The Impart & Nalli Fellowships 2027–28 will award two research grants for independent projects examining textile histories, practices, and traditions across South Asia. Each selected project may receive up to INR 5.5 lakhs for one year of research and project development. Applications close on 31 August 2026.
Programme Snapshot
Programme: The Impart & Nalli Fellowships
Category: Research Fellowship
Organizers: Impart and Nalli Silks
Research Focus: Textile practices across South Asia
Number of Fellowships: Two
Grant Amount: Up to INR 5.5 lakhs per selected project
Fellowship Period: January–December 2027
Application Deadline: 31 August 2026
Eligible Applicants: Applicants aged 18 or older residing anywhere in the world
About the Impart & Nalli Fellowships 2027–28
The fellowship is a collaboration between Impart and Nalli Silks. Impart develops accessible resources on South Asian art histories, while Nalli Silks is a heritage textile brand established in 1928.
The programme supports research into underexplored textile-related histories, practices, and traditions. Proposed projects must engage with textiles from the wider South Asian region.
The geographical scope covers:
• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• India
• The Maldives
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka
• Tibet
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Research Areas
Applicants may propose a project on any textile-centred subject connected to South Asia. The programme particularly encourages research addressing the following areas:
• Textiles in religious, literary, liturgical, or mythological contexts
• Environmental effects of textile production and consumption
• Endangered or disappearing textile traditions
• Textile revivalism, digitisation, archives, and material afterlives
• Labour in textile production, including caste, class, and gender
• Connections between textiles and storytelling, poetry, music, architecture, or material culture
• Techniques, technologies, and tools linked to textile traditions
• South Asian textiles within the contemporary design economy
• Intellectual property, ownership, and cultural rights
• Relationships between handmade and industrial textile production
Supported Project Formats
The fellowship accepts research projects with different methods and intended outputs.
Supported formats may include:
✓ Journalistic inquiry
✓ Documentary film
✓ Archive activation
✓ Practice-based research
✓ Archive generation
✓ Digitisation and documentation initiatives
✓ Exhibitions
✓ Book projects
Collaborative projects are permitted. Applicants must identify and appropriately credit all co-creators and contributors in their applications.
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Grant Funding and Eligible Expenses
Two Research Fellowships will be awarded for the 2027–28 cycle. Each successful applicant will receive up to INR 5.5 lakhs toward project execution.
The grant must support one year of work. The proposed research may form part of a longer-term project, provided the applicant clearly identifies the activities that will be completed during the fellowship period.
Approved expenses may include:
✓ Research-related travel
✓ Fieldwork
✓ Documentation
✓ Project-development expenses
✓ Other research costs approved by the fellowship
The fellowship may support both new and ongoing projects. Applicants with existing projects must explain which part will be developed through the grant and disclose funding previously or currently received from other organizations or platforms.
Who Can Apply?
Applicants must be at least 18 years old and may reside anywhere in the world. However, every proposed project must focus on textile practices within the wider South Asian region.
The fellowship welcomes applications from:
• Early-career researchers
• Mid-career researchers
• Designers
• Archivists
• Journalists
• Writers
• Educators
• Practitioners
• Collectives
• Small organizations
Individuals, organizations, collectives, and collaborative groups may apply.
Expected Fellowship Outcomes
Selected fellows must complete agreed research activities and produce materials that make their findings accessible to wider audiences.
Required deliverables include:
✓ A comprehensive Project Report submitted at the end of the grant period
✓ A Research Dossier developed with Impart from the Project Report
✓ Final project outputs connected to the approved proposal
The Research Dossier will present the project’s main questions, research process, and findings. It will be hosted on the Impart website for public benefit.
Final outputs may include:
• Interviews or short films
• Photographic or process-based visual essays
• Essays, features, or interviews
• Exhibitions or digital curatorial projects
Fellows must also participate in periodic check-ins, submit progress reports, and complete the agreed deliverables. Final outputs developed through the fellowship must be openly and freely accessible to the public.
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Required Application Materials
The official online form functions as a comprehensive project proposal. Applicants should prepare the supporting materials before beginning their submission.
Required materials include:
• A detailed project budget showing expected expenses and the proposed distribution of fellowship funds
• A realistic project timeline covering the one-year fellowship period
• An up-to-date curriculum vitae
• Selected work samples representing the applicant’s research, practice, or professional abilities
• Up to two relevant letters of support or recommendation
The curriculum vitae, work samples, and letters must be combined into one supporting-document PDF for upload.
Important Application Rule on AI Use
The fellowship applies a strict no-tolerance policy to the use of artificial intelligence and large language models in the application form or any submitted materials.
Applications that violate this policy will be rejected. Applicants must therefore prepare and write their application independently without using AI or LLM assistance.
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed after the submission period closes in August 2026. Proposals will be assessed using the information provided in the application form.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted applicants will participate in an online interview before the final selection is made.
Successful applicants will receive notification by email in December 2026. Results will also be announced through Impart’s official channels.
Key Dates
• Applications opened: 3 July 2026
• Application deadline: 31 August 2026
• Final awardee notification: December 2026
• Fellowship commencement: January 2027
• Fellowship period: January–December 2027
Application Deadline
Applications for The Impart & Nalli Fellowships 2027–28 must be submitted by 31 August 2026.
Apply Here
Submit your application through the official application link below.
