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Fellowships

The Bentley offers several fellowships that support in-person use of the library.

Funding Opportunities

The Bentley offers fellowships to support all kinds of use of our collections, including artistic inspiration, K-12 lesson planning, and publication research.

Fellowships are awarded annually with an application deadline in March. Recipients are awarded $3,000 stipends to be used to conduct in-person research at the Bentley. You do not have to be affiliated with the University of Michigan to apply.

There are no restrictions on research topics to be considered for these fellowship, as long as applicants can demonstrate that consulting specific Bentley collections is key to their project.

See below for information about our different fellowship categories and how to apply.

K-12 Educators

K-12 fellowships are open to any educator employed in K-12 instruction in the state of Michigan, either in a public or private school. They must be interested in organizing and teaching a course, unit, or lessons with significant connections to the collections of the Bentley Historical Library. For the purposes of this grant, an educator is anyone who designs and/or delivers instruction – teachers, school librarians/media specialists, etc. We especially encourage educators who have not worked in archives before, and those from underserved schools, to apply.

Artists

Artist fellowships are open to all artists in any stage of their career, including independent artists and graduate students, with the opportunity for in-depth archival research that will contribute to the development of their artistic practice. Artists without prior experience working in archives are also encouraged to apply. We do not require the creation or exhibition of new work during the course of the fellowship.

Researchers

The Bentley offers several travel research fellowships designed for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and independent scholars engaged in research in any area requiring significant use of our rich collections. Most recipients of these fellowships come to the Bentley with the goal of producing a scholarly article or monograph, but others have produced museum exhibits, podcasts, or documentaries.

There are no limitations or restrictions on research topics with these fellowships, as long as applicants can demonstrate that consulting specific Bentley collections is key to their project.

There is also special funding available for researchers interested in architectural collections, which can be used by any of the above three fellowship categories. The application process is the same (please follow the steps below).

How to Apply

Each fellowship provides a $3,000 stipend. Fellowships are awarded on an annual basis. The next application deadline is March 2027. Applicants will be notified in mid-April.

In addition to completing basic applicant information, applicants are asked to submit:

  • A curriculum vitae or resume
  • A 1-2 paragraph project summary describing your project and its significance to your work, discipline, and/or community
  • A statement about what Bentley materials you are planning on examining, their importance for the project, and how the fellowship will assist in supporting the project (maximum 2 pages)
  • Two brief letters of recommendation that address the applicant’s work and/or the proposed project
  • An artist statement (optional)
  • Links to relevant work samples, such as lesson plans or sample portfolios (optional)
Start an Application

For questions, please contact: [email protected]