Learn About the Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

In 2026, the National Park Service will join the nation in commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship program will contribute new and dynamic programming, an array of public engagement opportunities, and interpretive products to the commemoration, inspiring audiences to consider anew the meanings of freedom and self-government in a diverse and noisy union.

Humanities are the disciplines that help us gather, analyze, and interpret stories about being human. Mellon Fellows are experts in humanities fields such as American Studies, anthropology, archaeology, ethnic studies, history, language and literature, museology, philosophy, and women’s and gender studies. Using the tools and approaches available through these disciplines, the Fellows’ work will enrich our understanding of the significance of America’s historic places to our past and our collective future.