2017 Research Fellow, Douglas H. Brown at the Presbyterian Historical Society. Photo Provided
The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) will award four Research Fellowships in 2020 thanks to a successful Giving Tuesday campaign.
The PHS Research Fellowship program provides grants of $2,500 to scholars and independent researchers to cover the cost of travel to Philadelphia, where researchers explore the Presbyterian Historical Society’s collection materials for up to one month. The popular program has funded 40 fellowships since its start in 2004.
This year, PHS set an ambitious Giving Tuesday goal of raising $10,000 to fund four fellowships — an increase from the $7,500 raised in 2018 for three awards. Online donations made through the PHS website were matched by a $5,000 gift from an anonymous donor.
“The $5,000 gift, our largest Giving Tuesday match to date, enabled us to substantially increase our goal this year,” said PHS Director of Development Kim Shiley. “We are so grateful for that gift and for all who supported the Research Fellowship program this year.”
Former research fellows helped spread word about the campaign through social media testimonials. A graduate student at the University of Cambridge, 2018 Research Fellow Yasmina Chami, wrote that she is “very grateful to have received one of these generous fellowships and to have spent part of my summer in the incredibly rich archive of the PHS: a beautiful space, amazing staff, and a wealth of sources!”
Acting Executive Director Nancy Taylor appreciates the original scholarship this year’s extra support enables.
“The number, strength, and diversity of the applications has grown significantly over the last five years, and it is always difficult for the awards committee to make the final decisions. Now we’ll be able to give financial support to four scholars instead of three, further enabling the use of PHS collections for some exciting and creative research projects.”
Research Fellowship applications for 2020 are due January 31. Awards will be announced by March 13.