Testimonial from a recent grant recipient: “My dissertation achieved a First grade (75), and was commended for its innovative use of sources; this would not have been possible without the funding from the Economic History Society – thank you!”

The Society will consider applications for small grants for undergraduate projects in economic and social history.

The projects must be for final degree examinations in United Kingdom colleges and universities. The amount awarded will not normally be over £250.

How to apply:

• There is no application form. Students should compose a brief statement.
• The student should send the application to the administrative secretary at the email address below.
• The application should give the title and proposed nature of the project.
• It should clearly indicate how the research is related to economic and/or social history.
• It should include anticipated expenditure and explain the need for that expenditure.
• It should indicate how much the project will contribute to the final degree classification.
• The supervisor should send a letter of support separately to the administrator. The letter must explain how the project relates to economic and/or social history.
• Applications may be submitted at any time.

Please note that no award will be made for:

• Subsistence costs (i.e. food and drink)
• The purchase of equipment, books and other materials*
• Fees/licences/rights*
• Conference attendance costs

* Applicants may purchase books/fees/licences/rights, with any grant awarded, for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Further information may be obtained from the Administrators.

The Economic History Society, in conjunction with the Institute of Historical Research, offers up to three one-year postdoctoral Fellowships in economic and/or social history, tenable at the Institute from 1 October 2024. Fellows will not be required to be resident in London but should participate in the activities of the Institute by regular attendance at, and presentation of papers to, appropriate seminars – including the Fellows’ Seminar – and by giving information and help to fellow scholars working in the same field.

Eligibility

The Fellowships will be awarded to postdoctoral candidates who have recently completed a doctoral degree in economic and/or social history, or who will have submitted their thesis for examination by 1 October in the academic year in which the Fellowship is to be held. The Fellowships are open to candidates who are British citizens and/or holders of a degree from a British university. It is the intention of the Economic History Society to promote work of a kind that might be published in the leading refereed academic journals in economic and/or social history. Fellows will be expected to pursue research in economic and/or social history at an advanced level with a view to publication.

These awards cannot be held in conjunction with any other substantial maintenance grant, nor can they be used to  fund a sabbatical year for the holder of a permanent academic position. Fellows may engage in teaching or other paid work for up to six hours per week.

It is important that applicants demonstrate that the research proposed in their applications is in the field of economic and/or social history.

Stipends

The Fellowships will be worth £22,000 if you are affiliated with an institution based outside of London, or £24,000 if  you are affiliated with an institution based in London. The stipend will be payable in four instalments through the Institute.

In addition, the Economic History Society will fund travel costs for each Fellow for up to four visits to the Institute of Historical Research during the period of their Fellowship, subject to the provision of receipts and the Society’s standard procedures for funding travel expenses within the UK. Fellows are eligible to apply to the Economic History Society’s Research Fund for Graduate Students to support minor research costs and conference attendance.

Please note, applications must be received at the Institute of Historical Research no later than 31 January 2024. Incomplete applications, or applications arriving after this date, will not be considered.

The Economic History Society is pleased to offer bursaries – to include accommodation, where required – for attendance at a course entitled ‘An introduction to methods and sources for historical research’.

The course is an introduction, through arranged visits and lectures, to historical methods and to the sources available in London. It is organised and administered by the Institute of Historical Research and is open to students registered for a higher degree in history and cognate disciplines at a university within the UK.

Recent courses have included visits to the British Library Manuscripts and Map Collections, the Public Record Office, the Royal Commission for Historical Manuscripts, the Warburg Institute, Westminster Abbey Library and the House of Lords Archives.

The Economic History Society invites applications for one-year bursaries of up to £5,000 to assist doctoral students (PhD) in United Kingdom colleges and universities; scholars who are visiting students at UK universities are ineligible to apply. The bursaries will be open to students (full or part-time), at any stage of their PhD career in economic and/or social history, although priority may be given to students who are close to completion; note that the PhD must be under way at the time of application. Please note also that applications from students currently in receipt of a full stipendiary award, or a fully-funded studentship covering fees and living costs, will not be considered.  Applications for funding for research-related expenses should be submitted to the Research Fund for Graduate Students.

The Bursary is primarily aimed at supporting students without full external funding to continue their studies and to support unexpected changes in e.g. rent, living expenses, child support etc. Applicants must give an itemised breakdown of income and expenditure and identify the specific target for the proposed bursary in meeting costs.

Applicants must be members of the Economic History Society.  Join here.  Note that the online application form will only be visible if you are logged into the website.

Any queries should please be directed to the Administrators.

Deadline for applications: 1 July 2024

The Economic History Society will consider applications for grants – normally of up to £1,000 – to assist postgraduate students (Master’s Degree and PhD) in United Kingdom colleges and universities with the costs of gathering research data and source materials, including travel and accommodation expenses incurred in the undertaking of research into any aspect of economic and /or social history.

Please note that no award will be made for:

• Subsistence costs (i.e. food and drink)
• The purchase of equipment, books and other materials
• Fees/licences/rights
• Conference attendance costs

If an application is made to assist with data input costs, then the applicant should detail how the employment of any research assistant meets employment regulations, best practice, and standards.  Preference may be given to research assistance plans that employ UK students, although research assistance elsewhere is not excluded.

Applications should be supported by a supervisor’s statement, which should be sent to the Administrators.  Information concerning any attempts to obtain matching support from other sources should be submitted.

Applicants must be members of the Economic History Society. Join here.  Note that the online application form will only be visible if you are logged into the website.

Closing dates for applications are on the first day of May and November.  Applicants will usually be informed of the outcome of their application within 6-8 weeks of the deadline date for applications.

Any queries should be directed to the Administrators.

The Economic History Society maintains a fund to encourage otherwise unfunded workshops, special meetings and other interesting initiatives in economic and social history.

The Society is particularly interested in:

• Activities which might encourage wider participation in the Society
• Innovative research proposals
• Applications from researchers who are not full-time university academics
• Work which would lead to publication in the leading journals of our discipline
• One-day workshops which might provide sessions at the annual conference or generate articles for the Review

The Society will not make grants from the fund for more than £2,000 or £1,000 for a one-day workshop.

The Society will not normally award repeat funding if it is the sole funder.  In addition, all-expenses paid events (except those organised by PhD students) will receive low priority.

Please note that any award made would not cover:

• Conference attendance costs of applicant
• Equipment costs
• Publications costs
• Subsistence costs (i.e. food and drink) of applicant
• Room hire costs (where the venue is the applicant’s home institution)

Any surplus amount made by the event will be deducted from the grant made by the Society. Whatever the sum granted, there must be a specific prominent acknowledgement of the Society’s support in any publicity, meeting materials or publications. Any events held with support from the fund should be advertised on the Society’s website and, as far as is practicable, be open equally to all interested economic and social historians. Successful applicants are encouraged to propose papers or sessions at the Society’s annual conference.

Applicants must be members of the Economic History Society. Join here.  Note that the online application form will only be visible if you are logged into the website.

Questions concerning the objectives and criteria of the fund should be directed to the Honorary Secretary via the Administrators.

Closing dates for applications are on the first day of May and November.  Applicants will usually be informed of the outcome of their application within 6-8 weeks of the deadline date for applications.

The Economic History Society maintains a fund to encourage small-scale research initiatives or pilot studies in economic and/or social history.  Funds are available to support the direct costs of research that is aimed at a specific publication outcome and/or for pilot projects that will form the foundation for applications to other bodies for more substantial funding. Please note that any award made would not cover:

• Conference attendance costs
• Equipment costs
• Publication costs
• Subsistence costs (i.e. food and drink)
• Administration costs
• Salary buy-out/teaching cover
• Indirect costs
• Room hire costs (where the venue is the applicant’s home institution)

Applicants must be members of the Economic History Society (join here), and must be employed by, or affiliated to, a UK higher education institution. Grants will be up to a maximum of £5,000.  Note that the online application form will only be visible if you are logged into the website.

Closing dates for applications are on the first day of May and November.  Applicants will usually be informed of the outcome of their application within 6-8 weeks of the deadline date for applications.

This joint scheme is designed to support Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) history in the UK. It is administered by the Social History Society in partnership with Economic History Society, History UK, History of Education Society (UK), History Workshop Journal, Royal Historical Society, Society for the Study of Labour History and Women’s History Network. The scheme was launched in 2019 in recognition of the under-representation, structural inequalities and racism afflicting UK Higher Education Institutions, highlighted by the Royal Historical Society’s report on ‘Race, Ethnicity and Equality’.

The joint scheme provides small grants to support activities and events run by BME historians working in the UK OR to support events and activities exploring histories of BME people.

The scheme is open to professional historians (whether working in universities or elsewhere such as museums, libraries and galleries), independent scholars, retired staff and students alike. Applicants should be members of one of the above societies (or be willing to become members) OR if they are employed in permanent post in a university history department, their department be a subscriber to History UK (or be willing to become one).

Grants of up to £1,000 are available to support research, conferences, workshops or symposia as well as other public history activities such as exhibitions, walking tours, performances or podcasts. We reserve the right to offer a partial grant.

Applications are administered by the Social History Society but funding decisions are made by an independent judging panel currently composed of Dr Meleisa Ono-George, Professor Catherine Hall and Dr Jonathan Saha.

Applications & terms of acceptance

See the Social History Society website.