September 29, 2026: work samples due or postmarked, in fields that require them
October 13, 2026: reference letters due
Late April 2027: Fellows announced by email

More information:

The Foundation publishes a full application guide for this cycle, dated July 29, 2026
The list of more than fifty eligible fields spans the creative arts, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and several interdisciplinary areas
The Foundation states that it charges no fees and has no affiliated application consultants or advisors, and that no third party has influence over its selection process
Each application is read in full by two to five expert reviewers, then goes to a Committee of Selection and finally the Board of Trustees. The process takes over six months
Questions go to competition@gf.org or (212) 687-4470

Who can apply

Citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada. If you are a citizen your country of residence does not matter, and if you are a permanent resident your country of origin does not matter. Anyone who is neither will not have their application accepted
Mid-career professionals who have made notable contributions to their field. The Foundation defines mid-career by professional output, not by age or institutional affiliation
A significant proposed project, with evidence you are prepared to complete it at the highest level of excellence
Apply as an individual, or jointly with one other person on a genuinely co-authored, co-directed or co-created project. Groups of three or more are not accepted, and joint applicants share one monetary award
Not eligible: anyone who has already received a Guggenheim Fellowship. Additional Fellowships and renewals are not granted
Not eligible: students currently enrolled in secondary, undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate programs
Not eligible: organizations, institutions or other established groups
Application requires a 1,000 word career narrative, a list of up to seven most significant works, a 1,000 word statement of plans, and three to four reference letters. Letters through dossier services such as Interfolio are not accepted
Work examples are required in certain fields, with format and quantity set per field
No age limit is stated. The Foundation says there is no target age for a Fellowship

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