Teacher and Student Fellowships

Is there a historical topic you’ve always wanted to cover in your classroom, but you don't have the teaching materials you need? Are you facing gaps in your content knowledge or curriculum that you want to address? Do you want support in developing curricular materials to address the specific needs of your students?

The Swensrud Teacher Fellowship program offers K-12 educators the opportunity to research a topic of interest and create primary source sets using documents and artifacts from the collections of the MHS. The fellowships carry a stipend of $6,000 for four weeks of research and the creation of two or more primary source sets for classroom use. We will be awarding two Swensrud Teacher Fellowships for the summer/fall 2026 season.

We are seeking applications that identify an area of need in the applicant’s curriculum and propose ideas for a research project that will address that need.

Swensrud Fellowship Description and Application Instructions

Swensrud and Kass Teacher Fellowship Application Submission Form (You may apply to one or both using the same submission form)

Is there a historical topic or period that you’ve always wanted to explore in greater depth? Are you facing gaps in your knowledge or curriculum that you want to address? Are you ready to dive into the archives and see what you discover?

The Kass Teacher Fellowship program offers K-12 educators the chance to focus on pure research and and explore sources in the MHS on a topic of their choice. The fellowship carries a stipend of $3,000 for four weeks of research during the summer and a final report on your findings. We will be awarding one Kass Teacher Fellowship for the summer/fall 2026 season.

We are seeking applications that propose to do historical research that will fill a knowledge gap or address a need in their curriculum.

Kass Teacher Fellowship Description and Application Instructions

Swensrud and Kass Teacher Fellowship Application Submission Form (You may apply to one or both using the same submission form)

Please direct questions to education@masshist.org.

Are you looking to introduce your fifth grade students to primary sources? Do you want to get young learners excited about the past and help them ask questions about it? Do you want to spend time exploring sources that tell the stories of children and people from Massachusetts?

The Grade 5 Teacher Fellowship offers 5th grade educators the opportunity to research and craft educational materials using previously-identified primary sources as well as their own findings from the collections of the MHS. The fellowship carries a stipend of $4,000 for two weeks of research and the creation of a primary source set, including classroom activities and handouts, for one of the six proposed topics in the MHS collections:

• Children and Pets
• Children in School
• Remembering the Past (How do we document and remember important events and people in our lives?)
• Then and Now (Showcasing changes to an item or activity over time)
• Natural or Ecological Disasters in MA
• Immigration

See this overview of the six proposed topics for more information and sample sources.

The MHS Education team seeks applications that demonstrate how the selected topic would fit into the applicant’s curriculum and shares ideas for educational materials for the grade 5 classroom that could be developed around that topic. We will be awarding one MHS Grade 5 Teacher Fellowship for the summer/fall 2026 season.

MHS Grade 5 Teacher Fellowship Description and Application Instructions

MHS Grade 5 Teacher Fellowship Application Submission Form

Please direct questions to education@masshist.org.

Do you have a burning question about history that you’re not learning about in school? Do you want to learn what it’s like to be a historian? Are you interested in getting hands-on with old documents and artifacts?

The John Winthrop Student Fellowship award encourages students in grades 9-12 to use documents and artifacts at the MHS in a research project of their choice and with the support of a teacher advisor. Student fellow(s) and their teacher will each receive a $1,000 stipend to complete their research project. We are looking from applications from students who are excited to learn about a topic in history and a desire to explore primary sources.

We are proud to announce our 2025 Teacher and Student Fellowship Winners:

Swensrud Teacher Fellowship:

William Donovan, Ursuline Academy, Dedham MA. Topic: The Know-Nothing Party and how nativist and anti-Catholic sentiments shaped policy and public opinion in Massachusetts.

James Dunn, Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, Hanson MA. Topic: The Second Industrial Revolution in Massachusetts and how rapid technological changes affected the lives of Massachusetts residents.

Kass Teacher Fellowship:

Lauren Sampson, Waltham High School, Waltham MA. Topic: The role of colonial women in the political landscape of the American War for Independence.

John Winthrop Student Fellowship:

Anisa Brown, Concord Academy, Concord MA. Topic: The role of Boston's Black churches in the 1800s as a center of dialogue, activism, and community.

Laasya Barla, Anika Jacob, and Diyansha Rout, Littleton High School, Littleton MA. Topic: The growth of leisure activities post-WWII in Boston and how redlining affected access to these new recreations.

Congratulations to our 2025 Teacher and Student fellows, and we look forward to learning from your research at the MHS this year!