SESAH CONFERENCE TRAVEL GRANTS

SESAH offers grants for travel to its annual conference for students and emerging professionals with the Student Conference Travel Grant and Emerging Professionals Conference Travel Grant. These grants support the recipient’s presentation of a scholarly paper at the conference as well as full attendance in conference activities: paper sessions, business meeting/awards ceremony, and keynote address. The award is $1,000 for travel, which may be used for transportation, food, lodging, and/or other expenses related to attending the conference. In addition to the monetary award, the grant provides a waived conference registration fee (study tour excluded).

Eligibility Criteria for Students

The Student Conference Travel Grant seeks to encourage the wider participation of undergraduate and graduate students in architectural history, historic preservation, and related disciplines and to support the presentation of their work in a paper session at the annual conference. Up to two (2) conference travel grants are awarded each year to students. An applicant must:

  • be a member of SESAH at the time of application. To join SESAH or to renew a membership, visit this link.
  • be a student enrolled in an accredited school of architecture; department of art history, history, or historic preservation; or related academic program. 

Eligibility Criteria for Emerging Professionals

SESAH maintains the Emerging Professionals Conference Travel Grant Fund to support the conference travel of early career preservationists. The Emerging Professionals Conference Travel Grant encourages non-academic professionals working in the preservation field to join SESAH’s scholarly community and present their work in a paper session at the annual conference. One (1) conference travel grant is awarded each year to an emerging professional in the historic preservation field.  An applicant must:

  • be a member of SESAH at the time of application. To join SESAH or to renew a membership, visit this link.
  • be employed by a government agency, nonprofit organization, or cultural resources consulting firm within the SESAH member states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia).
  • have worked in the preservation field for less than five (5) years.

Note that grants are awarded based on professionals’ status at the time of their application (if an applicant’s professional status changes after applying, they will still be considered for the grant).

Call for Applications

SESAH invites applications for the 2023 Conference Travel Grants from both students and emerging professionals. These applications should be made at the same time as proposing a paper abstract for SESAH’s annual conference. 

There are two stages and sets of deadlines for applications. An applicant will be evaluated based upon materials submitted during both stages. Recipients will be notified if they are awarded the grant by July 26, 2023.

  • Stage 1 Deadline: May 4, 2023 (same as deadline for proposing a paper abstract for SESAH’s annual conference, submitted to papers@sesah.org)
  • Stage 2 Deadline: July 14, 2023. 

Stage 1 of application: submit two (2) Word or PDF documents to papers@sesah.org by May 4, 2023:

  1. materials required for proposing a paper abstract (in a single Word or PDF document):
    • Applicant’s first and last name
    • Applicant’s preferred email address and phone number
    • Applicant’s professional association (university, agency, company, independent, etc.).
    • Title of the proposed paper
    • An abstract of no more than 300 words (in Word or PDF format)
    • Five keywords for the proposed paper
    • A short bio-sketch of no more than 250 words (to be read to introduce the presenter in their session)
    •  A CV or resume
    • If this paper is part of a session proposal, it will also need to include the title of the proposed session.
  1. application for the SESAH Conference Travel Grant (in a single Word or PDF document)
    • Whether the application is for “Student” or “Emerging Professional”
    • Applicant’s first and last name
    • Applicant’s preferred email address, mailing address, and phone number
    • School/college/university or place of employment
    • For students only: name of adviser, their email, and phone number
    • An estimated travel budget, listing transportation (airfare, mileage, parking, etc.), food (besides meals provided at the conference), lodging, study tour fee, and all other travel expenses for the entire trip (the budget does not need to include the cost of the conference registration, as it is covered as part of the grant award). Note whether your employer or university offers cost sharing or a stipend and if so, the amount. Preference for the $1,000 grant will be based on financial need.

If an applicant’s paper abstract/proposal is accepted for the conference (notified by June 1), they will proceed to Stage 2.  

Stage 2 of application by July 14, 2023: 

  1. Send pdf of the completed paper, both text and images, attached to an email to papers@sesah.org.

Applicants will be notified of grant awards by July 26, 2023. Applicants who have papers accepted but do not submit their papers by July 14, 2023 will not be considered for the grant (but may remain on the conference schedule pending their registration and submission of their paper by the deadlines stated in the Call for Papers). Grant funding will be awarded in person at the conference. 

All material should be submitted by email to Papers Committee Chair Mason Toms and Deputy Chair Mary Springer at papers@sesah.org.