Fellowships & Awards

Click here for Fellowships by Field

Campus Fellowships

Conference Travel Grant

The History Department does not offer funding for conference travel, however students seeking this financial support are encouraged to consider the conference travel grant that is offered by the campus. The eligibility requirements and the application link can be viewed on the university webpage. Once the campus travel grant has been expended, additional conference travel support may be provided at the discretion of a sponsoring faculty advisor. 

Fellowships Administered by Graduate Division

Global International and Area Studies

Each constituent unit in GIAS oversees its own fellowship and grant opportunities.  Includes Center for African Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Institute of European Studies, Institute of International Studies, Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Institute for South Asia Studies, Canadian Studies Program, and Institute for East Asian Studies.

Graduate Fellowships in International Studies

Currently includes Pre-dissertation research grant in international studies as well as the Simpson research grant in international studies for ABDs
More details regarding eligibility and how to apply can be found on the IIS website.  The application deadline for both grants is in March.

Bancroft Library Fellowships & Awards (includes the Gunther Barth Fellowship, which supports undergraduate or graduate students researching the 19th-century history of the North American West, among others.)


External Fellowships

UCSB Department of History List

A great resource and comprehensive list of external fellowships, also includes region- and period-specific funding opportunities.


ASEEES Dissertation Research Grant Program

Thanks to the generosity of donors and members, the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies is offering research grants with a stipend of maximum $6,000, for the purposes of conducting doctoral dissertation research in Eastern Europe and Eurasia in any aspect of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies in any discipline.

Blakemore Fellowships

The Blakemore Foundation was founded in 1990 by Tom and Frances Blakemore for the purpose of providing fellowships for the advanced study of Asian languages and grants to facilitate the introduction of Asian art to communities in the United States.

CAORC Multi-Country Research Fellowships

The Multi-Country Research Fellowship enables US scholars to carry out trans-regional and comparative research in countries across the network of Overseas Research Centers as well as other countries. 

The fellowship supports advanced research in the humanities, social sciences, and allied natural sciences for US doctoral candidates, who are ‘all but dissertation,’ and scholars who have earned their PhD or a terminal degree. Preference will be given to candidates examining comparative and/or cross-regional research. Applicants are eligible to apply as individuals or as teams. Twelve awards of $12,600 each will be granted.

Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Fellowships

The Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies invites applications for the Stephen F. Cohen- Robert C. Tucker Dissertation Fellowship Program in Russian Historical Studies, funded by the KAT Charitable Foundation. The application deadline is in January. 

Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation Dissertation Fellowship

Each year IGCC provides funding for graduate students from all ten UC campuses, including one specially designated Herb York IGCC Fellowship. IGCC seeks to support dissertations around research topics that closely track current global security priorities. The proposed dissertation research must have one of the following themes as an integral part of the project: Food Security, Human Security, Global Health, Nontraditional and Emerging Threats; Terrorism and Political Violence; Cybersecurity; Regional and Major Power Relations; Energy and Environmental Security; Global Environmental and Health Cooperation; Nuclear Nonproliferation; Defense and Military Issues; Geo-economics and the Political Economy of Security.

Fellowships consist of a nine-month stipend of $25,000 to defray living expenses. It is not intended for UC student fees, tuition or health insurance.
Doctoral students enrolled in the University of California, including JD/Ph.D., MD/Ph.D., and MD with thesis, are eligible to apply.

Kibbey Fellowship

The Mead B. Kibbey California State Library Fellowship, established in honor of Mead B. Kibbey, supports projects at the California State Library by currently enrolled college and university students, regardless of academic degree sought, as well as members of Faculty. 

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation

Are you ready to embark on a leadership development journey rooted in Brave Spaces? To apply to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholarship, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1) You must be already accepted into or in year one, two, or three of a full-time doctoral program in the humanities or social sciences (broadly defined; please see the FAQ for more details on this)

2) Your doctoral work must relate to at least one of the Foundation’s Four Themes: Human Rights and Dignity, Responsible Citizenship, Canada and the World, People and their Natural Environment

3) Be a Canadian citizen studying at a Canadian or foreign institution, or a non-Canadian (permanent resident or foreign national) enrolled in a doctoral program at a Canadian institution.

Summer Fellowships

Human Rights Center Fellowships

The Human Rights Center Fellowship provides $6,000 awards and professional support to UC Berkeley undergraduate, graduate, or graduating students to conduct social justice-related projects with an international or domestic partner organization over the summer and participate in the year-long fellowship. Additional aid may be available for students with exceptional need. Since 1994, we’ve enabled more than 364 fellows to work with human rights defenders in 80 countries. Applications are due February.

Tinker Field Research Grants

Tinker Field Research Grants are available to graduate students for travel and field-related expenses for brief periods of pre-dissertation field research in Latin America, defined here as the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of the region. Awards are open to students across all academic disciplines and graduate degree programs.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Berkeley Chancellorʹs Postdoctoral Fellowship Program offers postdoctoral research fellowships and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity at the University of California. The contributions to diversity may include public service towards increasing equitable access in fields where women and minorities are underrepresented. In some fields, the contributions may include research focusing on underserved populations or understanding inequalities related to race, gender, disability or LGBT issues. The program is seeking applicants with the potential to bring to their academic and research careers the perspective that comes from their non‐traditional educational background or understanding of the experiences of members of groups historically underrepresented in higher education.

Fulbright Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Israel

Fulbright Israel plans to award up to eight fellowships to U.S. postdoctoral scholars who seek to pursue research in one of Israel’s academic institutions. Grants are open to researchers in all academic disciplines and support programs of research in Israel for up to 20 months (two academic years).

The program grants a $95,000 scholarship ($47,500 per academic year). The Fellowship Program is open to candidates in all academic disciplines.

Govern for America Fellowship

The GFA Fellowship is a two-year paid opportunity for recent graduates to serve in high-impact roles in governments across the country as a part of a diverse community of engaged leaders.

Hou Family Fellowships in Taiwan Studies

The Hou Family Fellowships in Taiwan Studies sponsors one postdoctoral fellow and one predoctoral fellow to join the Fairbank Center to pursue Taiwan-related research for six to twelve months. Affiliation for the full academic year is encouraged. Fellows are expected to reside in the Greater Boston area for the duration of the fellowship.

Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Social Sciences

This page provides information on some fellowships for postdoctoral researchers in the social sciences.  Deadlines refer to sponsor receipt deadlines. In most cases a portion of the application must be completed by the faculty sponsor, and the entire application must then be processed first by the administering unit and then by SPO. Please allow time for these activities.  Agencies may change their programs, requirements, deadlines, location, and other information at any time. Please verify information from agency websites.

President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

The University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program was established in 1984 to encourage outstanding women and minority Ph.D. recipients to pursue academic careers at the University of California. The current program offers postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity at UC.

Princeton Society of Fellows Fellowship 

The Princeton Society of Fellows, an interdisciplinary group of scholars in the humanities and humanities-related social sciences, calls for fellowship applications annually. Three to five postdoctoral fellows are appointed each year for three-year terms in residence to pursue research and teach half-time in their academic host department, the Program in Humanistic Studies, or other university programs. The fellowships carry with them an appointment as lecturer in a fellow's academic host department. Fellows receive a competitive salary and benefits, a $5,000 research account, access to university grants, a shared office, a computer and other resources. Fellows are expected to reside in or near Princeton during the academic year in order to attend weekly seminars and participate fully in the intellectual life of the Society.

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Technology and International Security

The University of California announces a new collaborative initiative between the systemwide Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) and the UC-managed National Laboratories: the Center for Global Security Research at the Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the National Security and International Studies Office at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

As a part of the joint-initiative, the institutions invite applications for up to six (6) one-year postdoctoral fellowship positions in Technology and International Security.