Grant Opportunities

The MESA Global Academy is an interdisciplinary initiative of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) designed to sustain essential research collaborations and knowledge production among MENA-focused academics by providing competitive scholarships to displaced scholars from the MENA region, primarily those located in North America. The MESA Global Academy is a project of MESA in partnership with the City University of New York and other university partners, with generous support from the Carnegie Corporation, the Ellis L. Phillips Foundation, and the Persian Heritage Foundation.

The MESA Global Academy supports displaced scholars in the humanities and social sciences whose work falls within Middle East Studies, broadly defined. The Global Academy invites scholars to apply from comparative literature, history, and Islamic studies to political science, anthropology, economics, and beyond.

Global Academy scholars are required to attend a number of research workshops hosted by partner universities in their area of focus. Each must present their own research at one workshop and serve as a discussant at another; other engagements are welcome and encouraged. The scholars are also required to attend at least five professional development workshops. In addition, scholars are sponsored to attend and participate in at least one MESA Annual Meeting (Washington, DC in 2025). and receive a research grant.

The MESA Global Academy offers competitive fellowships to Middle East Studies scholars from the MENA region, primarily those who are currently displaced in North America. Eligibility criteria for the fellowships include: 1) holding a PhD or equivalent in a field in the social sciences or humanities (graduate students will not be considered); 2) the primary institutional affiliation was in the MENA region prior to displacement; and 3) a publication record indicating scholarly productivity (in English, French, a native MENA language, or principal research language of the field).

The applications for the 2025-2026 are now open. Deadline is May 1, 2025. Please click on the button below to start your application.
You may reach out to Ceren Abi, Program Manager, at ceren@mesana.org with any questions about the Global Academy or the application process.

- If I have received this fellowship before, can I apply again?
Yes, you can apply for up to three cycles. The committee might consider applications for a fourth term in exceptional cases.

-If I already have the fellowship, do I need to submit a new application to be considered again?
Yes. It would help the committee to understand your current situation.

-When will you announce the decisions?
Typically, the decisions are announced in early June.

-What is the amount of the fellowship?
It depends on the funding available. Please note that the funds take time to be delivered to the fellow’s accounts and are usually done in installments.

-How many fellowships are there?
It depends on the funding available.

- Do second and third-year applicants get the same amounts?
The amounts are usually tiered by yeat.