Clio, Muse of History by Johannes Moreelse, c. 1634

A new fellowship supporting archival research by biographers is now open for applications. The Clio Fellowship for Archival Research, established by Biographers International Organization (BIO), awards $5,000 to one or more biographers to help fund travel to collections essential to their book projects.

Biographers depend on access to letters, manuscripts, and personal papers—primary sources often housed in libraries and archives around the world. Named for Clio, the Greek muse of history and memory whose name means “to make famous,” the fellowship underscores BIO’s commitment to advancing the art and craft of biography by easing the financial challenges of archival research.

The fellowship is endowed by Linda Leavell, former BIO president, long-time advocate for biographers, and author of Holding On Upside Down: The Life and Work of Marianne Moore (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013), which won both the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography and BIO’s Plutarch Award.

Open to all BIO members writing in English and working on a book-length biography, the Clio Fellowship supports travel to archives relevant to a writer’s project. A publishing contract is not required, and the fellowship may fund one or more recipients each year. Biography is defined broadly as the narrative of an individual’s life—or the story of a group of lives—and innovative approaches are welcome at the committee’s discretion. Memoirs and autobiographies are not eligible.

Applications are now being accepted, with a deadline of March 1, 2026. To learn more or apply, visit the Clio Fellowship page. Questions may be directed to the awards administrator.