Research Fellowships

Thomas Jay McCahill III Fellowship

The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire is proud to announce the inception of the Thomas Jay McCahill III Fellowship. The inaugural McCahill Fellow will begin their term during the 2025-2026 academic year. This opportunity is being offered in collaboration with two partner organizations: The Society of the Cincinnati, Inc. based in Washington, D.C., and the American Independence Museum in Exeter, N.H. 

The McCahill Fellowship will provide up to $75,000 for a one-year period to support the cost of research, travel, housing and per diem expenses for one or more scholars to undertake advanced research on a topic germane to American history in the Colonial and Revolutionary periods. Fellows will have sustained access to collections and professional staff in a quiet study room at the Society of the Cincinnati National Historic Landmark headquarters, Anderson House, in Washington, D.C. The McCahill Fellowship is open to graduate students, and advanced and independent scholars who are conducting research that may benefit from various primary resources, with an emphasis on the collections of the Society of the Cincinnati.

The McCahill Fellow’s research is expected to be on one or more of the following periods:

• The Revolutionary War 
• Colonial British America; preference for research leading in some way to an issue of the Revolutionary Period
• The Early American Republic; preference for research leading in some way to an issue of the Revolutionary Period

Applicants should submit the following:

• A curriculum vitae, including educational background, publications and professional experience
• A brief outline of the research proposed (not to exceed two pages), along with an expectation of how the Fellow might use the research library and collections at Anderson House
• A writing sample of 10-25 pages in the form of a published article, book-excerpt, or a paper submitted for course credit, which can be submitted in Word or PDF format
• Budget for proposed research project to include a schedule and related costs for housing and travel
• (For current graduate students only) Two confidential letters of recommendation from faculty or colleagues familiar with the applicant and his or her research project. Note: If letters are to be mailed independently, please include the names of recommenders when submitting the application

The application deadline is October 31, 2024, and applicants should expect to be notified of the Selection Committee’s decision by January 31, 2025.

Read the full McCahill Fellowship description

To apply to the McCahill Fellowship visit our Application Portal

Research Fellowships

The American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati offers several short-term research fellowships each year. The fellowships provide $2,000-$2,500 toward the cost of travel, housing and per diem expenses to support a scholar working in the Institute’s library for a period of at least five days. The fellowships are open to graduate students and advanced scholars who are conducting research that may benefit from access to the Institute’s collections.

The library collections include contemporary books, manuscripts, maps and works of art on paper which support the in-depth study of 18th-century naval and military history and the art of war in the age of the American Revolution. The library also houses books and archives related to the formation and history of the Society of the Cincinnati, as well as materials related to the life of Larz and Isabel Anderson, whose 1905 mansion now serves as the headquarters of the Institute. The museum collections, which include paintings, sculpture, armaments and other military equipment, medals, ceramics, textiles, daguerreotypes and other historical artifacts, are also available to researchers.

The collections feature resources on the American colonial period as well. A new fellowship, funded by the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Maryland, offers $2,500 to support research on the history of Maryland and the Chesapeake region during the period 1607-1775. Additionally, the Keith Armistead Carr Fellowship supports scholarship that bridges the colonial and revolutionary periods.

Recipients will be required to fulfill their fellowship research in the library within a period of one year from the date of the award. Further, the recipient will be required to submit a two-to-three-page written report and summary of research findings. In addition, the library requests a single copy of any subsequent publication (article, thesis, dissertation or book) that may result.

The recipients for each of the fellowships will be chosen from a single round of applications.
Applicants should submit the following:

• A curriculum vitae, including educational background, publications and professional experience.
• A brief outline of the research proposed (not to exceed two pages) with the applicant’s name at the top. Strong applications will cite specific holdings of the library.
• (For current graduate students only) Two confidential letters of recommendation from faculty or colleagues familiar with the applicant and his or her research project. Note: If letters are to be mailed independently, please include the names of recommenders when submitting the application.