Early Career Research Support Grants provide funds to early career historians (historians who are within 5 years of submitting their PhD in a historical subject) to undertake research. Applicants must also be members of the Royal Historical Society.
Activities supported include: visiting an archive or historic site, or conducting interviews. This grant cannot be used to support attendance at, or production of a conference.
Please note that within your application you will be asked to provide information on any current employment (if applicable) and access to related or other research funding support. This information will be reviewed by the RHS Research Support Committee and may be used in prioritising applications for funding support, however access to other sources of funding will not alone invalidate your application. You will also be asked to supply an academic reference.
In 2025, grants of either £500 or £1000 per grant (based on the research activity to be undertaken) will be awarded by the Society. The remaining closing dates for applications in 2025 are as follows:
- Friday 6 June 2025
- Friday 5 December 2025
Applications for Early Career Research Support Grants are invited via the Society’s applications portal.
Further notes on eligibility:
- Early Career Research Support Grants are reserved for those who are members of the Royal Historical Society. To join the Society, please see here.
- Funding is reserved for research projects that are both clearly and predominantly historical in orientation, with a specific chronological remit.
- Applicants who have previously been awarded an ‘Early Career Research Support Grant’ will not be eligible for further funding under this scheme.
- Applications for funding for research taking place within 4 weeks of the application deadline will not be considered.
- Applications for retroactive research visits/activities will not be considered.
All applications for the Early Career Research Support Grants are reviewed by the RHS Research Support Committee, formed of members of the Society’s Council. Review of applications will not take place until the deadline for submission has passed. An average timeline for review, ratification and notification of the outcome of an application is around six weeks after the deadline.
Please note that all applications, successful or otherwise, will be directly notified of their outcome.
Early Career Research Support Grant recipients in 2025
- Thomas Wright – awarded January 2025
- Jocelyn Zimmerman – awarded January 2025
- Katherine Burns – awarded January 2025
- Jessica Venner – awarded January 2025
HEADER IMAGE: Henry Heide Confectionary Co.- Seven Buildings Occupied by the Business, after 1882, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, public domain.