Fellowships

The Wilson Special Collections Library offers funding for teaching and research fellowships as outlined below. All fellowship applications, except for the Incubator Awards, open on December 1. Research fellowship applications will be accepted on a rolling basis but priority will be given to applications submitted by January 31. Applications for Primary Sources Teaching Fellowship are due by January 31. Applications for the Incubator Awards open in October.

All Wilson Fellowships

• Incubator Awards: Research Grants for Creative Artists
• Primary Sources Teaching Fellowship
• Rare Book Collection Fellowships
  • Bond Research Fellowship – all advanced graduate students
  • Hanes Graduate Fellowship – Carolina graduate students
  • McLendon-Thomas Award – master’s and doctoral students focused on the history of medicine
• Southern Studies Doctoral Fellowships
• Visiting Researcher Fellowships

Research Fellowships

Fellowships for Faculty and Independent Scholars

• Rare Book Collection Fellowships: Bond Research Fellowship
• Visiting Researcher Fellowships – researchers focused on North Carolina and the American South

Fellowships for Doctoral Students and Candidates

• Rare Book Collection Fellowships:
  • Bond Research Fellowship – doctoral students and candidates
  • Hanes Graduate Fellowship – Carolina doctoral students and candidates
  • McLendon-Thomas Award – doctoral students and candidates focused on the history of medicine
• Southern Studies Doctoral Fellowships
• Visiting Researcher Fellowships

Fellowships for Master’s Students

• Incubator Awards: Research Grants for Creative Artists – Carolina master’s students
• Rare Book Collection Fellowships:
  • Hanes Graduate Fellowship – Carolina master’s students
  • McLendon-Thomas Award – master’s students focused on the history of medicine
• Visiting Researcher Fellowships

Fellowships for Undergraduate Students

• Incubator Awards: Research Grants for Creative Artists – Carolina undergraduate student artists

Fellowships for Performing and Creative Artists

• Incubator Awards: Research Grants for Creative Artists – Carolina undergraduate student artists
• Visiting Researcher Fellowships – established artists with research focused on North Carolina and the American South

Teaching Fellowships

• Primary Sources Teaching Fellowship – Master’s of Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) students enrolled in one of North Carolina’s five public MLIS programs:
  • Appalachian State University’s Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
  • North Carolina Central University’s School of Library and Information Sciences
  • East Carolina University’s College of Education
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science
  • University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Department of Library and Information Science

Other Fellowship Opportunities

Additional funding opportunities to support research in the Wilson Special Collections Library include:

• Wilson Library is pleased to participate as a host institution for the Archie K. Davis Fellowships offered by the North Caroliniana Society. The Davis Fellowships encourage research using North Carolina’s historical and cultural resources and have an annual application deadline of March 1.

Past Fellowship Opportunities

• Audiovisual Research Fellowship

New Scholarship on the US South: A Wilson Library Fellows Symposium

New Scholarship on the US South: A Wilson Library Fellows Symposium was a capstone multidisciplinary symposium from the University Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It took place November 7 and 8, 2023 on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

Focused on emerging trends in scholarship of the American South, the symposium explored the cross-disciplinary currents in historical research created with support of the Southern Studies Doctoral Fellowship program at the Wilson Special Collections Library. These fellowships and the symposium were generously supported by the Watson-Brown Foundation.

Watch symposium sessions and view photos of the event.

Sponsorships

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries and the Louis Round Wilson Special Collection Library gratefully acknowledge the generous gifts that support our Fellowships. We are especially grateful for the gift of $2 million from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. $500,000 of that gift is a is a three-year challenge match to endow research and teaching fellowships at the Wilson Special Collections Library.

You can help unlock the $500,000 challenge match from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust with your gift. Contact the Library Development Office at (919) 962-4207 or librarydevelopment@unc.edu to learn how.

Fellowship Sponsors:

• The Bullitt Club Founder’s Endowment Fund: supports research about the history of medicine.
• The Documenting Social Change Library Fund supports the study of American culture, politics, and social changes from 1960 to 1975.
• The Guion Griffis Johnson Fund supports research concerning women in the American South.
• The Hugh L. McColl Library Fund supports research about banking and business in the American South.
• Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program supports the Primary Sources Teaching Fellowship program.
• The Jacquelyn Dowd Hall Fellowship Fund supports research with oral histories.
• The J. Carlyle Sitterson Fund for the Southern Historical Collection supports research about Antebellum America.
• The Joel Williamson Fund for the Southern Historical Collection supports research about African American life, culture, and history.
• The John Eugene & Barbara Hilton Cay Library Fund supports the study of literary culture and traditions of the American South.
• The Lucinda Holderness Wilcox and Benson R. Wilcox Library Fund for the North Carolina Collection supports research about North Carolina.
• The Marjorie Bond and Hanes Family Funds support research with Rare Book Collection materials.
• The Parker-Dooley Fund for Southern History supports research about North Carolina.
• The Watson-Brown Foundation supports research on the American South.