Summer Research Funding

History & Literature concentrators spend their summers in a number of ways--doing research, studying abroad, interning at a number of different organizations, and more. To the right, you'll see resources for identifying internships, as well as places where History & Literature students have recently interned. Below, you'll find a number of funding opportunities that have supported History & Literature concentrators in the past.

While History & Literature does not require concentrators to do any thesis research before the senior year, many students choose to do summer research as a way of enriching their college experiences. In particular, many juniors win funding to support senior thesis research conducted in the summer between the junior and senior years. Listed below are general resources for identifying funding opportunities as well as particular funds, grouped thematically and geographically. Note that most of the application deadlines are early in the spring semester, clustered around the middle of February. Some grants also provide funding for term-time research or the winter session. Deadlines for 2022-23 grants, if available, are listed below.

If you have questions, please contact History & Literature’s Associate Directors of Studies.

General Resources
Thematic Funds
North America
Europe
Latin America
Africa and the Middle East
Asia, South Asia, and Oceania

General Resources

  • The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF). URAF promotes and supports research opportunities for Harvard undergraduates, from helping students to identify research opportunities to administering research programs like SHARP and MMUF (see below). URAF also hosts office hours and offers one-on-one advising appointments.
  • CARAT. The Central Application for Research and Travel (CARAT) is used by many campus programs and research units as the starting point for application submission. Click the button labeled "Undergraduate Opportunities" for information about individual funds, including deadlines. 

Thematic Funds

  • Harvard College Research Program. HCRP is the flagship research, scholarly, and artistic support program for Harvard College students. It provides fall term, spring term, and summer funding in support of student-initiated, independent scholarly research or creative endeavors undertaken with guidance of a Harvard-affiliated faculty mentor. Deadline: September 10, 2023, for fall semester funding; January 28, 2024, for spring semester funding; March 24, 2024 for summer funding.
  • Asian American Studies Thesis Research Grant. For research for a senior honors thesis related to Asian American Studies, with a relationship to Asian American life, history, culture, theory, or politics. Projects may deal with persons or groups with ancestry that is Pacific Islander, South Asian, Southeast Asian, East Asian, or Middle Eastern. Likewise, ‘American’ need not be limited to U.S. contexts. Deadline: February 14, 2024.
  • Kenneth I. Juster Fellowships for Undergraduate Research and Travel. Grants to support undergraduate field research or field experience in the areas of international relations, international trade and economic affairs, international development, international negotiation and dispute resolution, and global governance and affairs. Funds may be used for internationally focused field experiences or field research, including—but not necessarily tied to—research in support of senior theses. Projects may be carried out during the winter break, between semesters, or a term-time leave of absence. Deadline: October 23, 2023.
  • Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF). Selects ten students in their sophomore year to join a tightly-knit research community during junior and senior years to conduct independent research in close collaboration with a faculty mentor. Deadline: February 11, 2024.

North America

Europe

  • Dressler Family Traveling Grant for Summer Travel or Study for Sophomores and Juniors. For travel and study in a country where a Romance language is spoken (e.g. France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, and Latin America). The purpose of the grant is to afford students who have completed at least one course in Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard the opportunity to travel and study in these countries in order to further their understanding of language, literature, politics, history, culture, etc. Deadline: March 1, 2024.
  • Harvard-Cambridge Summer Fellowship. Offers fellowships to rising juniors and seniors to pursue meaningful opportunities in the United Kingdom, including sponsored research or study experiences at Cambridge or in affiliation with Cambridge-sponsored or affiliated arts or service projects. Deadline: TBA.
  • Goldman Undergraduate Research Travel Grants. For independent research on topics in Russian and Eurasian studies. Preference is given to juniors doing research for the senior thesis. A limited amount of funding may be available for research abroad in January. Deadline: February 7, 2024.
  • Robert Bacon Fund Grant. Funds for summer study, research, or internships in France, including support for students attending Harvard’s summer program in Paris. Deadline: March 1, 2024.

Latin America

Africa and the Middle East

  • A. J. Meyer Summer Fellowship. A scholarship in the amount of $2,500 for a Harvard student who will enroll in a full-time intensive summer program in Arabic. Deadline: TBA.

Asia, South Asia, and Oceania

  • Asia Center Undergraduate Summer Research Grants. For students conducting research or language study over the summer. Research must look at the countries of East, South, and Southeast Asia comparatively or explore the relations among Asian countries. Deadline: TBA.
  • Asia Center Winter Research Grants. For students conducting research that looks at the countries of East, South, and Southeast Asia comparatively or explore the relations among Asian countries. Deadline: October 23, 2023.
  • Korea Institute Undergraduate Summer Language Study Grants at Ewha. Awards summer language study grants for Harvard undergraduates in any concentration to attend the co-ed Ewha International Summer College-Session I to learn the Korean language. Courses may only on Korean language or on language and content. Deadline: February 5, 2024.