Awards of $4000 are available to support travel and/or research expenses while utilizing the Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State’s University Park campus. Awards are available for a variety of subject-based research, as listed below.
We invite applications from non-traditional researchers, students, and others for whom the financial costs of research-based travel pose a significant obstacle. These funds will be paid out in two installments: recipients receive $3000 to support their research, and a second installment of $1000 after the presentation of their research talks.
Dorothy Foehr Huck Research Award
This award supports researchers using any of the Eberly Family Special Collection Library’s collections. Please visit our website to search our holdings and learn more about our collection strengths and priorities, which are also described in greater detail in our Collection Development Plan.
Helen F. Faust Women Writers Research Award
This award supports researchers whose work focuses on women writers, and who would benefit from the use of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library’s collections.
V.P. Franklin African American History Research Award
Thanks to a generous gift from Dr. V.P. Franklin, Penn State alumnus (‘69) and esteemed scholar of African American history, we are offering a new award this year focused on supporting research in our growing Black History and Visual Culture collections. We especially invite applicants interested in exploring research topics drawing on materials from two recent notable archival acquisitions: the V.P. Franklin papers and the Guion S. Bluford papers.
Mary Ann O'Brian Malkin Research Award
This award supports researchers whose work focuses on the history of dance and dance notation, and who would benefit from using the Malkin collection of early dance, 1531-1804.
Albert M. Petska Eighth Air Force Archives Research Award
This award supports researchers utilizing the Eighth Air Force archive, which documents both the fighter and bomber groups that served in Europe and Africa during World War II and the Eighth Air Force veterans organizations nationwide. It contains books, photographs, audio-visual materials, oversize graphic materials, artifacts, memorabilia, microfilm, and organizational records donated by veterans and their families.
William W. Scranton Research Award
This award supports research in the personal papers of the late Governor William W. Scranton covering his legacy as a Pennsylvania congressional representative (1961-1963), governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1963-1967), chair of the Presidential Commission on Campus Unrest, presidential candidate (1964); and U.S. representative to the United Nations (1976-1977).
Please note that not all grants will be available every year. Please refer to the current application for the latest opportunities.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants may not be Penn State faculty, staff, or students.
Applicants and their research topics must meet the individual requirements of the award for which they apply.
Preference will be given to applicants that reside and/or at least 100 miles from Penn State University Park.
Application Process and Timeline
Prepare application materials and complete an online application, which includes uploading a current curriculum vitae. Applications should include specific references to Special Collections’ holdings and how these collections and materials in particular further grant applicants’ research.
Applications will be accepted from October 10, 2024 until December 10, 2024. Applicants will be notified by January 10th, 2025.
Research must be conducted between July 1, 2025 and June 1, 2026.
Grant recipients must present their research talks before the end of the 2026 calendar year.
Grant Requirements and Limitations
The research grants support travel to the Eberly Family Special Collections Library and related costs.
The research grants may also be used for photoduplication or audiovisual transfer of research materials.
Awardees are responsible for booking their own travel arrangements.
All required paperwork must be submitted prior to scheduling the grant recipient's research visits from July 1, 2025 to June 1, 2026. The research grants support travel to the Eberly Family Special Collections Library; awardees are responsible for booking their own travel arrangements.
In making research and travel arrangements, please review the open hours for the Special Collections Library.
As a condition of receiving the award, grant recipients will be asked to give a short talk via Zoom about their research. The talk will be scheduled after the research has taken place and must take place before the end of 2026.
Grant recipients may be subject to tax implications, depending on how the awarded funds are spent. For international grant recipients, this may include tax implications in the United States and in their country of origin. For information about U.S. tax liability for international taxpayers, please visit the IRS' International Taxpayers page.
Contact the Special Collections Instruction, Outreach and Engagement Librarian, Racine Amos, at rla5306@psu.edu with any questions or concerns.
