General

What is the length of time for an Arts Research with Communities of Color (ARCC) fellowship?

The fellowship term is 12 months. Fellows may begin their work any time between May and August 2022.

What is the expected time commitment for fellows?

The fellowship requires full-time commitment, and prospective fellows will be expected to take a leave of absence from other employment during the fellowship year.  

What are the expected research outputs?

Fellows are expected to produce outputs for both the general public and academic audiences, and for internal use within the organization they are matched with. These outputs will include but are not limited to: ethnographies of each community arts organization for both public-facing presentation and scholarly publication, contributions to cross-case analyses in collaboration with the program’s Research Advisory Committee, and contributions to an edited scholarly volume. 

What do you mean by “arts organization of color”?

For the purposes of this program, the term “arts organizations of color” describes organizations that were founded by and for communities of color. We recognize the contested and complex nature of such umbrella terms, and that no single term can truly represent the diversity of arts organizations that serve communities of color, including those that identify as Black, Indigenous, Middle Eastern and Arab American, Latinx, and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We also recognize the complexity of and diversity within these communities. 

Selections for the specific arts organizations that will participate in this initiative are currently under way. For more information on that process, including selection criteria, please visit the Wallace Foundation website. 

What is the Wallace Foundation’s arts initiative?

In 2021, the Wallace Foundation announced a five-year initiative to support equitable improvement in the arts, focusing on arts organizations of color. As a part of this initiative, the Foundation will fund 10–18 organizations, chosen through an open call with a competitive selection process, to develop and implement efforts to address a strategic challenge their arts organization faces. The initiative will also include multiple research studies that aim to learn from and with the grantee arts organizations about how their community orientation contributes to their relevance and resilience. The goal of the research activities is to develop knowledge to help improve practice and policy, for arts organizations of color and community-oriented organizations more broadly.  

How is this fellowship connected to the work of the Wallace Foundation?

The ARCC fellowship program serves as one of several research studies supported by the Wallace Foundation over the course of its five-year initiative focused on arts organizations of color. ARCC fellows will thus form part of the initiative’s broader Research Learning Community and will have opportunities to interact with researchers from other studies over the course of the fellowship period. Furthermore, the ethnographies produced by fellows will serve as important resources for other studies aligned with the initiative, including the Community-Orientation Study, which begins in January 2022. 

Eligibility

Is there a degree requirement?

Yes. Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent terminal degree in a related field, including but not limited to anthropology, sociology, history, arts administration, political science, or art history.  Degrees need not come from a US academic institution.

Is there a citizenship requirement?

The ARCC fellowship has no citizenship requirements. However, fellows must be authorized to legally work in the United States during the fellowship period. Please note that neither SSRC nor participating arts organizations can sponsor applicants for visas.

What is meant by “early-career researcher”?

For the purposes of this fellowship, an early-career researcher is someone whose terminal degree was confirmed between January 2016 and May 2022.

Do fellows need to be affiliated with an academic institution?

Fellows do not need to hold an affiliation at an academic institution.

Am I eligible to apply if I have previously received funding from the SSRC?

Yes, previous recipients of SSRC funding are eligible to apply. 

Application Process

Do I need to complete the application in one sitting?

No. You may return to the application as many times as needed until the application deadline. Please remember to save your work as you complete each section of the application and note that once applications are submitted, they cannot be altered.

Do I need to submit my application in English?

Yes. The online application form and all required documents should be completed in English.

May I submit my application by fax or email?

No. Applications should be submitted via the online application portal only.

How can I find out whether the program has received my application?

You will receive an automated email from the SSRC confirming submission of your application.

Application Components

What materials are required for this application? 

Applicants must submit an online application form, a letter of interest (no more than two pages, single-spaced, 11 pt font) and a current CV summary (two pages). 

What should my letter of interest include? 

Letters of interest should address the following questions:

– Why are you interested in applying to this fellowship?

– How would this fellowship fit into your broader career trajectory?

– What is the nature of your prior experience with ethnographic research and/or in arts or community-serving organizations of color?

– Which community/ies do you consider yourself to be embedded in or culturally, linguistically, and/or regionally familiar with?

– How do you see your research as related to both understanding and addressing social justice issues, and in particular in relation to community organizations of color?

What should my CV summary include? 

Applicants CV summaries should include the following details: education and employment history, relevant research experience, honors and awards, professional affiliations, language skills, and a list of no more than five relevant publications.

Awarding of Grants

What is the selection procedure?

Applications will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary committee of scholars convened by the SSRC, in conversation with the Wallace grantee arts organizations. The first round of selection, in which letters of interest and applicant CV summaries will be reviewed, will be based on applicants’ overall fit with the program. The second round of selection, focused on full proposals, will be based on applicants’ fit with specific grantee arts organizations.  

Applicants who progress to the second round of selection will receive information about the requirements for full applications as well as additional selection criteria.

How will I know if I have made it to the next stage of the selection process?

All applicants will be notified about the outcome of their application by email.