Allocation of research funding is central to the Society’s work of supporting historians and historical research.
In 2023 the Society awarded £110,085 in funding to historians through open competitions, generously assisted by partner organisations and donors. In 2023-24, the Society is developing and extending its funding programmes for historians, within and outside Higher Education, and at at all career stages.
Funding is available to historians at three career stages. Please follow the links for further information on:
- Postgraduate Research Funding for historians studying for a History Masters degree or PhD
- Early Career Research Funding for historians within 5 years of completing a doctorate in History
- Open Research Funding for historians further on from PhD completion, or in mid / later career employed in Higher Education or in other sectors aligned to history
The Society runs three additional funding programmes open to historians at all career stages. Please follow the links for more on our annual:
- Workshop Grants, enabling historians to come together to discuss projects in detail
- Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowships, to facilitate innovative and creative teaching practice
- David Berry Fellowship, to undertake work relating to the history of Scotland or the Scottish people worldwide
Current calls for funding, to June and September 2024
The following programmes are now open and accepting applications (in order of deadline):
- Postgraduate Research Support Grants – for History students (who are Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society), currently studying for a Masters degree or PhD. Awards of either £500 or £1000 to support specified research activities. Next closing date for applications: Friday 7 June 2024.
- Early Career Research Support Grants – for early career historians (historians who are within 5 years of having submitted their PhD in a historical subject). Applicants must also be members of the Royal Historical Society. Awards of either £500 or £1000 to support specified research activities. Next closing date for applications: Friday 7 June 2024.
- Martyn Lynn Scholarships in African History – to assist a postgraduate researcher of African history. The Scholarship is worth £1,500 and is open to Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date for applications: Friday 6 September 2024.
In addition to these calls, further programmes will be released in the coming months.
Applicants for Royal Historical Society funding must be members of the Society, with exceptions for several Postgraduate grants. To find out how to become a Fellow, Associate Fellow, Member or Postgraduate Member, please see our Join Us page.
Details of current holders of Fellowships and recipients of Research Funding are available here.
All enquiries about Research Funding should be sent to the Society’s Membership and Administration Officer at: membership@royalhistsoc.org.
HEADER IMAGE: Bowl with a scholar, anon, c.1575-99, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, public domain.