Opportunity Title : American Council of Learned Societies Digital Justice Grants 2026

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) invites applications for the final competition of its Digital Justice Grants Program. Generously funded by the Mellon Foundation, the program supports digital projects in the humanities and interpretive social sciences that use digital tools and methods to address issues affecting historically marginalized communities.

The program is designed to encourage scholars to develop projects that combine rigorous humanities or social science research with innovative digital approaches. Supported projects may contribute to scholarship, public knowledge, digital collections, archives, databases, platforms, or other forms of digital research and public engagement.

A major focus of the program is the ethical use of technology and digital methodologies. Projects are expected to thoughtfully consider questions of representation, access, ownership, intellectual property, and the participation of communities whose histories and experiences are being studied.

The ACLS Digital Justice Grants Program offers two categories of funding, allowing applicants to apply according to the stage and scale of their proposed project.

1. Digital Justice Seed Grants

Digital Justice Seed Grants provide $10,000 to $25,000 for projects that are in their early stages.

The funding can support scholars who are developing a new idea, establishing a research project, testing a digital methodology, or creating an initial prototype. Seed Grants are particularly suitable for projects that require resources to move from an initial concept toward a viable digital research or public-facing project.

2. Digital Justice Development Grants

Digital Justice Development Grants provide $50,000 to $100,000 for more advanced projects.

These grants are intended for projects that have already completed substantial preliminary work and can demonstrate meaningful engagement with scholarly and/or public audiences. Development Grant funding can help successful applicants expand, improve, or bring an established digital project to a more advanced stage of development.

Key Funding Amounts

• Seed Grants: $10,000–$25,000
• Development Grants: $50,000–$100,000
• Maximum available award: Up to $100,000

Applicants should carefully review the program's eligibility rules before preparing an application. Key requirements include the following:

Principal Investigator

The project's principal investigator must be a scholar in the humanities and/or interpretive social sciences. Applicants should be able to demonstrate appropriate scholarly expertise and a clear connection between their academic background and the proposed project.

Institutional Administration

Any grant awarded through the program must be administered by an institution of higher education in the United States. Applicants should therefore ensure that their proposed institutional arrangements satisfy ACLS requirements before submitting an application.

Digital Justice Focus

Proposed projects should critically engage with the interests and histories of people of color and other historically marginalized communities. Applicants should demonstrate how their digital tools, methods, research questions, or project outputs contribute to a more inclusive understanding of these communities and their experiences.

Seed Grant Projects

For a Digital Justice Seed Grant, the proposed project must be in the start-up or prototyping phase of development.

This category is intended for promising projects that are still being established and need funding to develop their initial infrastructure, methods, prototypes, or research approaches.

Development Grant Projects

For a Digital Justice Development Grant, applicants must demonstrate significant preliminary work.

Projects should also show a record of engagement and impact with scholarly and/or public audiences. Applicants should therefore be prepared to explain what has already been accomplished, how audiences have interacted with the project, and how the requested funding will help take the project to its next stage.

1. Review the official ACLS Digital Justice Grants Program guidelines.
2. Determine whether the project is better suited to a Seed Grant or Development Grant.
3. Confirm that the principal investigator and administering institution meet the eligibility requirements.
4. Develop the project proposal and required supporting materials.
5. Submit the application through the official ACLS application website before the stated deadline.

Application Website: Applicants should use the official ACLS application portal and program webpage for the most current application instructions, deadlines, and submission requirements.