The application consists of

• an application form
• a curriculum vitae
• a project proposal
• a writing or work sample
• three letters of recommendation
• the contact information of three references, who will be prompted via email to upload letters of recommendation.

All materials must be submitted via our online application portal. 

Applicants who have applied in the past may submit a previously proposed project, but must submit a new application form and materials. 

If this is your first time applying, please register as a new user on our online application by entering your name, email address, mailing address, and a password. Once registered, you may log in to the portal here and begin an application by selecting an application area: Humanities and Social Sciences; Creative Arts, Journalism and Nonfiction; or Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. 

We want to make sure that the Institute will be able to support you in your work. We do our best to accommodate the varying software/hardware needs of our fellows, but some equipment will be beyond our means. With the information you provide in response to this question, we can work to assess available resources at Harvard University. 

Your curriculum vitae should be no longer than six pages and emphasize only your most significant achievements, publications, exhibits, and related accomplishments. 

Your project proposal should begin with a 150-word abstract summarizing your proposed project. The abstract must be comprehensible to a person in any discipline. The recommended format is: 

• 1–2 sentences introducing the field in general terms;  
• 1–2 sentences clearly describing the project you propose; 
• 1 sentence describing the materials/sources/archives you will use 
• 2–3 sentences explaining how the project will contribute to the discipline and/or society more broadly.  

The body of your proposal should: 

• Describe the project and its significance;  
• Place the work in the context of your field; 
• Indicate how the project would contribute to your field 
• Be clear about the theory and methodology; 
• Cite the work of others, if relevant; and 
• Indicate the status of any project already begun and any data already collected. 

 
All applicants should write for an informed but broad disciplinary audience. Proposals will be evaluated by experts in the relevant field; finalists are reviewed by a multidisciplinary committee. 

Your project proposal should contain no more than 1,400 words, including the 150-word abstract. The proposal should be in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. 

Footnotes or works cited are not included in the proposal word count. You may include images, though we encourage you to compress them so your file does not exceed the 10 MB maximum upload size. 

Your project proposal should contain no more than 1,400 words, including the 150-word abstract. The proposal should be in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. 

Submitting a bibliography is optional; some projects will not require one. Most applicants in the humanities and social sciences submit a bibliography of 1–3 pages. Formatting is up to the applicant. 
 
The bibliography helps reviewers understand how you situate your project within current scholarship and whether you are familiar with the relevant literature in your field. You may submit a bibliography of works you have already consulted or of works you intend to consult; please clearly indicate which it is. 

We cannot provide an example of a full proposal. However, every fellow who has been in residence at Radcliffe has a brief description of their fellowship project on our website, and we encourage applicants to review it to see the types of projects we support. 

Your project proposal should contain no more than 1,400 words, including the 150-word abstract. The proposal should be in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. 

Applicants in the humanities and social sciences:  

If you have completed writing relevant to your proposed project, please include that (even if unpublished). Otherwise, upload a published article or book chapter. Maximum length:40 pages. 
 
Applicants in science, engineering, and mathematics: 

Submit three published articles. 

Applicants in nonfiction and journalism: 

• Nonfiction: Submit a recent book chapter, short story, manuscript, or article, approximately 30 pages total. Submitted material should be related to your project; if not, it must be published material. 

• Journalism: Submit three substantive published articles, approximately 30 pages total. You may also submit up to 15 minutes of work via YouTube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud on the Journalism Supporting Materials Upload page. 

 
Applicants in the creative arts: 

• Fiction: Submit a recent book chapter, short story, manuscript, or article, approximately 30 pages total. Submitted material should be related to your project; If not, it must be published material. 

• Film and video: Submit a maximum of 15 minutes of work via YouTube or Vimeo on the Film and Video Supporting Materials Upload page. If your total sample exceeds 15 minutes, provide timestamps for the 15 minutes you would like reviewed. 

• Music composition: Submit one to three samples of recent compositions via Soundcloud, YouTube, or Vimeo on the Music Supporting Materials Upload page. All samples should be accompanied by written scores, except for electronic or improvisational work. 

• Playwriting: Submit one play or a section of a play, no more than 30 pages total 

• Poetry: Submit up to 10 poems 

• Visual arts: Submit 12 images and, if applicable, up to 3 moving-image excerpts on the Visual Arts Supporting Materials Upload page. 

Yes. You may submit more than one piece, provided the total does not exceed the designated page limit. These must be combined and uploaded as a single file. 

We encourage you to respect the page limits. Submitting a document slightly over the limit will not disqualify your application. However, application readers typically become frustrated with overly long samples. 

All application materials must be in English. 

Three letters of recommendation are required. No more than three will be accepted.

Request letters from individuals who can speak to: 

• the merits of your proposed project; 

• your record of achievement; and  

• your collegiality. 

When applicable, we advise that: 

• No more than one of your three recommenders can be from your home institution;  

• No more than one be from a dissertation committee member, and  

• Applicants more than five years past their PhD generally avoid asking their dissertation advisor, barring special circumstances. 
   
  Lab-based scientists whose proposed projects involve collaboration with a local, Boston-based lab must include a letter of support from the host lab as one of their three letters. 
   
  For applicants in writing, please do not request letters from current editors or agents who may have a conflict of interest. 

On the “Listing of Recommenders” page, select Add Recommender and complete the required information for each recommender. Once you click “send,” an email will be sent to your recommender with instructions for uploading their letter. Please verify each recommender’s email address before sending the request.  

To track the status of your recommendations, please click “Pending Letter of Recommendation” in the application portal. The status will appear under each request:  

Requests that say “not received” indicate that your recommender has received the request, but we have not received their letter yet. If your recommender has not received the request, please check the email you entered to ensure it is correct. If the email address is correct, please resend the request and have your recommender check their spam/junk folder to check if it is being routed there. If your recommender is still not receiving the request, please submit a request for help here.  

No. Recommenders do not receive your full application automatically. We encourage you to contact them separately with any information you feel your recommenders may need to write in support of your project. 

No. We do not accept letters from dossier services. 

Letters of recommendation are due by the application deadline:  

• Humanities, social sciences, and creative arts: Thursday, September 10, 2026, by 5:00 PM ET. 

• Science, engineering, and mathematics: Thursday, October 1, 2026, by 5:00 PM ET  

Please notify your recommenders well in advance of the deadline so they have sufficient time to submit. 

You can track the status of your letters via the “Pending Letter of Recommendation” link in the application portal (even after your application has been submitted). The status will appear under each request.  

Requests marked “not received” indicate that the recommender has received the request, but we have not received the letter.  

If your recommender has not received the request, please: 

1. Confirm that you entered the correct email address. 

2.  If correct, resend the request and ask them to check their spam/junk folder 

3. If they still do not receive the instructions, please submit a request via our support form here.  

First, confirm that you listed the correct email address. If it is correct, ask your recommender to check their spam/junk folder. If they still cannot find or access the instructions, please submit a request for help via our support form here, and we will troubleshoot the issue.