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

HOW TO APPLY:

Completed applications and proposals must be submitted in electronic format and uploaded to Box.

Deadline: Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

Proposals will not be accepted without all application materials, listed below.

Applicants must submit the following information to the Box account all compiled in one file with a title in the following format: LastName, FirstName – DeptAbbrev – Lemann2025.

• Cover Sheet. The form can be downloaded here.
• Project Title
• Project Abstract (100 words)
• Description of the role that the Lemann Graduate Fellowship would play in your graduate training (for instance, is the proposed project your thesis or dissertation? Would the fellowship support research, writing or something else?) (100 words)
• A strong proposal will include a description of methodology and tentative bibliography. Students must present a research proposal of no more than five pages, double-spaced, describing the work to be undertaken and its professional significance. If going abroad, students should include the duration and itinerary of the project, and the names of research centers with which they may be affiliated while conducting fieldwork, as well as any research contacts in Brazil.
• A detailed budget of expenses anticipated during research (if going to Brazil).
• A brief curriculum vitae or résumé.
• Unofficial copies of university transcripts.
• If going to Brazil, students should provide proof of Portuguese language competence sufficient to carry out the project (a letter of evaluation from a language instructor, test results, or a list of Portuguese courses taken).
• Form from the Director of Graduate Studies at the candidate’s department ranking the student (May be submitted directly by the DGS). The form can be downloaded here

Applicants should arrange for the appropriate faculty members to upload the following to the Box account. The filename should be LastName, FirstName – DeptAbbrev – Lemann2025 – RecommenderInitals.pdf.:

• A letter of recommendation from a sponsoring faculty member who agrees to supervise the research.
• Two (2) additional letters from faculty members who are familiar with the student’s academic work.

For more information please contact Elis Artz, Senior Program Coordinator for the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies at

• Room 209, Coble Hall
• 801 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820
• Email: elisartz@illinois.edu