Undergraduate Grants for History Students
- Libraries and museums offer a limited number of grants for undergraduate history students. For instance, the Library of Congress offers the Kislak Short Term Fellowship to help students pay for research projects focusing on the library's Kislak Collection. Award recipients must conduct their research in Washington, D.C., at the Library of Congress.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum offers the Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Research Fellowship to pay for research about the Kennedy Administration's foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. The program offers funding for individuals or two-person research teams and pays a maximum of $5,000, as of April 2011. Recipients must conduct part of their research using materials from the Kennedy Library. - Select history associations offer scholarships for undergraduate history majors. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia offers scholarships for students enrolled in historic preservation and American history programs. As of April 2011, students can receive up to $1,500 through the NSCDA-GA program.
The Daughters of the American Revolution offers multiple scholarship programs for students enrolled in law, education, nursing and history programs. The Dr. Aura-Lee A. and James Hobbs Pittenger American History Scholarship awards up to $2,000 as of April 2011 to students studying American history. - Professional history organizations provide awards through writing competitions and scholarships. For example, the League of World War I Aviation Historians sponsors an essay competition, through which participants can compete for the Mike Carr Student Paper Award. The program requires students to submit an original paper about aviation during the period of 1914 through 1918, and pays up to $500 as of April 2011.
The Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society administers multiple student aid programs, including the Graydon A. Tunstall, Jr. Scholarship. The program bases awards on merit and financial need, and pays up to $1,000 as of April 2011. - History departments at colleges and universities often offer grants for their students. For instance, the University of Pennsylvania offers student aid through the Undergraduate Research Fund in History. The fund awards money to help pay for travel costs associated with research projects. Students can use funds to attend history seminars or to pay for transportation expenses to out of town archives.
The History Department at the University of Wisconsin Madison awards the Margaret E. Smith-Esther Butt History Scholarship, which pays up to $2,000 as of April 2011. Candidates must have completed at least 12 credits toward a history degree and have at least a 3.5 grade point average in their history coursework to qualify.