The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation


Purpose: The Trustees of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation have approved a new 
program for faculty members in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who have 
not yet received tenure or have recently done so and who wish to acquire systematic 
training outside their own disciplines.  Scholarship that crosses disciplinary boundaries 
holds great potential, but in practice it often requires formal substantive and 
methodological training.  This program is intended to permit excellent scholars in the 
humanities and humanistic social sciences to work on problems that interest them most, 
but to do so at an appropriate level of sophistication.  In addition to facilitating the work 
of individual faculty members, these awards should benefit humanistic scholarship more 
generally by encouraging the highest standards in cross-disciplinary research.


Terms of the Awards: Candidates will be newly tenured or be within three years of 
consideration for tenure in the humanities and humanistic social sciences and those 
whose research interests call for formal training in a discipline other than the one in 
which they are expert.  Such training may consist of formal coursework or other 
programs of organized study.  It may take place either at fellows' home institutions, or 
elsewhere as appropriate.  Although it is anticipated that most fellows will seek to 
acquire deeper knowledge of other fields in the humanities or social sciences, proposals 
to study disciplines more far afield will also be eligible.  The principal criteria for the 
awards are: (1) the overall significance of the research, (2) the case for the importance 
of extra-disciplinary training for furthering the research, and (3) a well-developed plan for 
acquiring the necessary training within a reasonable period of time.


Fellows will receive: (1) the equivalent of one academic year's salary; (2) two summers 
of additional support, each at the equivalent two-ninths of the previous academic year 
salary; and (3) tuition and other reasonable costs associated with the fellows' training 
programs.  To permit flexibility in meeting individual scholars' needs, these funds may be 
expended over a period not to exceed three full academic years following the date of the 
award.  In addition to the awards for individual recipients, a small subvention will be 
provided to their home institutions to assist in accommodating the fellows' plans.


Selection Process and the Making of Grants: Institutions will be invited to participate 
in this program and will be asked to solicit proposals from faculty members in the 
humanities and humanistic social sciences wishing to further their research through 
engaging in programs of study in fields other than their own.  It is expected that 
institutions will communicate the particulars of both the program and the application 
process throughout the relevant departments.  Following an internal competitive 
selection process to be overseen by a committee of senior faculty members in the 
relevant disciplines, each institution will forward the best proposal it has received to the 
Foundation.  The Foundation will convene a panel of distinguished scholars which will 
recommend approximately ten awards to the Foundations' Trustees.  Once the Trustees 
have given their final approval, institutions and individual awardees will be notified.  
Grants will be administered by the fellows' home institutions.


January 23, 2002