Together with the German Society of Pennsylvania, the German Historical Institute will sponsor two to four fellowships of up to four weeks for research at the Joseph Horner Memorial Library in Philadelphia between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2026.
The fellowship will be awarded to PhD and M.A. students and advanced scholars without restrictions in research fields or geographical provenance for research using materials at the Horner Library. The "GHI Fellowship at the Horner Library" will provide a travel subsidy and an allowance of $1,000 to $3,500 depending on the length of the stay and the qualifications of the fellows. Opportunities for research at other special collections in Philadelphia may be available.
In 2026, the United States will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This will shine a special light on Philadelphia, the city where it was written and from where it was sent to the 13 states whose representatives had met here, as well as out into the world. In honor of this anniversary, research topics on themes related to the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress, and the early days of the republic would be especially welcome for 2026, though this will not be a requirement.
The Joseph Horner Memorial Library houses 50,000 volumes and is the largest German American collection in the US outside of a university. The collection offers rich materials from the 17th to the 20th centuries to historians of German American immigration culture, especially in Pennsylvania, as well as historians of German fictional and non-fictional literature, including travel and popular literature. See the reference guide on the GHI web site and the catalog at the German Society of Pennsylvania.
Questions about applying or for the fellowship program in general should be directed to fellowships(at)ghi-dc.org.
To apply please send the following materials using the online application form or (as a single pdf) March 1, 2026. They should include:
a project description of no more than 2,000 words,
curriculum vitae,
copies of academic degrees,
and one letter of reference (sent separately to fellowships(at)ghi-dc.org or uploaded to application portal).
Applicants may write in either English or German; we recommend that they use the language in which they are most proficient. Applicants will be notified about the outcome approximately two months after the deadline.