The Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies is pleased to announce that Marta Kalniņa has been awarded the 2026-2027 Jānis Grundmanis Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship for Study in the U.S.
The Jānis Grundmanis Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship, established in the memory of Dr. Jānis Grundmanis, is an annual fellowship of $20,000 for graduate or postgraduate study in the United States. Recipients of the fellowship must be citizens of the Republic of Latvia, speak Latvian, and have their permanent residence in Latvia. Preference is given to applicants studying in the field of humanities or social sciences.
The 2026 applications were evaluated by the AABS 2025-2026 Grants and Awards Committee consisting of AABS VP for Professional Development Dr. Kaarel Piirimäe, AABS President Dr. Jörg Hackmann, and AABS Director-at-Large Dr. Dovilė Budrytė. Learn about the other 2026-2027 recipients here.
Marta Kalniņa is a film director and screenwriter from Latvia, dedicated to telling underrepresented stories from the Baltics. She is a second-year student in the MFA program in Film Directing and Screenwriting at Columbia University, where she strives to deepen her cinematic voice. With a fresh, global perspective shaped by a broad range of visionary artists, her newfound knowledge and experience will help build a bridge between Latvian and U.S. cinema, bringing these untold stories to the global stage. Kalniņa holds a First-Class Honours BA in Film Production from Solent University (UK).
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