Through its Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), the American Sociological Association (ASA) supports the development and training of sociologists of color in any sub-area or specialty in the discipline. Funded by generous annual contributions from organizations such as Alpha Kappa Delta, Sociologists for Women in Society, the Midwest Sociological Society, the Association for Black Sociologists, Southwestern Sociological Association, as well as membership donations, MFP seeks to attract talented doctoral students to ensure a diverse and highly trained workforce is available to assume leadership roles in research that is relevant to today’s global society.

The Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) is designed for underrepresented minority students. Specifically, applicants must be a member of one of the following underrepresented groups: Black/African American; Latino/a/x, American Indian or Alaskan Native; or Asian or Pacific Islander. Fellows must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, or be eligible under DACA. MFP applicants must be enrolled in a program that grants the Ph.D. in sociology and be advanced in their program by the time of application.

MFP Fellows are selected on the basis of their commitment to research, the focus of their research experience, academic achievement, scholarship, writing ability, research potential, financial need, and racial/ethnic minority background.

MFP Fellows are selected on the basis of their commitment to research, the focus of their research experience, academic achievement, scholarship, writing ability, research potential, financial need, and racial/ethnic minority background. Specifically, applicants must be members of one of the following racial/ethnic groups:

• Blacks/African Americans
• Latinos/as (e.g., Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans)
• American Indians or Alaskan Natives
• Asians (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, South Asian)
• Pacific Islanders (e.g., Hawaiian, Guamanian, Samoan, Filipino)

Fellows must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the U.S., or have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence, or be eligible under DACA.

• graduate

• US Citizen
• Permanent Resident
• International or Other Visa Status

Applications must be submitted online through ASA’s grants submission platform. Please note that you will need to create a profile for the online grant platform which can be done before the application goes live. For video instructions on creating an account, please click here. 

A complete application consists of:

• Completed fellowship application
• Two essays
• Completed academic checklist
• Completed current and pending support report
• Curriculum Vitae
• Transcript from PhD-granting institution (unofficial is acceptable)
• Three letters of recommendation (instructions are provided)

For 45 years, the MFP has supported nearly 500 Fellows in pursuit of a doctoral degree in sociology. Areas of interest for former Fellows include social psychology, gender and sexuality, education, medicine and health, inequalities and stratification, race and ethnicity, and more. All of these areas of research and expertise are not just important for the growth of the discipline, but also to address important issues facing society. Sociologists have much to contribute to these research agendas, and many former Fellows have published or presented their work at leading conferences in their specialty area.

In addition to providing financial support, MFP works with its Fellows and their faculty mentors to help prepare the Fellow for a research career. Also, MFP plans workshops and paper sessions at the ASA Annual Meeting, offers travel support to scientific conferences, and fosters the development of formal and informal networks for Fellows.

Applications are reviewed and evaluated by the ASA Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Panel. Panel members are appointed by the ASA Executive Officer and approved by ASA Council. The Advisory Panel convenes annually in early spring to select finalists. Pending funding, the awards are announced by April 30.

ASA provides a stipend of $20,000 for each annual award (August 1-July 31) and works with departments to try to arrange for the payment of tuition for the academic year. The Fellowship includes designated cohort programming at the ASA Annual Meeting, travel support for scientific conferences, and the opportunity to become part of a distinguished network of sociologists.

Minority Fellowship Program
1430 K Street, NW  Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 247-9860
diversity@asanet.org