COMMUNITY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
Funding for Projects Designed to Improve Communities through Active Engagement in the Humanities
Utah Humanities Research Fellowships are awarded to Utahns doing humanities-based research that illuminates community stories. The Albert J. Colton Fellowship is awarded for projects of National or International Scope, and the Delmont R. Oswald Fellowship is for projects focusing on Utah communities. The fellowships are made possible by endowment funds established in memory of Albert J. Colton, a former UH board member, and Delmont R. Oswald, UH's founding director.
Each fellow receives up to $3,500 ($3,000 stipend plus up to $500 in travel or other expenses) to support humanities research that documents and shares community stories through journalism, creative nonfiction, video, audio, and other media. Recognizing that communities have not had equal opportunities to tell their own stories, successful fellows will serve as cultural liaisons, working in close collaboration with vibrant and distinct communities, rather than merely extracting from them.
Our goal is that the stories shared through this fellowship will allow more Utahns to see their experiences represented, fill information gaps, and encourage everyone to work toward a more empathetic and civically engaged state. We hope fellows will develop as skilled storytellers and build stronger connections within their communities.
“An education without the humanities [is like] living without the benefit of memory, or of imagination. We are, by nature, cultural beings. We are learners. Our cultural environment shapes us. If we fail to understand how it shapes us, we forfeit our freedom and our responsibility to think about what we learn and who we are."
- Biddy Martin, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Berrett, 2010)
What is Community Storytelling?
When we say “community,” we mean any group of people who share a common experience thanks to where they live, the language they speak, their race, their religion, their age, or some other attribute. An ideal project proposal will come from a scholar looking to tell stories from within a community to which they belong in some form.
Storytelling, broadly defined, represents an effort to understand the world. It is, as Peter Brooks has written, “…one of the principal ways we organize our experience…” (Brooks, Peter (2022). Seduced by story, the use and abuse of narrative. New York Review Books, New York.)
Storytelling is the process by which we give shape to our place in time and culture, emphasizing what is most essential. Storytelling finds a natural home in the humanities, where the study of literature, history, language, and culture, leads us to good stories told well. But it can also serve as a bridge. How, for example, does storytelling create a dialogue between the humanities and other disciplines? How does it shape a wide range of pedagogies? How has it evolved in the face of advancing technologies? How does it refine our understanding of both written and oral traditions? How might storytelling make us better citizens? How might it change and improve the way we think? What is the role of stories in moving through conflict? Who should tell stories, and how should they be told?
What We are Looking For
The art of storytelling is a fundamental skill in the Humanities, blending creativity, analysis, and empathy to communicate complex ideas and human experiences. It is a way to make our complicated world a little more comprehensible. As a scholar of storytelling, your project should engage with narratives from diverse cultures, time periods, and mediums to develop a deeper understanding of human society and global issues. The goal is to research and highlight the human experience in an accessible way, rather than focus academically on a particular topic.
Competitive applicants will:
- demonstrate a deep connection to a specific community (geographic, ethnic, professional, of interest, etc.) and explain how they are qualified/uniquely situated to tell stories from within their community
- describe an issue or concern of that community that will be addressed by the project
- give details about the stories the applicant intends to tell (a project should cover at minimum 3-5 in-depth stories) and how the stories told will highlight issues of ownership and treating individual experiences with respect
- show what will be considered evidence of positive impact, including how and where the stories will exist beyond the project• explain how the community will be actively engaged and benefit from this project
Applications are also reviewed for effective proposal presentation, originality of topic or approach, and potential for future public programming.
Public Program Requirement
Each Oswald and Colton Fellow must develop their project results into a public program (e.g., a public discussion or workshop) which will be presented in at least two different Utah venues to non-academic audiences. At least one of these programs should take place in a rural community. Programs must actively engage the audience; going beyond a lecture or performance/presentation (a Q&A session does not fulfill this requirement). One of the two public program requirements may be fulfilled with a format designed to engage a wider audience, such as a TEDTalk, exhibit, festival, radio interview, YouTube video, podcast, etc.
Who Should Apply for this Fellowship?
Fellowships are awarded to individuals located in Utah who are actively involved in humanities teaching, research, writing, community dialogue, or storytelling. Applicants must demonstrate that they have the necessary skills to complete the project at a high level in the proposed medium. They should also be able to demonstrate how they are uniquely situated within, or qualified to represent, the community they will highlight (particularly for vulnerable or historically marginalized peoples).
Storytellers may be independent or affiliated with a Utah college or university, but fellowship awardees are responsible for being aware of any conflicts of interest, intellectual property agreements, or funding restrictions related to their employment/degree requirements. Student applicants should be graduate-level and must demonstrate that the fellowship will provide an opportunity to spend concentrated time on the project. Awardees are also responsible for researching and reporting any of their own tax-related obligations.
Applicants must demonstrate a solid grounding in at least one humanities discipline, preferably with an advanced degree or expert knowledge in a community (i.e. tradition bearer, tribal leader, etc). UH expects that projects will be completed within a year.
Application requirements:
- Detailed description of the proposed project, including an outreach plan, evaluation methodology, and a general budget.
- A current Curriculum Vitae (CV) – 3 pages maximum
- A letter of recommendation from a person familiar with the applicant’s professional-level work
Optional: any other letters of community support, IRB approvals, interview agreements, etc.
Deadlines for 2026 Applications
Link to apply: https://utahhumanities.formstack.com/forms/fellowship_application
Application submission: November 14th
Awards announced: December 5th
Fellowship projects and final reports should be completed no later than January 30, 2027.
For additional information, contact Emily Grubby at