CSAS Grants & Fellowships Applications Now Available!

The Center for the Study of the American South offers several competitive awards for current undergraduate and graduate students attending UNC Chapel Hill who are pursuing research or fieldwork. Students in any discipline studying the US and Global South welcome to apply. 

All Applications Due 3/27/23

McColl Dissertation Year Fellowship — Apply Here

The Center for the Study of the American South offers the McColl Dissertation Year Fellowship in Southern Studies to support the completion of a dissertation by a doctoral candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill on a subject related to the history, culture, or society of the American south. We define the South broadly, to include the states of the southeastern U.S., adjoining areas, and regions that are conceptually or ideologically southern. The fellowship includes in-state tuition for up to 3.0 credit hours, health insurance, and a stipend of $20,000. This fellowship is made possible through the generous support of Hugh L. McColl, Jr.

Fellowships begin at the start of the fall semester and continue through the last day of the spring semester. Fellows will participate in campus discussions and present their research. Recipients may not defer the McColl Fellowship.

The following applications are available through one CSAS application page:

Graduate — Apply Here

Jacquelyn Dowd Hall Grant

The Jacquelyn Dowd Hall Research Fellowship is made possible by its namesake fund, in honor of the founding director of the Southern Oral History Program. The summer research fellowship provides one graduate student currently attending UNC Chapel Hill with a $4,000 award to pursue oral history research or fieldwork during the summer of 2023.

CSAS Summer Research Grants

The Center for the Study of the American South invites UNC graduate and professional students in all disciplines to apply for $3,000 awards to support dissertation research, thesis research, and other academic projects pertaining to the U.S. South during the summer of 2023.

The Townsend Family Southern Futures Graduate Scholars

The U.S. South plays a critical and influential role in the culture, economic success, and wellbeing of the nation and the globe. The Townsend Family Southern Futures Graduate Scholars are an interdisciplinary group of graduate students working to understand the promise and perils of the South and imagine a future where all southern communities can flourish. In addition to conducting individual research, the scholars work together to convene a three-day think-tank style summit in the spring of 2024, building a network of activist-artist-thinkers to work collaboratively and consider many driving concerns.

Each Scholar will receive $4,000 in summer research funds for both 2023 and 2024 ($8,000 total). The cohort will share an allocation of $24,000 for programming costs, including the costs of convening the Spring 2024 Southern Futures Summit.

Any graduate student enrolled and in good standing within the College of Arts & Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill is eligible. Preference is shown for students with at least two years remaining in their graduate study. Applicants in the early stages of their graduate careers will be given priority.

The six scholars will be selected on the basis of complementary strengths and interests to form a cohort who are ready to work together. Successful applicants will demonstrate a combination of the following elements: research (in any discipline) that concerns the state of North Carolina, the U.S. South, or the Global South; a demonstrated interest in collaborative, multidisciplinary work.

Undergraduate — Apply Here

SOHP Undergraduate Research Planning Grants

The Southern Oral History Program (SOHP) Undergraduate Summer Awards provide startup funding for four undergraduates in the amount of $2,500 each to support preliminary oral history planning and preparation work resulting in the identification of oral history fieldwork or research you will further explore beyond the summer award period.

The Southwind Southern Futures Fellows Award

The Southwind Southern Futures Fellows Award provides funding of $5,000 for mentored research, community service, or creative projects that use the arts or humanities to work for justice, equity, and possibility in southern communities. This funding can support living and travel expenses associated with an approved project.