How Do We Choose Fellowship Recipients?
Our Process
REVIEWERS
CES relies on a national network of 300 senior scholars who generously volunteer their time and expertise to review fellowship applications. Each year, our reviewers evaluate approximately 200–250 applications across the humanities and social sciences.
Our reviewers bring expertise from a wide range of disciplines, institutions, and fields of study, helping CES identify scholarship that is intellectually rigorous, ambitious, and meaningfully engaged with consequential questions.
MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF REVIEW
CES uses a rigorous, multi-stage review process designed to give strong applications careful consideration from multiple scholars.
First Round: Each eligible application is reviewed by two or three scholars with relevant expertise. Reviewers assess the quality, significance, and feasibility of the proposed research and identify the strongest applications for further consideration.
Second Round: Applications advancing to the second round are reviewed by an additional two or three scholars. Reviewers provide written assessments and constructive feedback on the research project, helping inform the final selection process.
Final Selection: The strongest applications advance to a final selection committee of seven to nine scholars. The committee reviews and discusses the finalists and makes the final selection of fellowship recipients.
RIGOR & ENGAGEMENT
CES seeks to support scholarship that is intellectually ambitious, methodologically rigorous, and engaged with consequential questions. We are particularly interested in research that has the potential to deepen public understanding, challenge established assumptions, contribute to important conversations, or inform efforts toward a more democratic, equitable, and sustainable society.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
CES is committed to supporting a diverse community of scholars and recognizes the importance of broadening participation in higher education and intellectual life. We welcome applications from scholars of varied backgrounds, perspectives, disciplines, and institutional contexts, including scholars from groups that have historically been underrepresented in higher education.
Our commitment to diversity is part of our broader commitment to building a vibrant intellectual community in which a wide range of experiences and perspectives can contribute to engaged scholarship.
