Eligibility: The Lemann Graduate fellowship is open to all UIUC advanced graduate students who are developing research on Brazil. Graduate and professional students at UIUC enrolled in a graduate degree program with a substantial focus on Brazil are strongly encouraged to apply. Students who already have another fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year are not eligible. Students who have held a previous Lemann Graduate Fellowship may re-apply once however, students that re-apply will not necessarily be ranked above other new applicants.
Restrictions: These fellowships are available to graduate students who want to conduct research in or about Brazil. Awards can be used for airfare, in-country transportation expenses, living expenses and research-related expenses. Please be advised that the Lemann Center, following University of Illinois regulations, cannot reimburse costs incurred when purchasing preferred seating or first-class airfare (if economy is more expensive than first-class, then documentation is needed). Independent research, pre-dissertation and dissertation research, and professional degree-related activities in or about Brazil are permissible. Comparative research dealing with Brazil and other countries are also eligible, but the Center will only fund the Brazilian portion of the research. Students on Lemann Graduate Fellowships may not have another fellowship, University job or assistantship for the duration of the fellowship, and are expected to devote full time to study or research during their fellowship tenure. Spring-Summer and one-semester awards are contingent on approval from the applicant’s Director of Graduate Studies.
Evaluation: A fellowship committee composed of faculty associated with the Lemann Center will determine the awards. Announcement of awards will be made within six weeks of the established deadline.
Reporting: Awardees will report to the Lemann Center within 30 days of completing their fellowships. Second year MA or third and fourth year PhDs are required to submit a written report that includes research results, proposed final stages of the project, itinerary, and an account of funds expended, as well as making a seminar presentation at a one-day workshop organized by the Lemann Center in the Fall of 2025.
Taxes: The IRS has ruled that universities are not responsible for withholding or reporting income taxes on fellowship payments for U.S. citizens, foreign national resident aliens for tax purposes, or permanent residents. However, the IRS does require that universities withhold taxes from the fellowship payments to international students on temporary visas that are classified as non-resident aliens for tax purposes. International students may be able to claim a treaty benefit that exempts the fellowship payment from income tax withholding. For more information on taxes, consult the IRS web page: http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Withholding-Federal-Income-Tax-on-Scholarships,-Fellowships,-and-Grants-Paid-to-Aliens