The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation awards dissertation fellowships to PhD candidates whose work addresses questions of religion, ethics, morals, or values with intellectual depth. Fellows receive a $31,000 stipend to support the final year of dissertation writing. The fellowship has supported over 1,400 fellows since 1981 and is described as the nation's largest such award in its focus area. Applications open August 1 annually with a November 1 deadline.
- Career stageDoctoral candidate
- DegreePhD candidate (ABD)
- Degree requirementbe candidates for Ph.D. degrees in any field of study in the humanities and social sciences at accredited graduate schools in the United States
- Career stage requirementbe ABD, and have completed all pre-dissertation requirements fulfilled by the application deadline, including approval of the dissertation proposal
- Career stage requirementbe in the writing stage of the dissertation. Usually, this means that fieldwork or other research is complete and writing has begun by the time of the award.
- Affiliation requirementbe campus-based at the institution. This Fellowship Program does not provide funding for distance learning or online programs
- Otherexpect to complete the dissertation between April 1 and August 31, the year of the tenure of the award.
- Enrollment restrictionCandidates working on D.Min., JD, Psy.D., Ed.D. and other professional degrees are not eligible.
- Prior award exclusionhave never held a similar national award for the final year of dissertation writing.
- OtherThis Fellowship Program does not provide funding for distance learning or online programs, or for degrees heavily dependent on distance learning components
- OtherThe Dissertation Fellowship is intended for applicants who are completing their first doctoral degree.
- Degree notesbe ABD, and have completed all pre-dissertation requirements fulfilled by the application deadline, including approval of the dissertation proposal
- Enrollment statusbe candidates for Ph.D. degrees in any field of study in the humanities and social sciences at accredited graduate schools in the United States
- Affiliation notesbe candidates for Ph.D. degrees in any field of study in the humanities and social sciences at accredited graduate schools in the United States
- Stipend$31,000
- ComponentsStipend: $31,000/year
- BenefitsHealth Insurance; Tuition
- TravelNot provided
- AccommodationNot provided
- Final deadlineNov 1, 2026
- CycleAnnual
- StatusOpen
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