Suzanne and Caleb Loring Research Fellowship

Important information for 2021-2022 Fellowship Cycle

As a result of ongoing public health concerns, the MHS and Boston Athenaeum are cautioning all applicants that the terms of research fellowships during the 2021-2022 cycle are subject to change. In an effort to make funding available to scholars during these difficult times, we will accept Loring applications for the upcoming year. However, please note that the terms of awarded fellowships may have temporary restrictions. We strongly encourage all applicants to carefully review their application questions well in advance of the deadline and to reach out with any questions or concerns.

The MHS and Boston Athenaeum reserve the right to offer entirely remote fellowships, to offer deferred fellowships, to restrict research visits to appointment schedules or certain months, or any other such restrictions as are necessary during, and in the wake of Covid. Please note that our application has evolved to include additional questions about your ability to complete remote research, including whether the collections you wish to examine are already digitized, if you would be willing to complete a fellowship through library-provided reproductions, or if you require partial or full on-site access.  Applicants must be more specific than ever about their proposed research and how they plan to execute their work if funded. Note that preference will still be given to the strongest applications. The additional information collected will help determine the terms each award during these unusual times.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Research Department Coordinator, Katy Morris (kmorris@masshist.org) with any additional questions or concerns.

About

The Massachusetts Historical Society and the Boston Athenaeum will award one Suzanne and Caleb Loring Fellowship on the Civil War, Its Origins, and Consequences annually. The recipient will conduct research for at least four weeks at each institution between 1 July 2021, and 30 June 2022. The Athenaeum’s Civil War collections are anchored by its holdings of Confederate states imprints, the largest in the nation, consisting of books, maps, broadsides, sheet music, government documental publications, and other materials organized according to the Parrish & Willingham bibliography. The Society’s manuscript holdings on the Civil War are particularly strong. They include, for instance, diaries, photographs, correspondence from the battlefield and the home front, papers of political leaders, materials on black regiments raised in Massachusetts, and extensive holdings on the U.S. Sanitary Commission. The Athenaeum and the Society are especially interested in projects for which both repositories’ resources are vital. The fellowship carries a stipend of $4,000. Each institution will automatically refer unsuccessful proposals to its short-term fellowship competition.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or already hold the J-1 visa or equivalent documents that will allow them to accept the stipend. Foreign nationals must consult with MHS staff about their eligibility to receive a stipend before submitting an application.

Past Recipients

How to Apply for a Loring Fellowship

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit the below materials through our application portal.

• A cover letter.
• A current curriculum vitae.
• A project proposal approximately 1,000 words in length.
       The proposal should include:
       a) a description of the project;
       b) a statement explaining the historiographical significance of
       the project;
       c) an indication of the specific Massachusetts Historical Society and Boston Athenaeum collections the applicant wishes to consult.

• A short project description approximately 100 words in length.

• Applicants who do NOT hold a Ph.D.: One letter of recommendation from a faculty member familiar with your work and with the project being proposed. Please note the letter is due at the application deadline. You may initiate your recommendation request through our application portal at any time - you do not need to wait until your application is complete.

Deadline

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on 15 February 2021.

Questions?

Please direct questions to fellowships@masshist.org, (617) 646-0577. Stay informed about fellowship deadlines and follow all our other research activities on Twitter @MHS_Research.