About
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the largest membership association of historians in the world, providing leadership for the discipline and promoting the critical role of historical thinking in public life. Founded with a Congressional Charter, the AHA serves historians in a wide variety of professions and represents every historical era and geographical area. The organization supports history education at all levels (K-12, undergraduate, and graduate), publishes the flagship American Historical Review journal and Perspectives on History newsmagazine, advocates for academic freedom and honest history education, and provides professional development resources and career support for historians.
Funding Opportunities
Tikkun Olam Prize for Promoting Public Historical Literacy
The Tikkun Olam Prize for Promoting Public Historical Literacy addresses a major problem in American public culture, which inhibits the operation of democratic institutions and processes: the breadth and depth of historical illiteracy. This prize honors individuals whose work has promoted literacy in public culture, with the abiding hope that such work will indeed help 'to repair the world.' The award seeks to recognize sustained historical work that contributes significantly to historical literacy, defined as meaningful knowledge about the past, historical context, and ability to think historically and critically, in American public culture. The prize emphasizes history education broadly construed beyond the academy, with no limitations on genre, venue, or topic. The recipient is recommended by the executive director and AHA president for approval by the AHA Council, announced each fall, and presented at the Association's annual meeting.
Award for Scholarly Distinction
The American Historical Association Award for Scholarly Distinction was established by the AHA Council in 1984 to honor senior historians in the United States. This prestigious award recognizes historians of the highest distinction who have spent the bulk of their professional careers in the United States. Recipients must generally be of emeritus rank, if from academic life, or equivalent standing otherwise. Under normal circumstances, the award is not intended for former presidents of the Association; rather, it aims to honor persons not otherwise recognized by the profession to an extent commensurate with their contributions. The Committee on Honorary Foreign Members and Awards for Scholarly Distinction serves as the jury and recommends up to three individuals for approval at the Council's spring meeting. The honorees are announced at the Association's annual meeting, recognizing lifetime achievement and scholarly contributions to the field of history.
John Lewis Award for Public Service to the Discipline of History
Established in 2021, the John Lewis Award for Public Service to the Discipline of History is offered annually to recognize individuals outside the ranks of professional historians who have made a significant contribution to the study, teaching, and public understanding of history, in the interest of social justice. The prize was established with an endowment gift from the Agentives Fund and replaces the Association's Roosevelt-Wilson Award for Public Service, which was presented to Congressman Lewis in 2006. Recipients can be individuals or collaborative groups who have made a significant contribution to the support and encouragement of history through their actions. Such noteworthy activity may include advocacy for historical work and the importance of history to public culture and social justice, philanthropy, support for organizations that promote history in public life, historic preservation, or other work that cultivates public awareness of history and its value to public culture. The prize is named in memory of John Lewis (1940–2020), the civil rights leader who represented Georgia with grace and distinction in the United States House of Representatives for 34 years. The executive director and the AHA president serve as the jury and recommend nominees to the AHA Council, which makes the final selection at its June meeting. Recipients are announced at the Association's annual meeting.
James M. Banner, Jr., Lecture on the State of the Discipline of History
Established in 2023, the James M. Banner, Jr., Lecture on the State of the Discipline of History examines historians' work and seeks to suggest improvements to fundamental aspects of the discipline including its structure; the institutions that support, preserve, and convey historical knowledge; and the education and practices of historians. The lectureship encourages the consideration and evaluation of issues essential to how historians think about their work and practice, rather than focusing on specific historical subjects, historiographical debates, or research requirements. The lecture will be presented during the AHA annual meeting, online, or at other venues to be determined. Lecturers are nominated by the AHA president and executive director for approval by the AHA Council. They are invited based on their expertise, experience, and dedication to the discipline of history, without restrictions on their specific area of knowledge, professional background, country of residence, affiliation, or occupation. The honorarium for the lecture is $1,000.
Troyer Steele Anderson Prize
The Troyer Steele Anderson Prize is awarded to the person whom Council considers to have made the most outstanding contribution to the advancement of the purposes of the American Historical Association. The prize was established by a bequest from Frank Maloy Anderson (1871–1961), a diplomatic and constitutional historian and a life member of the AHA, in honor of the memory of his son, a historian and public servant. This is a prestigious recognition award given by the AHA to honor exceptional service and contributions to the historical profession and the Association's mission. Recipients have included individuals recognized for transforming the Association's investment and financial structures, serving as AHA parliamentarian, leading major initiatives like the Tuning project, and making significant contributions to public history and the promotion of history. The award is not given annually but rather when Council determines an individual has made particularly outstanding contributions to advancing the AHA's purposes.
J. Franklin Jameson Award for Editing Historical Sources
The J. Franklin Jameson Award was established in 1974 for outstanding achievement in the editing of historical sources. First offered in 1980 and awarded every five years, the American Historical Association Council made the decision in 2007 to change the frequency of the award to biennial. The award honors J. Franklin Jameson, a founding member of the Association, its president in 1907, longtime managing editor of the American Historical Review, and an influential proponent of historical study. This honorific award recognizes scholars and editors who demonstrate excellence in the editing of historical sources, requiring that works be of a scholarly, historical nature with commentary and original text in English or English translation. The award celebrates exceptional documentary editing that advances historical research and teaching.
AHA Prize in American History
The AHA Prize in American History is awarded for an outstanding work on any subject relating to United States history that is the author's first book or scholarly equivalent. Originally called the John H. Dunning Prize, this biennial prize was first awarded in 1929, and has been awarded in odd-numbered years since 1991. The prize name was changed in 2023. Research accuracy, originality, and literary merit are important factors in the evaluation of submissions. Only books bearing a copyright of 2025 or 2026 are eligible for the 2027 award. Recipients are announced on the AHA website in October and recognized during a ceremony at the annual AHA meeting.
Fellowships in Aerospace History
The Fellowships in Aerospace History are offered annually by NASA to support significant scholarly research projects in aerospace history. These fellowships grant the opportunity to engage in significant and sustained advanced research in all aspects of the history of aerospace from the earliest human interest in flight to the present, including cultural and intellectual history, economic history, history of law and public policy, and the history of science, engineering, and management. Three fellowships are available through collaboration between NASA, the American Historical Association, and the History of Science Society, with applications entered into consideration for all three opportunities: AHA Fellowship in Aerospace History, AHA Fellowship in the History of Space Technology, and HSS Fellowship in Aerospace History. The fellowship term is for a period of at least six months but not more than nine months, and should commence no later than January of the fellowship term. Fellows are encouraged to take advantage of resources at the National Archives, the National Academies of Science, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, NASA Headquarters, and other collections in the Washington, DC area. Residency is not required, but office space may be provided by the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress upon request for a minimum of three months.
At a Glance
- Total Funding Opportunities
- 57
- Active Now
- 8
- Source Domain
- historians.org
Catalog Data
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