Fellowship in Anthropology and Black Experiences
General
This writing fellowship expands anthropological conversations and builds capacity in anthropology, both as a career and a field of study, by amplifying perspectives previously underrepresented in the discipline. The Fellowship in Anthropology and Black Experiences supports individuals whose research draws on Black studies, critical race studies, diasporic Africana studies, the vernacular insights of communities of color, and other sources of inspiration growing out of global Black experiences, to advance new lines of scholarship in any of anthropology’s subfields. We hope to attract applicants working in diverse areas, including but not limited to Black communities.
Applicants should show how the Fellowship would enable them to succeed at a critical juncture in their career, alter their trajectory in the field, and enable them to reach new networks and audiences within and beyond anthropology. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. We welcome independent scholars to apply, as well as those affiliated with an institution or organization.
As part of the nine-month fellowship, the Fellow will join a cohort of awardees and benefit from a writing workshop and networking designed to help them amplify their writing project’s impact within the public sphere.
Award Money
Fellows receive a stipend of $80,000 over nine months. You are welcome to request the funds be paid directly to you or through an affiliated institution. Wenner-Gren grants and fellowships do not include funds to cover institutional overhead or any fees related to the administration of the funds.
Application Deadline
The application deadline is December 15 for a nine-month fellowship. The online application will be available on the Wenner-Gren website two months before the deadline. We expect to complete the review process approximately three months after the application deadline. One Fellowship in Anthropology and Black Experiences is awarded annually.
Fellows commit to participating in a writing craft workshop held in the summer of the following year. Fellowships begin on September 1 of the following year.
Who Can Apply
This opportunity is open to Ph.D.-holding anthropologists of all ranks. We consider anthropology to include socio-cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological anthropology, and archaeology or their equivalent in countries where these fields are named differently. Qualified scholars with U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent residency are welcome to apply.
Prior recipients of an Anthropology and Black Experiences Fellowship or a Hunt Fellowship are not eligible to apply. Applicants whose research is oriented toward primatology or primate conservation must demonstrate the broader anthropological relevance of their work. The Foundation supports work on endangered languages and language structure, but only when it is grounded in anthropological concerns.
The Foundation accepts a single resubmission of a Fellowship in Anthropology and Black Experiences application that was unsuccessful in a prior funding cycle.
Grantees funded by our other programs must complete all requirements of their existing award, including submission of the final report, before applying for a new award. We do not allow applicants to have more than one submission under consideration at the same time. This includes applications to other Wenner-Gren programs.
Our reviewers carefully assess the quality of the proposed project, its potential contribution to anthropological knowledge, and its adherence to the principles articulated in our mission, including a commitment to fostering an inclusive vision of anthropology. We expect applicants to draw inspiration from a broad range of scholarship, including relevant work in English and other languages. Please refer to “Motion of the 32nd RBA: Diversify Information and Education about the Global Anthropologies of Foreign Researchers and Anthropology Students.”
Successful proposals include the following features:
- A well-defined focus
- A convincing explanation of how the research forming the basis of the project effectively supports the findings
- A compelling description of how the writing project will advance anthropological knowledge and transform debates in the field
- Realistic goals when it comes to the amount of writing to be completed
- A clear depiction of how this support will enable the applicant to succeed at a critical juncture in their career and alter their trajectory in the field
- A commitment to cultivating their skills in public anthropology
The Foundation prioritizes applicants who have already made considerable progress on their project. Successful applicants are able to demonstrate, by providing detailed outlines and synopses, that they have a clear vision of the work ahead and know what they need to do to succeed.
For the application procedures and questions, use our Application Guide.
Applications must be in English. Applicants must submit all forms and other required materials online. If you do not have adequate internet access to use our system, please contact us at least two weeks before the deadline and we’ll help arrange an alternative method. You will be able to submit your application from the time the application becomes available October 15, up until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on December 15 of each year.
Before submitting your application, please refer to the U.S. tax information on our website.
The Foundation requires successful applicants to comply with all U.S. laws. These include but are not limited to regulations governed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which administers U.S. government sanctions programs and regulations relating to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List). Please see the OFAC Guidelines page on our website and consult the U.S. Department of the Treasury for more information.
In compliance with OFAC regulations, the Foundation requires special documentation for projects located in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Crimea (including Sevastopol), the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic regions of Ukraine, and Russia. The Foundation does not require this documentation at the application stage, but we must receive it before we can release funds.
Please do not send any other materials beyond what the application requests. Do not send transcripts, reference letters, previous manuscripts, publications, photographs, or recordings. We will not use this material in the review and we cannot return it to you.
The Foundation has a strict policy regarding the use of generative AI. Please consult it before applying.