H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship 2027: Up to $81,000 for Built-Environment Scholars
The Society of Architectural Historians offers an international, non-renewable travel fellowship of up to $81,000 for recent graduates and emerging scholars studying the built environment through sustained travel.
H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship 2027: Up to $81,000 for Built-Environment Scholars
The H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship is a rare funding opportunity for a recent graduate or emerging scholar who needs sustained time in the world rather than a conventional research grant. The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) will offer the fellowship for 2027, supporting continuous travel of three to twelve months so the fellow can observe buildings and landscapes firsthand, read, write, photograph, sketch, and think carefully about the built environment.
The 2027 application window is open from July 1 through August 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CDT. The award can range from $20,250 for a three-month period to $81,000 for a full year, with the amount tied to the approved travel period. SAH describes the award as non-renewable and paid in quarterly installments. Travel may begin as early as January 1, 2027.
This is not a grant for collecting data for a dissertation, completing an advanced degree, or producing a narrowly defined publication. Its purpose is personal intellectual and professional growth through travel and contemplation. A strong applicant will therefore present a coherent way of seeing, learning, and developing professionally, supported by a realistic itinerary and budget. The proposal should show why moving through particular places will change the applicant’s understanding of architecture, landscapes, preservation, conservation, or urbanism.
Key details
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Opportunity | H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship, 2027 cycle |
| Provider | Society of Architectural Historians |
| Award | $20,250 for three months to $81,000 for twelve months |
| Payment | Quarterly installments |
| Travel period | Three to twelve months of continuous travel |
| Earliest travel start | January 1, 2027 |
| Application opens | July 1, 2026 |
| Application deadline | August 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CDT |
| Decision timing | Jury deliberations September–November 2026; announcement in January 2027 |
| Eligible geography | Candidates from any country; travel may be to any country or countries |
| Degree requirement | PhD or advanced terminal degree related to the built environment, awarded January 1, 2021–June 30, 2026 |
| Membership | Active SAH membership required |
| Official application page | SAH H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship |
What the fellowship supports
The fellowship is built around firsthand experience. The official description asks the recipient to study by travel and contemplation while observing, reading, writing, photographing, or sketching. That wording matters. The award is not simply a travel reimbursement fund for a list of archives or a sequence of site visits. It is intended to give an outstanding candidate the time and freedom to develop knowledge that will inform future work, professional contribution, and service to society.
Travel can take place in any country or countries, and the 2027 rules allow a continuous itinerary from three months up to one year. SAH has amended the proposal requirements to include partial-year itineraries, which makes the opportunity more practical for people who cannot leave their employment or other responsibilities for twelve months. A three-month plan still needs to be a complete intellectual experience; it should not read like a reduced version of an unfunded one-year plan.
The fellowship is especially relevant to people working in the history, theory, or criticism of architecture; landscape architecture; interior architecture; urbanism; historic preservation; conservation; architecture; landscape architecture; and urban planning. SAH gives priority to applicants whose chosen profession relates to the Society’s interests and objectives, but the official criteria are broader than one job title. The central question is whether the proposed journey will deepen the applicant’s relationship with the built environment and contribute to a credible future path.
What the award pays for
SAH states that the fellowship covers expenses incurred by the Brooks Fellow during three months to one year of continuous travel. The 2027 award range is $20,250 to $81,000. The award is paid in quarterly installments and is not renewable. Amounts may vary from year to year, so applicants should use the published 2027 range when planning rather than assuming that a future cycle will have identical funding.
The range gives applicants a useful planning frame: $20,250 corresponds to the three-month minimum, while $81,000 corresponds to a full year. That does not mean every itinerary will be funded at a simple monthly rate or that an applicant should maximize the number of months. The proposed period should match the intellectual purpose, route, pace, and budget. A shorter plan that allows meaningful observation and reflection may be more convincing than a year of hurried travel.
Applicants should also plan for expenses that the award may not fully cover. SAH specifically suggests investigating additional support through a university or college, academic adviser, department head, employer, or outside foundation if related costs require it. Do not describe outside support as secured unless it actually is secured. Instead, separate confirmed resources, plausible applications, personal contributions, and costs that remain uncertain. That transparency makes the budget easier to assess and reduces the risk of building an itinerary around money that does not exist.
Who is eligible
Applicants must be active members of the Society of Architectural Historians. Membership is therefore not a detail to check after drafting the application; it is a core eligibility condition. Anyone considering the fellowship should verify their membership status early and allow time to resolve any account or renewal issue before the application deadline.
The applicant must hold a PhD or an advanced terminal degree in a field related to the built environment. For the 2027 award, the degree must have been awarded between January 1, 2021, and June 30, 2026. SAH lists examples including PhDs in architectural history, architectural theory or criticism, landscape architecture, interior architecture, or urbanism, as well as degrees in historic preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. Advanced terminal degrees may include an MArch, MUP, MLA, or a master’s degree in a historic preservation program.
The fellowship is international: candidates from any country may apply, and the approved travel may include any country or countries. Current students are not eligible. The degree date and student-status rules are particularly important for people who have recently graduated, are between appointments, or are considering another degree. The fellowship is intended to support a period of professional and intellectual development, not to fund research in pursuit of an advanced academic degree.
SAH also says that priority will be given to applicants whose chosen profession is relevant to the Society’s interests and objectives. Selection is based on more than formal eligibility. The published criteria identify distinguished academic achievement, leadership potential, personal motivation, and promise as qualities of a truly outstanding candidate. Meeting the degree and membership requirements makes an application possible; it does not by itself demonstrate fit.
Timeline and decision process
The 2027 application period opened on July 1, 2026. The closing deadline is August 31 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. This is a fixed time-zone deadline, so applicants outside North America should convert it before scheduling their final upload. The official schedule says the jury will deliberate from September through November 2026, with the award announcement in January 2027. Travel may begin as early as January 1, 2027.
The short interval between the deadline and possible travel start makes practical readiness important. An applicant should not wait for the award announcement to discover that a passport needs renewal, a visa may be required, or a proposed route is impossible during the relevant season. Those are not reasons to invent certainty in the application; they are reasons to document assumptions, identify dependencies, and explain how the plan can adapt without losing its purpose.
The application itself also involves recommenders. SAH’s instructions say to submit the application online and have recommenders submit an online recommendation form. Contact recommenders well before the deadline, explain the fellowship’s emphasis on personal motivation and professional promise, and confirm that they understand the submission mechanism. A strong recommender should be able to discuss the applicant’s judgment, initiative, work in the built environment, and capacity to turn an open-ended travel period into meaningful growth.
Required application materials
SAH asks applicants to upload seven separate files to Dropbox during the open application period. Prepare the files before beginning the final submission:
- A statement in English of no more than 1,000 words covering academic and career goals, what the applicant hopes to achieve intellectually during the fellowship, how the fellowship will advance academic interests, and how it will make a difference in professional work.
- A proposed travel itinerary identifying travel sites and the buildings or landscapes to be visited. SAH recommends submitting a Google map showing the sites.
- A proposed budget for continuous travel lasting at least three months and no more than twelve months, using SAH’s budget template.
- A two-page writing sample.
- Proof of the terminal degree and degree date, such as a photocopy of the diploma.
- A curriculum vitae of no more than two pages.
- Five representative photographs taken by the applicant, in low resolution.
SAH gives file-naming instructions: Your last name_statement, Your last name_itinerary, Your last name_budget, Your last name_writing_sample, Your last name_degree, Your last name_CV, and Your last name_photos. Follow the requested naming and separate-file structure exactly. Small compliance errors can create avoidable uncertainty when a committee is comparing many applications.
The recommendation form is submitted separately by recommenders. Treat it as part of the application schedule even though it is not one of the seven Dropbox files. Ask SAH or the application page for clarification if the form’s deadline or submission workflow changes, and do not assume that uploading your own materials automatically completes the recommendation requirement.
How to make the proposal convincing
Start with the intellectual question, not the map. A list of famous buildings may show enthusiasm, but it does not explain why this fellowship is necessary. Define the change you want to make in your understanding of the built environment. Then select places that let you pursue that change through direct observation and sustained reflection.
The itinerary should be specific without pretending that every hour can be predicted. Name the regions, cities, buildings, landscapes, archives, or public spaces that matter to the plan. Explain what you will observe and compare, how long the route requires, and how the sequence supports the stated goals. If the travel includes several countries, make the connections clear. If the proposal is deliberately concentrated in one region, explain why concentration will produce better learning than breadth.
Build the budget from the itinerary. Include transportation, accommodation, food, local travel, insurance, visas where relevant, equipment or communication costs, and a reasonable contingency. The official page does not prescribe a universal category list, so do not present invented caps as SAH rules. Instead, show your assumptions and distinguish estimated costs from confirmed quotes. A committee can evaluate a transparent estimate; it cannot evaluate a total that has no connection to the route.
Use the statement to connect the journey to a future professional contribution. The fellowship is not intended for advanced-degree research or publication, but the experience should still matter after the travel ends. Describe the perspective, practice, teaching, conservation work, design work, public engagement, or other professional direction the experience will strengthen. Keep that future contribution grounded in your actual background rather than promising an impact that the application does not support.
The writing sample and photographs should reinforce the application’s credibility. Choose writing that demonstrates observation, clear thinking, and command of evidence. Choose photographs that show how you look at places, not merely images that are technically attractive. The application does not ask for a portfolio with a particular style, so do not manufacture a style that is disconnected from your work. Select representative material and add concise context where the upload process allows it.
Reporting responsibilities after selection
The fellowship carries continuing obligations. The recipient is expected to keep an online journal by posting at least once per month to the SAH Blog. Posts document the travel through text, photographs, video, drawings, and other media, and the record is used by the SAH office to approve payment distribution.
At the end of the travel, the fellow must write a 500–1,000-word summary article for the SAH Newsletter. It should document the travel, explain how the fellowship contributed to the fellow’s understanding of the built environment, and describe how the experience is expected to influence future work. The fellow is also expected to upload images to SAHARA during or shortly after travel. SAH recommends 500 images for a one-year fellowship, 250 for six months, and 125 for three months.
The recipient should also be prepared to make a presentation to a local SAH chapter if the chapter requests one. These commitments are not decorative extras. They show that the fellowship is a supported public-facing period of learning, with a record that can be shared with the Society and its community. Applicants should mention how they will maintain the journal and organize images while traveling, especially if the itinerary involves remote locations or frequent movement.
Common mistakes to avoid
Treating the fellowship as dissertation funding. The official purpose excludes research in pursuit of an advanced degree or publication. Frame the project around travel, contemplation, learning, and professional growth.
Submitting an itinerary without an argument. Places alone do not explain the fellowship’s value. Link each major part of the route to an observation or question.
Choosing a twelve-month period because it sounds more ambitious. The award range is larger for longer travel, but the best duration is the one your goals and budget can support. A disciplined three- or six-month plan can be stronger than an overextended year.
Ignoring membership or degree dates. Confirm active SAH membership and the qualifying terminal-degree date before investing time in the statement.
Underbuilding the budget. A low total is not automatically persuasive. Explain accommodation, local transportation, insurance, food, and contingency assumptions, and identify what remains unfunded.
Forgetting the separate recommendation form. Recommenders have their own submission step. Give them enough time and verify completion before the August 31 deadline.
Uploading the wrong file set. SAH asks for seven separate files, including five low-resolution photographs, a two-page CV, proof of degree, and a two-page writing sample. Use the requested filenames and check every file before submitting.
Frequently asked questions
Can applicants from outside the United States apply?
Yes. SAH describes the fellowship as international and says candidates from any country may apply. Travel may also take place in any country or countries. The application deadline is given in CDT, so international applicants should convert the closing time carefully.
Is SAH membership required?
Yes. Applicants must be active members of the Society of Architectural Historians. Confirm membership before submitting.
Can a current PhD student apply?
No. Current students are not eligible. The fellowship is also not intended to support research toward an advanced academic degree.
Does the award cover a full year of travel?
The 2027 award can cover continuous travel from three to twelve months. SAH lists a range of $20,250 to $81,000, paid in quarterly installments. The approved amount and period should be supported by the application’s itinerary and budget.
What is the latest degree date for the 2027 cycle?
The terminal degree must have been awarded no later than June 30, 2026, and no earlier than January 1, 2021.
Are the monthly blog and SAHARA uploads optional?
They are part of the recipient’s reporting expectations. The fellow must post to the SAH Blog at least monthly, provide a final summary article, and upload images to SAHARA during or shortly after the travel period.
Official links and next steps
Begin with the official H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship page. Review the eligibility rules, award range, application instructions, reporting requirements, and any linked budget template before drafting. Then confirm SAH membership, verify the qualifying degree date, contact recommenders, and build an itinerary that can be explained in a thousand words or less.
The decisive deadline is August 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CDT. Because the application includes a budget, map, writing sample, photographs, degree proof, CV, and separate recommendation form, aim to have a complete test package ready well before the final day. The official SAH page is the authority if application links, instructions, or timing change.