Annual Meeting Travel Grant Program

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What Annual Meeting Travel Grant Recipients Say about the Program
List of Winners by Year

Application Deadline: April 22

The American Academy of Religion will award twenty-five travel grants worth $500 each, plus complimentary Annual Meeting registration, on a competitive basis to members who demonstrate both financial need and a desire to participate in the Annual Meeting. Special consideration will be given to applicants from underrepresented minorities.

Attending the Annual Meeting, delivering papers, serving on panels, and interviewing at the Employment Center afford valuable opportunities for scholarly development. Yet in recent years, declining access to external sources of funding has made the cost of attendance prohibitive for many who would benefit from these activities. Students, contingent faculty, and the unemployed/underemployed experience this hardship most acutely. If they cannot attend, not only they, but the Academy as a whole suffers from the loss of their involvement. To broaden participation in the Annual Meeting, AAR has developed a generous grant program to defray costs and make attending the Annual Meeting a reality for members who would otherwise struggle to attend.

Eligibility Requirements

• Current membership in the AAR. Preference will be given to applicants with consistent membership, a record of attending Annual Meetings, and a history of contributions to the work of the Academy.
• Financial need:
  • Current status as a contingent, graduate student, un/underemployed, or retired member with financial need
  • Lack of access to sufficient institutional or external funding
  • Grants will not be given to the same individuals who have been awarded grants in the past three years

Application Process

Applicants should submit their materials through the online submission form here. The online submission system will open on Monday, March 16, 2020, and close on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, at 5:00 pm EDT. Late applications will not be accepted.

Applicants should be prepared to provide all of the following materials. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

• A history of AAR membership and activity (if any)
• A description of current employment status
• A statement of financial need that includes the following:
  • Current income for your household (or anticipated household income at the time of the Annual Meeting)
  • Estimated costs for Annual Meeting attendance (including airfare, ground transportation, parking, housing, meals, and other expenses)
  • Any institutional or external travel support available to the applicant
• A list of scheduled activities at the Annual Meeting (e.g., presenting a paper, serving on a panel, seeking a position at the Employment Center), including the title and abstract of any proposals that have been accepted
• Description of the applicant’s qualifications for an award, expected contributions to the Annual Meeting, and the anticipated benefits of attendance for scholarship and vocation
• Curriculum Vitae

In addition, candidates may choose to supply a letter of support from a current or former colleague, employer, advisor, or AAR Program Unit Chair

Timeline

The jury will receive all proposals by April 27 and conclude its deliberations by May 18, so that applicants can be notified by the Super Saver registration deadline. Grant winners must register for the Annual Meeting no later than August 20th, 2020.

Awards

The AAR will grant complimentary Annual Meeting registration and distribute check awards of $500 each in person to the grantees at the Annual Meeting.

Grant winners will be asked to fill out a post-Annual Meeting survey about their contributions to the Annual Meeting and the benefits of Annual Meeting attendance for their scholarship and vocation.

Contact Information

Contact us at if you have additional questions.