The Center for the Humanities invites emerging humanities scholars to submit applications to support research and travel to the 2026 CUNY Humanities Catalyst Grant.
Grants will support graduate students in English, History, Philosophy, Art History at the City University of New York as they pursue original research, archival travel, and scholarly writing. Designed to bolster a rising generation of humanists in a rapidly changing academic landscape, the program provides resources that help emerging scholars advance ambitious projects and sustain humanistic inquiry.
This year, the Center for the Humanities can offer 4 CUNY Humanities Catalyst Grants of $4,000 each to CUNY Graduate Center Ph.D. students registered in Fall 2026.
Deadline for Applications:
September 1, 2026, 11:59 pm
Eligibility:
CUNY Graduate Center Ph.D. students producing humanities scholarship in English, History, Philosophy, and Art History. Priority will be given to students who are currently in the dissertation phase of their doctoral journey. Please ensure with Financial Aid that you are eligible to receive additional funding before submitting a proposal.
Requirements:
The primary responsibilities of the award winners will be:
- To produce scholarship in the humanities––including but not limited to a dissertation proposal or chapter.
Grant recipients will also be required:
- to produce an excerpt or reflective 350 + word blog post for Distributaries on the Center’s website by May 2027;
- and attend 1-3 cohort meetings per semester with faculty mentors for workshopping, community, and food.
Successful proposals will incorporate the following in a brief one-pager:
- Clear articulation of your research inquiry. Effective one-pagers will describe the “so what factor.” Why does your research matter?
- Discussion of its intervention on current literature and discourse. How does it expand, correct, or challenge existing paradigms?
- Thoughtful discussion of the theories, methods, and ethics of interpretation and analysis.
- Brief account of how this project relates to your progress in your program.
HOW TO APPLY:
Fill out the application form and upload the following:
1) Upload a one-pager that addresses the above points.
2) Upload a c.v.
3) A letter of support from an advisor or professor.
The 2026 CUNY Humanities Catalyst Grant is sponsored by the Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center through generous support from an anonymous donor.