The trustees of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, Inc. established the Dumas Malone Fellowship in honor of Mr. Malone's service to the University and the Foundation. The fellowship was initiated to support the research of outstanding, advanced graduate students with a need to investigate archives, or other repositories of information, in a foreign country or countries.
Awards for academic year 2025-2026 will be announced by Tuesday, April 1. Dumas Malone funds will be available for disbursement to those receiving an award by August 1, 2025 for research to be undertaken during the 2025-26 academic year. Please note that the Dumas Malone Fellowship does not provide funds for research over the summer, either prior to or following the academic year (summer 2025 or 2026).
Students who plan to travel internationally will be required to demonstrate that their travel has been approved by the International Studies Office prior to the disbursement of funds. Please see here for more information.
Eligibility
Applicants must be advanced PhD students with a need to investigate archives, or other repositories of information, in a foreign country or countries.
Deadline
Monday, March 3, 2025
Application Questions
Applications must be submitted via the Academic Works application portal here. In addition to the questions provided below, students must also obtain two references from faculty members familiar with the research proposal. References will be prompted to complete an online form (or submit a letter) via academic Works once their names and contacts are entered into the portal. Students should therefore initiate this request as soon as possible.
- Former Sources of Support (up to 150 words): Please list any sources of support that you have already received for this research, including: Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Research Awards; Dumas Malone Graduate Research Fellowship; Albert Gallatin Research Fellowship; or other internal or external awards. If applicable, please indicate the dates and amounts received from these programs.
- Background and Project Description (up to 500 words): Please describe your project for a non-specialist audience. What is the motivation for this work? What are the specific activities proposed? How will the specific project advance your progress toward degree completion?
- Timeline (up to 250 words): Please provide a clear timeline for your project proposal and indicate how these activities articulate with your degree-related milestones. Why is this timeframe (semester/academic year) opportune for the completion of this research? As a reminder, Dumas Malone funds may only be used for projects completed during the academic year. Summer support—either preceding or following—the academic year is not available through this program.
- Preparation and Feasibility (up to 250 words): What preparation is necessary to complete this work? What steps have already been taken and what remains? Applicants should address as relevant: preliminary visits to field sites; archival surveys; language training; necessary permissions from local officials; and safety and security. How have you determined that the proposed work can be completed within the timeframe defined and with the resources requested?
- Additional Sources of Support (150 words): Please provide a list all other awards, including amounts, that you have applied for that would provide funds for the same time period and for the same research proposal.
- A current curriculum vitae.
- Please upload a copy of the budget submitted through the budget form located here. Make sure that you choose to email a copy to yourself when filling out the form and upload the result as a PDF. If you change your budget and need to submit the form multiple times please make sure that you upload your latest version.
Note: The award will not fund University tuition, fees or student health insurance premiums.
Applicants in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences may request relief from teaching obligations in one or both terms to facilitate dissertation research away from Charlottesville. In such cases, the award will provide $7,200 in fellowship funds per term to replace the wage portion of a student’s standard living support. The duration of the relief (one or two terms) must be clearly justified by the scope and timeline of the research as outlined in proposal. Students who are scheduled to be on full fellowship (and not teach) during the semester(s) of proposed research should not request additional funds for teaching relief. Any requests for living support in excess of that provided through teaching relief and other fellowship funds must be clearly justified.