Howard Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship 2027–2028: $75,000 Residential Fellowship for Antiracist Innovation

Howard Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship 2027–2028: $75,000 Residential Fellowship for Antiracist Innovation

Howard University’s Institute for Advanced Study is accepting applications for its inaugural 2027–2028 Fellowship Program. The fellowship is built for an experienced intellectual, artist, creator, or practitioner with a serious project about race, racism, or antiracism and the ability to carry that project through a full academic year. The programme is intentionally open to people working inside and outside universities: a journalist, organizer, public-health professional, lawyer, data scientist, writer, artist, or public servant can be a plausible applicant if their proposed work and record fit the Institute’s purpose.

The financial package is substantial and clearly stated. For the nine-month residency from September 2027 through May 2028, each Howard Fellow receives a $75,000 stipend and an additional $2,500 for project expenses. A fellow who does not already receive employment benefits may be eligible to be offered Howard University’s medical, dental, and vision benefits package. The fellowship is residential and full time. Fellows must arrange and pay for their own accommodation in the Washington, DC region, so the stipend should be assessed as support for both living costs and project time rather than as a separate housing award.

The application deadline is October 22, 2026, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Applicants must request an invitation link through the Institute’s application page, then upload the required materials as PDFs. The page asks for a short project abstract, a project description of no more than 2,000 words, a one-page record of work, a CV, resume, or portfolio of no more than five pages, and one recommendation letter. This guide explains the fit, the evidence to prepare, and the practical decisions that matter before submission.

Key details

The Institute describes the fellowship as a community of changemakers at Howard, with time, space, and intellectual exchange around ambitious work. It is not a tuition scholarship, a general research grant, or a short conference fellowship. The selected fellow is expected to live near campus, devote the fellowship period to a proposed project, take part in regular community activities, and share work with other fellows and public audiences.

What the fellowship supports

The central question is whether you can make a persuasive case for an inventive, rigorous, and useful project related to race, racism, or antiracism. The Institute gives examples of possible outputs that include an innovative database, monograph, academic study, novel, screenplay, poetry collection, blueprint, memoir, anthology, archive, or series of investigative reports. That range is important. You do not need to force a creative project into the format of an academic article, and you do not need to disguise community or public work as conventional scholarship.

The topic must be central, not decorative. The Institute says it accepts work concerning racism affecting any racial group and welcomes projects that examine racism at the intersection of other forms of bigotry. A project that mentions racial inequality in one paragraph but mainly studies an unrelated question is unlikely to fit. A project may combine race with health, law, technology, education, migration, climate, reproductive justice, literature, or public policy, but the relationship should be visible in the problem, method, and intended result.

The award also buys concentrated time. Fellows receive a private office and access to Howard’s libraries, including the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, as well as reciprocal access through the Washington Research Library Consortium. The wider region offers the Library of Congress, National Archives, and Smithsonian library resources. These are useful only when they connect to the actual project. An applicant should explain what the residency makes possible that cannot be done as effectively from their current location.

Fellows participate in lunches, social gatherings, private presentations, and public-facing activities. They may contribute to the National Antiracist Book Festival, engage Howard students as guest lecturers, or contribute to The Emancipator. Teaching is not required. The programme therefore combines independent work with a real expectation of collegial participation.

Who is a strong fit

The official eligibility language is broad by profession but specific by purpose. Applicants may come from academia, journalism, public service, creative arts, public humanities, community organizing, data science, law, public health, philanthropy, literature, or related fields. The Institute is interested in the evidence of expertise and experience, not only in a conventional academic title. Institutional affiliation is not required, and applicants outside the United States are eligible.

You should be able to show two kinds of fit. First, your previous work should establish that you understand your field and can carry out the proposed project. This could be published scholarship, reporting, books, films, exhibitions, campaigns, community-led work, policy contributions, software or data resources, legal practice, public-health work, or organizational accomplishments. Second, the new project should be ambitious enough to need a year of protected attention and specific enough for reviewers to judge its originality and feasibility.

Current students in undergraduate, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree programmes are not eligible. The normal rule also requires applicants to be three years removed from completing a doctoral or terminal degree by the September 2027 start. The Institute says exceptions may be possible for an applicant with significant experience and impact before earning that degree. That exception is not a general waiver. If it applies to you, make the case through concrete work and outcomes rather than assuming the committee will infer your readiness.

Faculty at Howard and other historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions are encouraged to apply. Projects related to Reproductive Justice are especially encouraged for the 2027–2028 cohort. These statements describe priorities and encouragement; they do not replace the core requirements concerning project focus, record of work, career stage, and full-time residence.

How to apply

Start on the official application page and enter your contact information, title or area of expertise, and institutional affiliation or creative home if applicable. The Institute will send an invitation link to the email address provided. That link opens the form where the PDF materials can be uploaded. The public page does not present a conventional open portal that lets an applicant skip the invitation step, so request the link early enough to resolve technical problems before the deadline.

The form asks you to submit the project abstract, project description, record of work, CV, resume, or portfolio, and one recommendation letter. The recommendation should come from someone familiar with both your work and the proposed project. The Institute does not ask applicants to send a separate notice to the director or staff after applying. It specifically says that doing so will not improve an application’s chances.

Keep a local copy of every final PDF and verify that the uploaded files open correctly. Use consistent project names, dates, and descriptions across the abstract, description, record of work, and recommendation request. The application page gives the word and page limits, so treat them as hard constraints. A polished 1,950-word description is safer than a document that is cut off or requires the committee to guess what belongs in the final version.

Timeline and planning

Applications opened on August 26, 2026. The closing time is October 22, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET. The Institute plans to notify applicants by May 1, 2027. The inaugural fellowship term runs from September 2027 through May 2028. There is no benefit to waiting for a later general application round: this is the currently announced inaugural cohort, and the official page identifies a specific deadline.

Work backward from the deadline. Use the first week to decide whether the project has race, racism, or antiracism as a primary focus. Use the next two weeks to outline the project and identify the evidence that supports your ability to complete it. Give your recommender a full draft or structured briefing rather than a request for a generic character letter. Reserve time to shorten the project description, check links in a portfolio, and upload the files before the final afternoon.

Required materials and what each should prove

The 250-word project abstract should make the whole application legible quickly. State the problem, the project form, the racial-justice question, the original contribution, and the result you expect to produce. Do not spend most of the abstract on personal biography. The committee needs to know what you will do during the fellowship.

The project description may be up to 2,000 words. It should explain how the project examines racial inequity or injustice, or brings equity or justice into fruition; why the idea is innovative; how antiracist principles shape the focus, methods, or outcome; how the work relates to relevant experts; why Howard is an appropriate home; and what the milestones are during the fellowship year. Those are not separate boxes to tick. Connect them in a sequence: problem, approach, expertise, place, schedule, and public or field impact.

The one-page record of work is a selective evidence sheet. List the scholarship, creative works, campaigns, or organizational accomplishments that establish authority for this project. Choose items that help a reviewer understand your capacity to deliver this specific work. A long list of unrelated appearances is weaker than a short list with dates, roles, links where useful, and a sentence of context.

The CV, resume, or portfolio can be no more than five pages. Non-academic applicants may use a portfolio that reflects professional experience, creative practice, community work, or public engagement. If the project is visual, include an active hyperlink to relevant digital material. Test that link in a private browser window and make sure the landing page identifies your work without requiring the reviewer to search through a large archive.

The recommendation letter should address your record and the proposed project together. Ask someone who can discuss the quality of your work, your judgment, and the reason the project is realistic for a nine-month full-time residency. Give the recommender the abstract, description, deadline, and a short explanation of why Howard’s interdisciplinary setting matters.

Preparing a credible project

The Institute’s evaluation criteria are innovation, ambition, originality, rigor, accessibility, and potential for impact. A project can be bold without being vague. Define the output and the audience. Explain what will exist at the end of the fellowship: a manuscript draft, database, reporting series, policy blueprint, exhibition, archive, curriculum, community resource, or another clearly described result.

Show the method at the right level. You do not need to pretend that every discovery is known in advance, but you should explain how you will investigate, create, test, document, or revise the work. If community members are participants or co-creators, describe their role and how their knowledge affects decisions. If the work involves sensitive histories or personal data, identify the relevant consent, privacy, or safety practices. Rigor includes care in how evidence and people are handled.

Make Howard a working part of the proposal. Name the libraries, intellectual communities, student exchange, archival resources, public programme, or interdisciplinary conversations that serve the project. Avoid writing a generic fellowship statement and adding “Howard University” in the final paragraph. The committee is asking why this Institute is an ideal home, so the answer should change the project plan rather than merely praise the institution.

Finally, state what impact means for this project. It might be a stronger public record, a resource that communities can use, a new scholarly argument, a change in practice, a body of reporting, a creative work that changes how an issue is understood, or a tool that supports future research. Do not promise that one fellowship will solve racism. Describe the contribution that your work can responsibly make.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is treating race as a secondary theme. The Institute says applicants should not apply when race and racism are only a secondary focus. Rework the project question if the racial-justice dimension disappears when the introduction ends.

Another mistake is proposing a normal job or organizational workload. Fellows are expected to devote themselves full time to the proposed project. A plan consisting mainly of routine client work, teaching, administration, or a broad list of unrelated activities will be difficult to assess as a fellowship project.

Do not confuse the stipend with an all-expenses-paid relocation package. The Institute confirms the stipend and project allowance, but says fellows are responsible for arranging and paying for accommodation. Build a realistic DC housing and living-cost plan, and ask the Institute about any practical detail that affects your ability to be in residence.

Do not rely on prestige without evidence. The committee evaluates the record of work and the proposed project’s innovation, rigor, accessibility, and impact. Replace adjectives such as “transformative” with a precise description of what you have done, what you will make, and who will use it.

Do not submit overlong files or untested links. A missing recommendation, a CV over five pages, a project description over 2,000 words, or a broken portfolio link creates avoidable doubt. Use the official email, [email protected], for genuine application problems, but do not ask staff to pre-review your proposal; the Institute says it cannot provide individual feedback before or after decisions.

Frequently asked questions

Can applicants outside the United States apply?

Yes. The Institute’s FAQ says experts outside the United States are eligible. The residency requirement still applies: selected fellows must live in the Washington, DC region during the September–May term.

Do I need to be a professor or have a doctorate?

No. The programme is open to intellectuals, creators, and practitioners inside and outside academia. A doctorate is not required, but applicants must show a relevant record of work and meet the career-stage rule unless an exception for significant prior experience and impact applies.

Can I participate remotely or commute from another city?

No. The Institute says the fellowship is in person and does not offer a virtual or summer alternative. Plan for residence in the DC region and full-time participation.

Is housing included?

No housing award is separately confirmed. Fellows arrange and pay for accommodation themselves, although housing options exist on Howard’s campus. Treat the $75,000 stipend as the main living-support amount and confirm practical details with the Institute if needed.

Do fellows have to teach?

No. Teaching is not required. After accepting the fellowship, a fellow may express interest in teaching a maximum of one class, but that assignment is not guaranteed and requires departmental consideration.

When will applicants hear back?

The Institute says applicants will be contacted about whether they received the fellowship by May 1, 2027.

Official links and next steps

Use the official Howard Institute for Advanced Study application page to request the invitation link, confirm the current deadline, and upload the PDF materials. The Fellowship Program overview explains the residential structure, compensation, intellectual resources, fellowship activities, and evaluation criteria. Questions about the application can be sent to [email protected].

If this fellowship fits your work, the next useful action is to write a one-page project brief before opening the form. Put the racial-justice question at the top, name the final output, list three or four milestones for the residency, and identify the evidence from your record that proves you can deliver it. Then share that brief with a potential recommender and check the DC residency implications. A focused project, a carefully chosen record of work, and complete files will give the interdisciplinary committee something concrete to evaluate by the October 22 deadline.