Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere

Download the PDF Guidelines

A. Description

The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere (CHPS), with the support of the Tedder Family Endowed Research Award in the Humanities and the Robert and Margaret Rothman Endowment in the Humanities, offers fellowships for UF doctoral candidates working on humanities dissertations. This fellowship may be used to cover research expenses, including but not limited to research-related travel. Successful applicants will be called Tedder Family or Rothman Doctoral Fellows in the Humanities. The Tedder Family and Rothman Doctoral Fellowships in the Humanities will be awarded to the awardee’s degree-granting department as a lump-sum payment of $3,000 to be used in Summer or Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 in the form of reimbursement for travel, research expenses. Taxes and fringe will be deducted in cases where the funds are awarded as salary, and CHPS will coordinate with the awardee’s home department.

B. Eligibility

UF doctoral candidates working on humanities topics who have passed their qualifying exams and advanced to candidacy by the application deadline are eligible. CHPS uses a definition of the humanities adapted from the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 as the basis for determining the eligibility of proposed projects. Tedder Family or Rothman Doctoral Fellows are not eligible to apply again in subsequent years. Fellowships are subject to all applicable state and federal laws, BOG and UF regulations, and university and college policies, including those related to travel and foreign activities.

C. Activities

Fellowships may be used towards research and research-related travel costs. Travel exclusively for conferences will not be funded. Travel funds are subject to the travel regulations for the University of Florida and the respective College. Those students who are unable to travel to their research site or to purchase other resources may apply for the award to be paid as salary. This award does not provide a graduate assistantship or a tuition waiver.

D. Deliverables

In order to continue to be eligible for funding from CHPS, Tedder Family and Rothman Doctoral Fellows are required to:

• Write a brief summary report of their research by April 1, 2026
• Apply to an external grant (including postdoctoral fellowships) and confirm submission (via email or in report) by April 1, 2026
• Present research outcomes for CHPS

Tedder Family and Rothman Doctoral Fellows will also be highlighted on the CHPS Website.

APPLICATION

Please provide the following information in the submission portal: https://forms.humanities.ufl.edu/doctoral-fellowship/

1. Applicant Information:
   • Name
   • Department/School
   • College
   • Email
   • Confirmation of advancement to candidacy
   • Name and Email of Dissertation Director
   • Name and Email of Chair or Director of Department or Center
   • Expected completion date
   • Project/Dissertation Title
   • Abstract (max. 100 words, written for a general audience)
2. Upload as a single PDF:
   1. NARRATIVE (max. 1,000 words, single-spaced). The narrative should address the following points:
      1. Description of the dissertation project
      2. Contribution of the dissertation to your academic field(s) and the humanities at large
      3. The specific work to be done (or resources to be purchased or consulted) with the award funds, and contribution of the proposed work plan to the dissertation project
      4. Define your terms, organize your narrative, and describe your project in clear language so that it is legible to readers beyond your discipline.
   2. BIBLIOGRAPHY of sources that relate directly to the project (one page)
   3. C.V. (max. two pages including reference to external fellowships and grants received)
   4. BUDGET of how the $3,000 fellowship will be spent (travel, equipment, software, or salary). The budget should include all expenses related to the proposed project and indicate which of these expenses would be met by the Tedder Family or Rothman Doctoral Fellowship. Include information about how any remaining expenses will be funded. All expenses, especially for equipment and software, are subject to UF policies. Also, please add information about how you would adjust your budget, should you not receive additional funding. Please use the Tedder Family and Rothman Doctoral Fellowship Budget Form to submit this information.
   5. TIMELINE that outlines the anticipated dates for your research.

LETTER OF SUPPORT provided by the applicant’s dissertation advisor. Ensure that the letter confirms the applicant has passed their qualifying exam and advanced to candidacy. The letter must be emailed by your advisor to CHPS Director Jaime Ahlberg (jlahlberg@ufl.edu) by the application deadline.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The CHPS advisory board will review all applications with the following criteria:

1. The significance of the dissertation project
2. The contribution of the dissertation to the applicant’s field(s) and the humanities at large
3. The contribution of the proposed work plan during the fellowship period to the dissertation as a whole
4. The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project and the applicant’s clarity of expression
5. The feasibility of the budget
6. The feasibility of the timeline.

Priority will be given to applicants who have not already received significant funding for this purpose from other sources, whether internal or external to UF.

PROPOSAL ASSISTANCE

Applicants are advised to write in clear, intelligible prose for the Center’s Advisory Board, which is multi-disciplinary. Proposals should include reference to the major concepts, theories, and methods in the applicant’s research discipline(s), and applicants should also specify why this funding will be critical to successful completion of the dissertation. For applicants proposing to visit archives, conduct fieldwork, or complete other forms of research, the narrative should include reflection on what the applicant expects they may find when they carry out the research. Applicants should refer to the training necessary to their project, including reference to language fluency sufficient to complete the project when appropriate. We invite applicants to write to Associate Director, Dr. Sara Agnelli (saraclassics@ufl.edu), cc-ing CHPS Director Jaime Ahlberg (jlahlberg@ufl.edu), in advance with queries about the grant process or to review a draft proposal. All drafts must be submitted at least one week prior to the grant deadline. For examples of previously funded projects, visit our website: https://humanities.ufl.edu/award-recipients/doctoral-fellowships/