Folger Institute Consortium

A collaborative endeavor of the Folger Shakespeare Library and more than 40 universities in the U.S. and abroad, the Folger Institute’s consortium pursues its work through "resource sharing," with each member institution contributing resources to projects that no one of them can accomplish alone. Since 1970, the Folger Institute's consortium, with a history of building institutional cooperation and promoting an extensive program of scholarly activities, has taken a leading role in advancing research and teaching in the humanities. In 1978 this model relationship was honored with an endowment from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that continues to fund Institute activities.

The shared resources are intellectual, financial, and managerial. The Folger provides administrative staff, meeting space, access to its collections, and a range of curatorial and reference services. Each consortium university, meanwhile, appoints a faculty representative to the Consortium Executive Committee. This committee is charged with program planning, program evaluation, and oversight of the competitive admissions process during its biannual meetings.

The university membership fee is currently just under $8,000 per year. These fees fund such core Institute activities as advanced seminars and other scholarly programs. While the consortium is not currently accepting new members, we do welcome inquiries from interested scholars and university administrators about the direct benefits of consortium membership listed below:

• Engage an expert international faculty for the professional development of graduate students and faculty

• Enjoy the program support of a professional staff, dedicated to providing access to Folger rare materials and resources

• Learn of partnership opportunities with other Folger Shakespeare Library initiatives

• For those programs exclusively funded with consortium dues:

Affiliates receive priority considerations in competitive application review

Dissertation writers enjoy exclusive eligibility for admission to annual dissertation seminar

Only consortium participants are eligible to request grants-in-aid for travel and lodging

Admitted program participants have their registration fees automatically waived

Scholars and administrators who wish to learn more about joining the consortium should contact Dr. Owen Williams (owilliams@folger.edu), the Institute’s Assistant Director for Scholarly Programs.