Early-Career PhDs to Join Nonprofit Organizations in Communities Across the Country
NEW YORK, May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to name 16 new ACLS Leading Edge Fellows. The ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship Program supports outstanding recent PhDs in the humanities and social sciences as they work with organizations advancing justice and equity in communities across the United States. The program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
In 2025, fellows will take up two-year positions designed to take advantage of the diverse skills of PhD humanists while contributing to the impactful work of host organizations, including The Afiya Center (Dallas, TX), Open Communities (Evanston, IL), and Sojourner House (Providence, RI). The 2025 Leading Edge Fellows earned PhDs from 14 universities and represent a wide array of humanistic disciplines, including American studies, art history, Black studies, communications, English, geography, philosophy, psychology, religion, and women's studies.
"ACLS is excited to announce the 16 Leading Edge Fellows who will join our 2025 host organization partners to build capacity through work in narrative strategy, policy research, advocacy, and community outreach," said Desiree Barron-Callaci, ACLS Senior Program Officer for US Programs. "Our fellows will also have the opportunity to learn from colleagues with diverse forms of professional training, and work with communities in Florida, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and more. We are grateful to our partner organizations who collaborated with ACLS to design positions that creatively harness the power of humanistic training and participated in the program's multi-stage review process."
Meet the 2025 Leading Edge Fellows and learn about their positions.
Leading Edge Fellows receive a $72,000 stipend in the first year and $74,000 in the second for in-person positions, with fully remote fellows receiving a $70,000 stipend in the first year and $72,000 in the second. The award also comes with access to health insurance and an annual budget of up to $3,000 for professional development activities, as well as networking, mentorship, and career development resources provided by ACLS.
The Mellon Foundation recently awarded ACLS a $3 million grant to continue the Leading Edge Fellowship Program. The grant will allow ACLS to place an eighth cohort of recent humanities and social sciences PhDs in two-year positions with nonprofit organizations across the country in 2026. Information about the upcoming competition, including eligibility guidelines, partner organizations, and applications will be available in January 2026.
Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 81 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.
Media Contact
Anna Polovick Waggy, American Council of Learned Societies, 6468307661, [email protected], https://www.acls.org/
SOURCE American Council of Learned Societies
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