Allocation of research funding is central to the 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. Details of current open calls for funding applications are provided below.
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
In 2025 the Society is running five additional funding programmes open to historians at all career stages. Please follow the links for more on our annual:
- David Berry Fellowship, to undertake work relating to the history of Scotland or the Scottish people worldwide
- Funded Book Workshops, supporting mid-career historians writing a second or third monograph
- Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowships, to facilitate innovative and creative teaching practice
- Scouloudi Panel Grants, enabling historians to host conference panels
- Scouloudi Public History Grants, to support projects between academic historians and those working outside higher education
- Workshop Grants, enabling historians to come together to discuss projects in detail
Current calls for research funding
The following programmes currently invite applications before the deadlines:
May to September 2025
- Scouloudi Panel Grants, providing grants of £1500 per panel to enable historians to create and present panels at conferences. Panels will bring together historians at different career stages and professions, working on a common subject area to present their work. This new grant programme (2025) is reserved for members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 23 May 2025
- Scouloudi Public History Grants, providing grants of £1000 per project to support activities between academic historians and those working outside higher education, either in the museum, archive and heritage sectors or in community history groups. This new grant programme (2025) is reserved for members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 23 May 2025
- Postgraduate Research Support Grants providing grants of either £500 or £1,000 (based on the activity to be undertaken) to undertake historical research. Activities supported include: visiting an archive or historic site, or conducting interviews. This programme is reserved for historians who are Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society, currently studying for a Masters degree or PhD. Next closing date: Friday 6 June 2025.
- Early Career Research Support Grants providing grants of either £500 or £1,000 (based on the 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. Applicants must also be members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 6 June 2025.
- Martin Lynn Scholarship in African History providing a grant of £1500 to support postgraduate research for a PhD in African history. The Scholarship is open Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society, currently studying for a PhD. Next closing date: Friday 5 September 2025.
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 Research Fellowships and recipients of Research Funding are available here.
All enquiries about Research Funding should be sent to the Society’s Membership and Grants Officer at: membership@royalhistsoc.org.
HEADER IMAGE: Bowl with a scholar, anon, c.1575-99, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, public domain.