2027-2028 Fellowships for Palestinian Scholars Conducting Humanities and Social Science Field-Based Research on Palestine

Applications due December 5, 2026
Awards announced April 15, 2027

Fellowship awards up to a maximum of $6,000
Awardees will have until December 31, 2028 to complete their research 

On October 27, 2026, PARC will hold an informational webinar for interested applicants. To sign up for the webinar, please click here.

The Palestinian American Research Center (PARC) announces its 28th annual Palestinian research fellowship competition for research in the humanities and social sciences that will contribute to Palestinian Studies. Applicants must be Palestinian doctoral students or Palestinian scholars who have earned their PhD. Palestinians may apply regardless of their country of residence or ID.

Information about the fellowship competition:

  • Research must contribute to Palestinian Studies. Eligible fields of research are the arts, humanities, social sciences, public health, and environmental studies. Purely scientific research is not eligible for this competition.
  • Research must take place in Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, or Lebanon. Research proposals on the occupied Golan Heights are welcome, provided they are set within a comparative framework with Palestine.
  • Field research must be for a minimum of two months up to a maximum of one year.
  • Individual and joint research projects are eligible for this competition; research can be conducted by a group of researchers.
  • Applicants must be scholars who have earned their PhD, established researchers, or full-time doctoral students enrolled in a recognized degree program.
  • By the time research commences, doctoral students must have fulfilled all preliminary requirements for their degree except the dissertation. First year PhD students are not eligible. Only PhD students who have defended their dissertation proposal are eligible. The fellowship will not cover tuition.
  • Researchers without a doctorate but with a record of academic publication are eligible to apply (not less than 10 refereed articles).
  • Master’s degree holders without a record of academic publication are only eligible to apply for a joint research project with a lead researcher who holds a PhD.
  • Applications are especially encouraged from PhD students and junior faculty.
  • Applications from and about the Gaza Strip are especially encouraged as part of the Gaza Research Initiative.
  • Scholars who received a PARC fellowship in the last three years as well as scholars who received two PARC fellowships are not eligible to apply.
  • Female PhD students who meet the application criteria are eligible to apply for both this fellowship and the Tanya Baker-Asad Scholarship. Applicants, however, may only receive one award.
  • Palestinians who are also U.S. citizens may apply either to the Palestinian Research Fellowship competition or the U.S. Research Fellowship competition. They may not apply to both competitions in the same year.
  • Proposals that do not meet minimum standards or are incomplete will not be considered.
  • Proposals must embody the applicant’s own intellectual contribution and must not be substantially AI-generated; undisclosed use of AI may discredit the application.

Applications must be in English and include the following:  

  • Application form
  • Abstract (maximum 350 words)
  • Research proposal (maximum 2,000 words)
  • Service component
  • Budget
  • CV (maximum 10 pages)
  • Transcripts (for PhD students only)
  • ID and passport information
  • Two letters of recommendation (for PhD students only)

Evaluation criteria:

  • Research topic significant, under-researched, original, or new perspective
  • Contribution to your field of studies and Palestinian Studies
  • Appropriateness of methodology
  • Feasibility of research design
  • Your qualifications, including the requisite knowledge, experience, and skills to complete the project
  • Quality of service component
  • Reasonable and appropriate budget
  • Quality of application and writing
  • Recommendation letters (for PhD students only)

For more information, contact the PARC Palestine Office at [email protected]

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