Special Collections Research Fellowships for 2026-2027

Smith College Special Collections welcomes applications for the Travel-to-Collections 2026-2027 fellowship cycle. These fellowships are intended to help offset travel expenses for researchers engaged in projects that will benefit from access to the holdings of the College Archives, Mortimer Rare Book Collection, and Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History.

Long-term

Successful applicants will receive awards of $2,500 to support research visits extending beyond two weeks for the following fellowships: the Margaret Storrs Grierson Fellowship, two Friends of the Smith College Libraries Fellowships, the Ruth Mortimer Fellowship, and the Carel B. Germain Fellowship.

Short-Term

Successful applicants will receive awards of $1,000 to support research visits up to two weeks for the following fellowships: Madeleine L’Engle Travel Research Fellowships, named in honor of Madeleine L’Engle, class of 1941, renowned young adult fiction author; and the Arts and Media Travel Research Fellowships, for projects that will result in a publicly accessible project such as a work of fiction, multimedia, visual arts, or performing arts piece.

Robert and Judith Raymo Chaucer Fellowship

A new special opportunity begins this year with a $1,000 award for a short-term fellowship intended to defray the costs of travel to and from Northampton, in order to utilize the books and related materials of the Robert and Judith Raymo Chaucer Collection. The use of other Chaucer related materials in the Mortimer Rare Book Collection is welcome and encouraged. The Robert and Judith Raymo Chaucer Collection consists of approximately five hundred distinctive printed items related to the works of the Middle English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400), including collected editions, individual editions of poems like Troilus and Crisseyde and the Canterbury Tales, as well as adaptations, translations, modern and illustrated editions, children's books, and other works inspired by Chaucer's poetry.

Timeline

• Applications open: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
• Application due date: Monday, January 5, 2026 by 11:59 p.m. EST
• Awards announced: March 13, 2026
• Awards to be used: Monday, June 1, 2026 to Friday, June 4, 2027

For more information about applying, please visit the Special Collections Research Fellowships page of the libraries website.

Contact

Please send any inquiries to specialcollections@smith.edu