Margaret Ralston Gest (1900-1965)
Fellowships
Gest Fellowship
Each year Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections offers a $3,000 fellowship for researchers to use our unique materials. The Gest Fellowship provides support for a minimum of two weeks of research in Quaker & Special Collections.
Projects engaging with any religion, historical religious practices, history, literature, material culture, Quakerism, or other topics supported by collections material will be considered. To get a sense of successful applications, you can view a list of previous recipients and projects. In the spirit of Margaret Gest's vision, projects should be interdisciplinary and cross-cultural. We hope that materials created through these fellowships advance scholarship and engage with our collections in unique and creative ways. Fellowships are open to scholars at any stage in their careers.
Research funded by the 2025 application cycle may be conducted from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Fellows are expected to write an informal blog post about their work during or soon after their visit.
2024 Gest Fellows
- Mariah Kupfner
Assistant Professor of American Studies and Public Heritage
Penn State Harrisburg
“Crafting Womanhood: Needlework, Gender, and Politics in the United States, 1810-1920” - Jennifer Waits
Independent Scholar
"Haverford College and the Early History of College Radio"
Apply to Become a Gest Fellow
Submit the following materials by the deadline:
- A three to five page statement of research goals, including what progress has been made on your research project to date; a statement of how this project will benefit the scholarly community with which it intersects; an assessment of how Haverford’s materials can further its progress and what particular materials at Haverford you wish to use; and an estimate of when the project is expected to be completed. Haverford’s finding aids are searchable online, as is the library catalog.
- A current vita or resume.
- Permanent and any temporary addresses and phone numbers.
Please submit our application form to apply. Questions about the Fellowship or application process can be directed to shorowitz [at] haverford.edu (Sarah Horowitz).
Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Demonstrated understanding of the applicability of Haverford's collections to the project.
- Probability that the project will result in a product that will advance scholarship.
- Evidence of the applicant’s prior familiarity with and effective use of similar collections.
Successful applicants might pursue research in the J. Rendel Harris collection of Middle Eastern manuscripts, examine personal accounts of religious practice through letters and diaries, explore Quaker faith and practice, compare different versions of the Bible from our collection of American Bibles, or study missions and missionaries, among many other topics.
Apply
Deadline: February 16, 2025
Applicants will be notified in April of the results of the application process. Contact Sarah Horowitz with your questions:
shorowitz [at] haverford.edu | (610) 896-2948
Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation Research Fellowship
With support from the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation, Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections will offer a $5,000 fellowship for researchers to use our materials related to mental health and the history of mental health care. The fellowship supports a minimum of three weeks of research in Quaker & Special Collections.
Projects engaging with the history of mental health, mental health care reform, and the role of Quakerism in mental health care will be considered. We hope that materials created through these fellowships advance scholarship and engage with our collections in unique and creative ways. Fellowships are open to scholars at any stage in their careers.
Research funded by the 2025 application cycle may be conducted from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Fellows are expected to write and informal blog post about their work during or soon after their visit.
Thomas Scattergood
Apply to Become a Scattergood Fellow
Submit the following materials:
- A three to five page statement of research goals, including what progress has been made on your research project to date; a statement of how this project will benefit the scholarly community with which it intersects; an assessment of how Haverford’s materials can further its progress and what particular materials at Haverford you wish to use; and an estimate of when the project is expected to be completed. Haverford’s finding aids are searchable online, and researchers may particularly wish to consult the Friends Hospital records or our guide to public health materials.
- A current vita or resume.
- Permanent and any temporary address and phone number.
Please submit our application form to apply. Questions about the Fellowship or application process can be directed to mcrauder [at] haverford.edu (Mary Crauderueff).
Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Demonstrated understanding of the applicability of Haverford's collections to the project.
- Probability that the project will result in a product that will advance scholarship.
- Evidence of the applicant’s prior familiarity with and effective use of similar collections.
Apply
Deadline: February 16, 2025
Applicants will be notified in April of the results of the application process. Contact Mary Crauderueff with your questions:
mcrauder [at] haverford.edu.