Fellowship Requirements & Application Guidelines

General Requirements

Deadlines
Please note that ALL application materials must be RECEIVED at the AIA by the November 1 deadline. This includes the application form and attachments, letters of reference, and transcripts (if applicable).

Dissertation Title or Transcript
If you have not yet been awarded your Doctorate, please send an official or unofficial copy of your graduate transcript(s) to fellowships@archaeological.org

Please note that the transcript requirement is waived for foreign applicants for the Archaeology of Portugal Fellowship (U.S. or Canadian applicants who do not yet have have their Doctorates must still provide them).

Letters of Reference
Two letters of reference from persons familiar with you and your work are required and must be submitted electronically by the deadline noted.  One you have submitted your application, your references will receive an email from the AIA, at the addresses you have provided, providing a link for submitting.  Please make sure that all your references receive this email and submit their recommendations by the deadline.

Project Proposal
The Fellowships Committee attaches the greatest importance to your detailed statement of the proposed project (see below). It is important to define the questions you are exploring and to state your goals and methodology as well as the relationship between the two. The committee is also looking for evidence of the scholarly significance and feasibility of your proposal. Additionally, the committee is interested in your itinerary and it is helpful if you include background information outlining the reasons for visiting these locations in your summary statement. It is also important to indicate that you have begun to seek the necessary permissions required by many countries and museums to work with their materials.

Abstract
After the tenure of their fellowship, fellows are expected to submit an abstract to the Program Committee within two years, in accordance with that committee’s guidelines, in order to present a paper on their research at the AIA Annual Meeting. Please note that the Program Committee performs a “blind” selection of abstracts, so there is no guarantee that abstracts dealing with fellowship projects will be accepted.

Restrictions
Current officers and members of the Governing Board, staff, members of the Fellowships Committee and members of their immediate families are prohibited from applying for or receiving fellowships, grants, and other financial awards that may be offered by the Archaeological Institute of America.

Application Guidelines

It is strongly preferred that AIA applications be submitted electronically. If you have any questions, please contact the Fellowship Coordinator at fellowships@archaeological.org.

Please complete all required fields, including contact and personal information.

For references, please provide the names and contact information of two individuals who are familiar with your research and are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you.

(1) The applicant should list two references, including their affiliated institution, address, and email address.

(2) The applicant should make sure that their references submit the “Confidential Report on Candidate Form” by November 1.

Your Curriculum Vitae or resume should include:

(1) a history of your education, including your undergraduate and graduate institutions, majors, minors, grade point averages, and dates of completion. Ph.D. candidates, please also include dissertation title and name of main advisor;

(2) all publications;

(3) all fellowships and awards, with name and date held;

(4) relevant work experience, with position and dates;

(5) a list of skills and abilities you believe to be useful to success in your research (such as languages, computer skills, etc.);

(6) Include page numbers and name at the end of each page.

Project Information should include:

(1) the title and a 200-word abstract summarizing your research goals; 

(2) a detailed project proposal (as an attached file), not to exceed 1000 words, including a statement of the research goals, the major questions and/or issues to be examined, and a work plan (including how much of the work will be completed during the fellowship period). The plan should include a clear description of the materials to be studied, the methods to be employed, and a timetable. Please also state your qualifications as well as the status of your efforts to gain access to the materials to be studied; 

(6) Include page numbers and name at the end of each page; 

(7) Font size should be 12 points and the documents should be double spaced. 

(3) a selected bibliography not to exceed one page in length, listing the most important and most recent relevant scholarship; 

(4) an itinerary listing places and dates (may be estimated) to be visited (Fellowship tenure begins July 1st and runs to the following June 30th); 

(5) a justified budget detailing all expenses along with a list of all financial resources available to you and the amount of the fellowship or grant that you are requesting. (Income taxes are not an allowable expense, but the committee will consider insurance if it can be justified.) 

Please also understand all the terms of the award before you check that you agree to them.

Final Report Submission Guidelines

All recipients of fellowships of the Archaeological Institute of America are required to submit a performance report on work accomplished. This report is due no later than 30 days after the completion of the fellowship period. Failure to submit a report will exclude the fellowship holder from applying for AIA fellowship funds in the future, and could result in the AIA requesting remittance of the grant amount.

The report should be between two and three pages in length and should include on the first page the date, applicant’s full name, project title, grant category, and name and address of grantee’s institutional affiliation.

The report should summarize the project activities, accomplishments and results, and publication or planned dissemination of results. Include in the description, to the extent that this is possible:

(1) an outline of work completed during the grant period

(2) a statement of procedures, methods, and results in both quantitative and qualitative terms

(3) a comment comparing results and the goals stated in the proposal

(4) a plan and timeline for dissemination of results

(5) an explanation if the projected aims have not been achieved, and/or if there have been positive or negative changes in work plan, methods, methodology, or data set.

The report should be submitted to the AIA website via the AIA Fellowships Report Form no later than 30 days after the end of the fellowship period. To request an extension, please reach out to fellowships@archaeological.org as soon as possible.