Call for applications: 2025-26 Mellon/SAR Academic Freedom Workshop & Fellowships

Scholars at Risk (SAR) announces a call for applications for remote research fellowships for early career researchers who investigate issues focusing on academic freedom or related higher education values. The fellowship program is made possible by the generous support of and partnership with the Mellon Foundation, among other donors, and is intended to provide support for a professional community of researchers who wish to develop and share work leading to the completion of a formal written publication, a new course offering, workshop, webinar or other significant end product.

Over the course of the 10-month program from December 2025 to September 2026, fellows will complete their proposed project and participate in remote, online workshop sessions during which they will present the progress of their work and offer feedback on the work of other fellows. Fellows will receive a stipend of USD ~$8000 intended to cover research expenses, publication, or other costs, as the fellow may decide. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to gain exposure to SAR’s programming and to network with SAR partner-experts on academic freedom issues. Learn about prior cohorts of Mellon/SAR Academic Freedom Fellows below.

The deadline for submission is August 29, 2025, with decisions to be announced by November 2025.

Criteria:

PhD degree received less than 8 years ago; in limited cases, doctoral candidates in the final stages of dissertation completion may be considered.
Current research or teaching affiliation with a higher education institution, association, or research organization.
Demonstrated interest in teaching, researching, or publishing about issues of academic freedom or related higher education values.
Preference for projects involving comparative, international, or collaborative work (fellowship awards may be split across two researchers).
Commitment to participate remote, online workshops and/or public webinars with co-recipients, SAR staff, network members, and guests (with proper security accommodations). Remote workshop sessions will be held in December (orientation), January (1), February (1), March (1), April (2), May (2), June (2), and September (wrap-up), with final scheduling to be fixed after selection of participants.
Ability to lawfully receive stipend funds and complete program requirements in the country of current location, assuming responsibility for tax or reporting requirements, if any.
Personal experiences with risk or threat are not a consideration for selection, but current or formerly at-risk researchers are encouraged to apply.
Candidates in or from the Global South and from marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Submission Requirements

Applications may be submitted on here through August 29, 2025. Applicants are required to submit an abstract, research plan, timeline, and CV with the names and contact information of two references, in a single PDF, adhering to the criteria above. Applicants must also address questions regarding their project through short-answer forms in the online application.

*Abstract Guidelines

What specific research question(s) do you wish to address? What is its potential significance?
How is your research question related to academic freedom and related values?
What methodology will you employ to address your research question(s), and what types of evidence do you propose to gather?
How will your findings contribute to our greater understanding of what academic freedom involves and how it can best be protected?

*The abstract refers to the formal publishable research proposed by the applicant, whereas the end product refers to both the research and the form(s) of its dissemination.

For more details, refer here