The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

The Foundation is currently going through the process of changing its name. Learn more here.

Purpose

The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships are designed to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, and particularly to help Ph.D. candidates in these fields complete their dissertation work in a timely manner. In addition to topics in religious studies or in ethics (philosophical or religious), dissertations appropriate to the Newcombe Fellowship competition might explore the ethical implications of foreign policy, the values influencing political decisions, the moral codes of other cultures, and religious or ethical issues reflected in history or literature.

Since the first round of competition in 1981, more than 1,200 Newcombe Fellows have been named. Fellows from early years of the program are now senior faculty members at major research universities and selective liberal arts colleges, curators and directors at significant scholarly archives, and leaders and policymakers at nonprofit organizations and in cabinet-level government agencies. In the past decade, national honors such as the MacArthur Fellowship, Pulitzer Prize in History, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences have been accorded to more than a dozen Newcombe Fellows—a number that will continue to grow as more and more Fellows enter the most productive phases of their careers.

The Fellowship

The Newcombe Fellowships are provided to Ph.D. candidates at American institutions located in the United States who will complete their dissertations during the academic year 2020-2021. In the current Newcombe competition, at least 20 non-renewable Fellowships of $25,000 will be awarded for 12 months of full-time dissertation writing; in addition, Fellows' graduate schools will be asked to waive tuition and/or remit some portion of their fees. Successful candidates will be notified, and the public announcement of new Fellows made, in spring 2020. For more information about the program, you can download the program brochure (PDF).

About the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation
The Woodrow Wilson Foundation administers the Newcombe Fellowship competition at the request of and in consultation with the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, a private foundation created under the will of Philadelphia philanthropist Mrs. Newcombe, who died in 1979. In addition to the Newcombe Dissertation Fellowships, the Newcombe Foundation funds three college scholarship programs: for students with disabilities, for returning women students, and by establishing and augmenting Special Scholarship Endowment funds at selected colleges and universities, helping students complete degrees in higher education.

If You're Interested

Please review the information on the following pages:

You may also browse the selection committee members and Fellows from the most recent competition:

Contact Us

For general program, application, and Fellowship questions:
If you have further questions, after reviewing information on this Web site, including application information, eligibility requirements, and FAQ, please contact [email protected]

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