Allocation of research funding is central to the Society’s work of supporting historians and historical research.
In the financial year 2024/25, the Society awarded nearly £150,000 in small grant 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 2026 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 open calls for research funding, 5 June to 10 July 2026
The Society currently invites applications for the following programmes, organised by date order of closing:
Deadlines in June 2026
- Postgraduate Research Support Grants provide funding of either £500 or £1000 to postgraduate researchers to undertake historical research. Activities include visiting archives and historical sites. These grants are available to current Postgraduate Members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 5 June 2026.
- Early Career Research Support Grants provide funding of either £500 or £1000 to early career historians, within 5 years of completion of a PhD, to undertake historical research. Activities include visiting archives and historical sites. These grants are available to current members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 5 June 2026.
- Scouloudi Public History Grants provide funding of £1000 to support innovative practice in public history for defined projects by historians working in higher education with practitioners from other sectors. One of the two lead applicants for this grant must be a current member of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 5 June 2026.
- Scouloudi Panel Grants provide funding of £1500 to enable the creation of panels to present, in-person, research on a shared historical theme at an academic conference, or equivalent event, in history or a cognate discipline. The lead applicant for this grant must be a current member of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 5 June 2026.
- Master’s Scholarships provide funding of £5000 per student to support students from groups currently underrepresented in academic history to undertake a Master’s degree in History of a cognate subject. These grants are open to all eligible applicants and do not require membership of the Society. Closing date for Stage 1 of the application: Friday 5 June 2026.
Deadlines in July 2026
- Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowships, 2026-27 provide funding of either £500, £1000 or £1250 to members of the Society at all career stages to develop innovative teaching practices in higher education. Fellowships are available to current members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 10 July 2026.
- Funded Book Workshop Grants, 2026-27 support authors writing a second or third monograph. Grants provide funding a full day workshop for up to six specialist readers to discuss a book manuscript in detail before submission to a publisher. Fellowships are available to current members of the Royal Historical Society. Next closing date: Friday 10 July 2026.
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 Manager at: [email protected].
HEADER IMAGE: Bowl with a scholar, anon, c.1575-99, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, public domain.