The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) runs this travel grant with money from the Henry Luce Foundation. It is one of three competitions in the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies.
It pays doctoral students and off-tenure-track scholars in the humanities or interpretive social sciences to do primary research in China, or to reach China-related archives, databases and collections anywhere in the world. Research on Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang is eligible.
Benefits & funding
- US$5,000 for travel, used at any point in a 12-month grant period that must start between 1 July and 15 December 2027; several trips allowed.
- Covers transport, visas, living costs, contact with scholars in Chinese-language communities, and archive or database permits and fees.
- Other non-ACLS funding may be held alongside it.
- A final report is due when the grant period ends.
Eligibility
- Either a PhD student at an accredited university in the United States or Canada, or a PhD holder in the humanities or interpretive social sciences with a non-tenure-track post (adjunct, postdoc, lecturer, instructor, visiting scholar) at a US or Canadian institution.
- No citizenship rule; recent PhDs with no institutional affiliation are not eligible.
- Tenure-track faculty, and anyone who has held tenure in the US or Canada, cannot apply.
- Working knowledge of Chinese or another China-studies language (e.g. Tibetan, Uyghur) is required.
- One Luce/ACLS China Studies competition per applicant per year.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
PhD Enrolled · PhD
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Write a 600-word essay, a 300-word work plan and a bibliography of up to 1,000 words; up to two pages of non-text material is optional. No budget is asked for.
- 2Graduate students need one reference letter from their dissertation advisor or a faculty member eligible to be one, sent by the referee through OFA by 12 November 2026.
- 3Submit in the ACLS OFA system by 5:00 PM Eastern Time, 5 November 2026.
Program timeline
application deadline
5 November 2026, 5:00 PM ET
graduate students’ reference letter due
12 November 2026
the 12-month grant period must begin
1 July – 15 December 2027