Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Fellowships and Awards in Religion Studies

The Elisabeth Luce Moore '24

Fellowships and Awards in Religion Studies

The Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Fellowships and Awards in Religion Studies offer financial support to Wellesley undergraduates and alumnae for a range of academic activities including graduate studies, summer study, honors thesis research, and travel to scholarly conferences. Specific information for each of these four competitions are to be found below on this website.

Mrs. Moore (1903-2002) was a daughter of China missionaries and a sister of Henry Luce, the influential internationalist and publisher of Time and Life magazines. At Wellesley, she majored in the Department of Biblical History and Literature, now the Department of Religion. A loyal and generous supporter of the College, in 1988 she established the Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Fund for the Study of World Religions, income from which maintains these grants.

Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Fellowships for Graduate Studies in Religion

Please note: The Elisabeth Luce Moore '24 Fellowship for Graduate Studies in Religion will not be offered this year

The Department of Religion offers annually a maximum of two non-renewable Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Fellowship for Graduate Studies in Religion in the amount of $3500 each. All Wellesley College seniors and alumnae are eligible to apply. Applicants must be accepted to a degree-granting graduate program in religious studies at an accredited university or seminary at the time of their application.

Applications must include:

1. A description of the program which they will be attending and their reasons for attending it (500-750 words)
2. A copy of their letter of acceptance to the program
3. An unofficial Wellesley College transcript
4. A budget of how the award money will be spent and a list of other funding sources available or sought

At the completion of the Fellowship period, recipients must submit a report of their advanced studies experience to the Chair of the Department.

Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Fellowship for Summer Study

Please note: The Elisabeth Luce Moore '24 Fellowship for Summer Study will not be offered this year

The Department of Religion offers two awards of up to $3000 each for students to take accredited academic courses in or related to the study of religion, held in the summer months and not available at the College. These programs can, for example, involve advanced language study or courses related to specific fields, topics, or skills in Religion Studies. To qualify for these stipends, students must demonstrate the relevance of their chosen programs to the study of religion or to topics that intersect with religion. This award may not be held concurrently with other College funding for summer study.

Applications must include:

1. A proposal (500-750 words) describing how their summer academic plans will aid their research in the Study of Religion
2. A budget of how the award money will be spent
3. The name of a Wellesley faculty reference
4. An unofficial Wellesley transcript

Awards are conditional on acceptance into the proposed program. Recipients must submit a report after completion of the program.

Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Awards for Honors Students in Religion and Related Subjects

Please note that the Elisabeth Luce Moore '24 Fellowship for Honors Students in Religion and Related Studies will not be offered this year

The Department of Religion offers awards of up to $3,000 for research, travel, or both, for students working on an honors thesis in or related to the study of religion. Preference is given to majors in Religion, although this award is open to students in all majors. This award may not be held concurrently with other College funding for honors thesis research.

Applications must include:

1. An approved Honors Statement of Intent;
2. A proposal (500-750 words) describing how their travel plans will aid their thesis research;
3. A budget of how the award money will be spent;
4. A letter of recommendation from their thesis advisor; and 5) an unofficial Wellesley transcript.

After completion of the research travel, students must submit a report of their research activities to the Chair of the Religion Department. 

Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Awards for Student Travel to Academic Conferences

Please note that the Elisabeth Luce Moore '24 Fellowship for Student Travel to Academic Conferences

will not be offered this year

The Religion Department offers stipends to juniors and seniors for travel to and registration at academic conferences. To qualify for these stipends, students must demonstrate the relevance of the academic conference to the study of religion or topics that intersect with religion. Preference will be given to Religion majors and minors, although this award is open to students in all majors.

Applications must include:

1. A proposal (500-750 words) that explains how the conference will contribute to their academic study of religion;
2. A budget of how the award money will be spent; and 3) a letter of recommendation from a Wellesley faculty member.