American Council of Learned Societies Awards 2026 ACLS Leading Edge Fellowships

Fourteen Humanities and Social Science PhDs Will Join Mission-Driven Nonprofit Organizations Advancing Justice and Equity

NEW YORK, May 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to announce the 2026 ACLS Leading Edge Fellows. The ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship Program supports outstanding early-career PhDs in the humanities and social sciences as they join the work of mission-driven nonprofit organizations. The program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation. In 2026 ACLS proudly celebrates 100 years of grantmaking to individual scholars.

In fall 2026, 14 fellows will begin two-year positions designed to take advantage of the numerous skills of PhD humanists while contributing to the work of host organizations. Awardees earned PhDs from 13 universities and represent a wide array of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

"ACLS is excited to support and share the work of these new Leading Edge Fellows," said Desiree Barron-Callaci, ACLS Senior Program Officer in US Programs. "English PhDs will research and advocate for increased access to higher education in New York and DC, assess curricula for movement-based youth education in Oakland, and evaluate direct service programs for families in Jackson. Anthropologists will join organizations promoting accountability in international development, voting rights in Georgia, and broadband infrastructure in the rural US. Historians, geographers, and American studies PhDs will help challenge harmful narratives about immigrants to the United States and advocate for research supporting equitable economic growth."

Meet the 2026 Leading Edge Fellows and learn about their positions.

The 2026 host organizations are eager to welcome the awardees in September, and to help them apply their advanced humanities skills to work in a diverse range of impactful roles.

"The skills required to earn a doctoral degree in the humanities and social sciences translate well to working on public policy," said Anar Parikh, Policy Manager at 2026 ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship host organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. "The strong analytical reading and writing skills, research experience, and project management skills a PhD brings will add significant capacity for our work."

Leading Edge Fellows receive up to $72,000 in the first year and up to $74,000 in the second, plus access to health insurance. The award also comes with an annual budget of up to $3,000 for professional development activities, as well as networking, mentorship, and career development resources provided by ACLS.

Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 86 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS expands the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation's largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Mellon believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. Through its grants, Mellon seeks to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. 

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SOURCE American Council of Learned Societies