PHIL OCHS FELLOWSHIP

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The application window for the 2023 Phil Ochs Fellowship has closed.  

Recipients are expected to be announced in January 2024.

The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma is pleased to announce the call for proposals for the 2023 Phil Ochs Fellowship, a partnership between the Woody Guthrie Center Archives and A Still Small Voice Inc. This research fellowship awards up to $5,000 for creative or scholarly projects about the life and work of Phil Ochs and his lasting legacy and influence on popular culture, politics and music.

The Woody Guthrie Center is home to the Phil Ochs Archive, donated in Sept. 2014 by Ochs’s daughter, Meegan Lee Ochs. The collection includes a rich array of original lyrics, handwritten travel journals and notebooks, personal belongings, photographs, and audio and film recordings. Additionally, Phil Ochs’s siblings, Michael Ochs, and Sonny Ochs donated additional Phil Ochs–related collections to the Woody Guthrie Center in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Together these collections comprise more than 80 linear feet of archival materials related to the life of the folk singer and topical songwriter.

The Phil Ochs Fellowship is intended for in-person research in the Phil Ochs Archive and related archives at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Research must be completed within one calendar year of the award date, and projects must be published, produced, or otherwise completed within three years of the award date.

Projects may include: 

  • Published writing: Article in a scholarly journal or trade publication, book project (under contract), book chapter (under contract) 
  • Film and video: Documentary film project, television program or series, etc. 
  • Audio projects: Radio and podcast programs or series 
  • Exhibitions, dramatic productions, or other public-facing projects: Venues, programs and dates to be included in proposal 
  • Other: Other original research or creative projects will be considered  

HOW TO APPLY

Files must be submitted through the below webform.

Submission packet must include: 

  • Current CV or resume 
  • Project proposal (1–3) pages
    • Project title, project type, and clear overview 
    • Quantifiable deliverables and detailed timeline to completion 
    • Current status of the project
    • Overview of previous research and materials already consulted 
    • Other sources of funding
  • Budget including travel (airfare, taxi/car services), lodging, per diem (see GSA calculator), and other costs associated with the project 
  • Files should follow, and follow the file naming format: 
    • Last Name_First Name_POF23_CV 
    • Last Name_First Name_POF23_Proposal 
    • Last Name_First Name_POF23_Budget 

Fellowship Award Requirements 

  • Research must be undertaken in person at the Woody Guthrie Center archives and completed within the following calendar year after the date the fellowship is awarded.
  • Projects must be completed (published or produced and distributed) within three years of the award date.
  • Awardees will agree to serve on the Phil Ochs Fellowship selection committee the following year.
  • Awardees will agree to participate in an in-person interview to speak about their project and their time in the archives.
  • Awardees will deliver regular updates on their projects through publication and will provide the Woody Guthrie Archives/American Song Archives a copy/copies of the final product.
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Fellowship Award Stipulations  

  • Fellowship funding may be divided among more than one applicant. 
  • The Woody Guthrie Center does not hold copyright over any of the materials in the collections. Researchers are responsible for all applicable permissions, licensing and fees from the copyright holders of the materials. No applications will be accepted that promote artists or musical compositions using original lyrics found in the archival collections. 

Phil Ochs Fellowship Application

The application window for the 2023 Phil Ochs Fellowship has closed. Stay tuned for updates regarding next year's Fellowship.

PHIL OCHS FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS

  • Will Kaufman, professor of American Literature and Culture, University of Central Lancashire (2022)
  • Sarah King, assistant professor of history, University of South Carolina Aiken (2021)
  • Madison Mae Williams, multidisciplinary artist and scholar, San Diego (2021)
  • Tom Bergan, elementary school teacher, Louisville (2021)
  • Christa Anne Bentley, assistant professor of musicology, Oklahoma City University (2019)
  • Norwood Andrews, independent scholar, Dallas (2019)
  • James R. Bowers, professor of political science and legal studies, St. John Fisher College, New York (2018)
  • Nancy Greco, instruction and archives librarian, St. John Fisher College, New York (2018)