Allocation of research funding is central to the Royal Historical Society’s work of supporting historians and historical research.

In the financial year 2023-24, the Society awarded more than £130,000 in funding to historians through open competitions, generously assisted by partner organisations and donors.

Full details of the Society’s Research Funding programmes are available here. The Society currently invites applications for the following five schemes — open to historians across a range of career stages — with closing dates between Friday 6 December and Friday 7 March 2025. For further information on each programme, eligibility and how to apply please follow the links below.

• Postgraduate Research Support Grants providing grants of either £500 or £1,000 (based on the research activity to be undertaken) to undertake historical research. Activities supported include: visiting an archive or historic site, or conducting interviews. These grants are reserved for History students (who are Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society), currently studying for a Masters degree or PhD. Next closing date: Friday 6 December 2024.
• Early Career Research Support Grants providing grants of either £500 or £1,000 (based on the research activity to be undertaken) to undertake historical research. Activities supported include: visiting an archive or historic site, or conducting interviews. These grants are reserved for historians who are within 5 years of submitting their PhD in a historical subject (who are members of the Royal Historical Society). Next closing date: Friday 6 December 2024.
• RHS Workshop Grants providing grants of £1,000 per project to support day meetings of historians to further an aspect of historical research or project development. Workshop Grants cover a wide range of activities relating to historical practice. These grants are open to all members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 24 January 2025.
• Early Career Fellowship Grants providing grants of £2,000, maximum, for discrete research projects lasting no more than six months. These grants support career-building research or activities to produce a discrete outcome (such as an article or book proposal) with the grant. These grants are reserved for historians in non-tenured positions who are within 5 years of submitting their PhD in a historical subject (who are members of the Royal Historical Society). Next closing date: Friday 7 March 2025.
• Open Research Support Grants providing grants of either £500 or £1,000 (based on the research activity to be undertaken) to undertake historical research. Activities supported include: visiting an archive or historic site, or conducting interviews. These grants are reserved for historians (who are members of the Royal Historical Society) who are not postgraduate students or employed early career researchers (within 5 years of completing a PhD). Next closing date: Friday 7 March 2025.
• David Berry Fellowship in the History of Scotland and the Scottish People providing grants of up to £2,500 to undertake research on the history of Scotland and the Scottish people worldwide. These grants are reserved for historians research Scottish history at all career stages (who are members of the Royal Historical Society). Next closing date: Friday 7 March 2025.