"2026-2027 Yale Divinity Library David M. and Virginia W. Stowe Fund for Mission Research"

The David M. and Virginia W. Stowe Fund for Mission Research was established by the Stowe family in 2003 to provide funds to support visiting researchers who come to the Yale Divinity Library to use its missions-related collections.

All whose research requires the use of missions-related collections in the Yale Divinity Library are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to researchers without alternative funding. The fund aims to facilitate research regardless of institutional association, race, cultural background, ability, sexual orientation, gender, or socioeconomic status. Student applicants should be at an advanced stage in their research and propose a fully conceptualized project related to their degree program.

Applicants seeking to use material that is available online or through interlibrary loan (e.g., widely available published books) must make a strong argument for why they must still perform research on site. Researchers whose primary interest is in collections outside Yale Divinity Library (e.g., at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library) are not eligible to apply.

Fellows will receive $1,250 per week for up to 8 weeks.

The application opens on March 2, 2026

The application closes on April 6, 2026

Applicants will be notified of all decisions by April 30, 2026

Funded research trips must occur between June 1, 2026 and May 28, 2027

Notes:

• The Stowe Fund for Mission Research was previously offered every other year to align with the New Haven meeting of the Yale-Edinburgh Group on World Christianity and the History of Mission. The fund is now being offered annually, and conference attendance is not required, but we encourage recipients to align their research with the conference during years when the conference is in New Haven.
• All fellows are responsible for paying taxes associated with their fellowship. Depending on citizenship and other factors, some fellows will have taxes deducted from the amount of the award.

Qualifications

• Applicants must be enrolled in or have completed a terminal graduate degree program (PhD, MFA, JD, MD, etc.).
• Research must center on missions-related collections at Yale Divinity Library.

Application Instructions

All materials must be received by the deadline. Applicants are required to submit the following materials:

• An application form (i.e., the information filled out and submitted within Interfolio)
• A curriculum vitae (3 pages max)
• A research proposal (1,000 words max) that outlines:
  • Significance of collections research to your project
  • An overview of the culminating project
  • Feasibility of completing the scope of research proposed within the time period proposed
• A detailed list of Yale Divinity Library collection materials to be examined during your research
  • If material is available online or through interlibrary loan, applicants must explain why they need to research on site.

Letters of Recommendation:

• Student applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation from an academic advisor or equivalent. The recommendation should address progress toward the degree.
• Applicants who are not currently enrolled in a degree program are encouraged, but not required to submit a letter of recommendation.

To assist with your application, see the Yale Divinity Library Special Collections website and/or Archives at Yale.

If you have any further questions, please contact divinity.library.fellowships@yale.edu.