After completing a successful first cycle in 2024-25, the second and third cycle of the MAP Academy & Nalli Fellowship programme will open to new applicants in August 2025. A total of four Fellowships will be awarded, each carrying a one-time grant of INR 5,50,000.

This Fellowship programme is a collaboration between Nalli Silks, the heritage textile brand, and the MAP Academy, a platform encouraging greater and more equitable engagement with South Asia’s art and cultural histories.

About the Fellowship

• The application process will go live in August 2025, and close in October 2025.
• Two fellows will be chosen for the Second Cycle and will be expected to complete their research project between February 2026 – January 2027. Funds will be released in February 2026.
• Two more fellows will be chosen for the Third Cycle, with the project’s timeline extending from April 2026-March 2027. Funds will be released in April 2026.

Areas of Focus
The Fellowship programme supports research into under-explored textile-related histories, practices, and traditions across South Asia. Applicants may propose projects on any textile-centric subject. The following areas of research are encouraged:

• Histories of clothing and costume
• Community or personal textile archives
• Textiles in religious or liturgical contexts
• Environmental impact of textile production and consumption
• Endangered or disappearing textile traditions
• Critical perspectives on revivalism
• Labour in textile production, with a focus on caste, class, and gender
• Textiles in relation to other cultural forms—storytelling, poetry, music, architecture, and material culture
• Textiles in the context of archaeological study
• Textiles as symbols or metaphors in literature or mythology
• Techniques and tools used in specific textile traditions

Eligibility

The Fellowship is open to early- and mid-career professionals. We invite applications from researchers as well as designers, archivists, journalists, writers, educators, practitioners, and also collectives and non-profit organisations.

Supported Project Formats

The Fellowship supports a range of formats for research outcomes, including but not limited to:

• Journalistic inquiry
• Documentary film
• Archive activation
• Practice-based research
• Archive generation
• Digitisation and documentation initiatives

Selection Process and Announcement

The application review process will begin only after the application process has closed. Applications will be assessed based on the strength of their responses in the application form, which will also double as the project proposal.

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed via an online video call, after which a final selection will be made.

The jury will be announced soon.

Final awardees will be informed via email, and public announcements will be made through MAP Academy’s social media channels.

Application Process

The application form is structured to serve as a comprehensive project proposal, and to help the reviewing committee understand the focus and stakes of your project. Certain sections require you to upload a document. Precise instructions and templates are provided in the relevant sections.

Application Deadline: October 15, 2025

Please respond to each section. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please contact [email protected] if you have any technical difficulties with your application.

To submit your application, fill in the form here or visit the link below!