Through its Helene Gladstone Williams Awards, which have provided fellowship stipends of as much as $5,000, the Washington DC Area branch of the ESU has long encouraged advanced study in a diversity of subjects that relate to English-speaking traditions in locales other than, or in addition to, the United States. Projects proposed for funding are expected to focus primarily on research that will take place outside the U.S., and they must be designed to shed light on history, philosophy, the arts, or other aspects of culture. In the process they should reflect and advance the mission of the ESU. Recent awardees have won assistance for such efforts as a book about contemporary Irish autobiography, a critique of the works of a 19th-century British painter, an investigation of the ways in which creative drama has helped to foster a sense of community in South Africa, a comparison of American and British approaches to jurisprudence, a study of domestic life in 16th- and 17th-century England, and an analysis of how the works of a Victorian London photographer influenced the efforts of her contemporaries on the western side of the Atlantic.

For the 2005-6 academic year the ESU awarded two grants, one to Colette Crossman, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maryland, who used a $2,000 stipend to work for several months in the United Kingdom on the role of religion in the paintings of Victorian artist Edward Burne-Jones, the other to the Rev. Nathan J. A. Humphrey, a parish priest in Monkton, Maryland, who drew upon a $3,000 stipend to begin a doctoral program at the University of Cambridge, where his focus was upon "The Grammar of Obedience: A Study of Anglican Conflict." For the 2006-7 academic year our awardee was Abbie Sprague, a doctoral candidate at the University of Cambridge, who is using a $4,000 stipend to pursue research on the contribution of fine arts to the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For 2007-8 our selection committee awarded a $1,000 grant to Emma Acker of the National Gallery of Art for a detailed study of "American Influences on Post-War British Art," a $2,000 stipend to Deborah Stevenson, a professional interpreter and translator, for an Oxford seminar on language study that strengthened her credentials as the director of ESU Washington's highly regarded English in Action program, a $2,000 fellowship to Professor Kristen Walton of Salisbury University for her work on "Public Politics: Propaganda, Internationalism, and Scotland in the Early Modern Age," and a $2,000 award to Russell Wyland of the National Endowment for the Humanities for his book about "Secret Oxford and the Formation of the Modern Humanities."

No awards were made for the 2008-9 season. Owing to financial constraints on the branch budget, moreover, it is by no means certain that any stipends will be given out during the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Whether a period of research and writing is conducted independently or in conjunction with one or more institutions is a matter to be detemined by the applicant. Many of our grantees have made use of the facilities at universities such as Dublin, Edinburgh, and Oxford. But awardees may also pursue initiatives at libraries, museums, theaters, and other settings. In any case, support from the ESU goes directly to the recipient.

Applicants must be residents of the Washington metropolitan area, and must hold at least a bachelor's degree by the time their study period begins.

Application Process

A completed proposal must include the following components:

• A cover sheet with the applicant's name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, and project title,

• A two-page summary that describes the course of study to be undertaken and discusses how the project would advance the objectives of the English-Speaking Union,

• A brief résumé of academic and employment experience,

• Three letters of support (which may be sent separately) from persons familiar with the applicant's qualifications for the proposed project, and

• For applicants who do not possess a diploma at the bachelor's level or above, a transcript from an accredited institution of higher learning that will indicate progress toward a degree to be bestowed in the near future.

Before any of these materials are mailed or delivered to the ESU office, potential applicants are urged to contact Exeucitve Director Mark Olshaker to find out whether the branch expects to be making any awards in the near future. Mr. Olshaker can be reached by e-mail at esuwdc@verizon.net or by telephone at (202) 234-4602.

Selection Process

The ESU selection committee will employ the following criteria when assessing any proposals for fellowships that the branch chooses to consider:

• The significance of each project in relation to the field(s) it seeks to address,

• The project's pertinence to the aims and values of the ESU,

• The applicant's credentials, and the likelihood that he or she will be able to bring the proposed project to successful completion on schedule.

For more detailed guidance, feel free to Contact Us.