SUNY Chancellor King Announces SUNY United States 250th Anniversary Faculty Research Fellowship
July 2, 2026
In Celebration of America's 250th Anniversary, Fellowship Will Elevate Research and Scholarship on the Democratic Experience of the United States
Applications Open to SUNY Faculty Across a Variety of Disciplines Through August 14; Application Can be Found Online Here
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the SUNY United States 250th Anniversary Faculty Research Fellowship. Through the fellowship, which was included in the 2026 State of the University Agenda, SUNY faculty will have the opportunity to engage in public-focused research and scholarship related to understanding and amplifying the history of the United States and the promises and tests of democracy.
"As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, it is vital we also elevate research that contributes to a better understanding of our nation, its accomplishments, and its great potential," said SUNY Chancellor King. "The United States 250th Anniversary Faculty Research Fellowship will support excellence in research and scholarship to explore our country's rich history, while also advancing civil discourse and civic engagement throughout the SUNY system."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY is proud to celebrate the history of our nation and advance the understanding of our history through the United States 250th Anniversary Faculty Research Fellowship. This fellowship will allow our faculty to offer New Yorkers and the wider public deeper perspectives on the founding of the United States and our democracy through their research."
The SUNY United States 250th Anniversary Faculty Research Fellowship will elevate research and scholarship on the democratic experience of the United States, and advance SUNY's commitment to a complete history of the nation. Faculty from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to history, literature, political science, sociology, and the arts, will be encouraged to apply by August 14, 2026. The application can be found online here.
The fellowship will provide up to five faculty with up to $20,000 each to support project expenses related to researching, preserving, or interpreting knowledge about the United States democracy and sharing it with the public. Projects may include collecting, preserving, or digitizing historical documents or artifacts; creating professional development materials for K-12 and higher education faculty on research topics and resources; or hosting public events, presentations, or exhibits.
Individuals selected for the fellowship will be announced in Fall 2026. Additional consideration will be given to proposals from SUNY alumni and from individuals who were Pell-eligible as undergraduates, were first-generation college students, are AmeriCorps alumni, or are veterans.
The SUNY United States 250th Anniversary Faculty Research Fellowship builds on SUNY's efforts to support civil discourse and civic learning, and democracy-building. In January, SUNY announced the first round of awards from the “Building Bridges” civic engagement student leadership awards, for student-designed projects that strengthen campus communities and build connections across lines of difference. In September 2025, SUNY announced the second cohort of Civil Discourse and Civic Education & Engagement Fellows to promote civil discourse among students, faculty, and staff throughout campus communities and advance SUNY's commitment to civic engagement as an essential outcome of higher education. In 2024, SUNY announced efforts to support nonpartisan student voter registration and civic engagement, including the ALL In Campus Democracy Challenge. Additionally, SUNY has also updated its undergraduate general education curriculum to add a civic discourse component to ensure students gain the skills necessary to participate in civic life and engage in healthy dialogue in order to secure the future of our democracy.
The fellowship is also part of SUNY's efforts to highlight the excellent research taking place throughout the SUNY System. Recently, SUNY announced the recipients of the annual Dr. L. Eudora Pettigrew Women's History Summer Research Excellence Grants for student researchers. In April, SUNY announced the winner of the annual Dr. Virginia Radley Fellowship Program for SUNY faculty members. The SUNY AI Symposium was also held in April at the State University of New York at Stony Brook to highlight AI leaders, SUNY researchers, educators, and partners who are advancing discovery, driving AI innovation, and generating economic growth in New York State. In March, the SUNY Research Expo was held in Albany to showcase the groundbreaking agricultural, environmental, artificial intelligence, and medical research taking place throughout the SUNY system. In February, Chancellor King announced the launch of the SUNY Research Connect Portal to showcase the research profiles of nearly 7,000 SUNY researchers from 26 campuses.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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