RSVP is pleased to announce the deadlines for two of our most popular awards: The Linda H. Peterson Fellowship and RSVP Field Development Grant. Applications for both awards will open February 3, 2020 via our online applications portal. Final applications for each award are due March 15, 2020. So, now is the time to start assembling your ideas and application materials!
Peterson Fellowships for Individual Researchers
In 2020, RSVP will grant one Linda H. Peterson Fellowship of $17,500 to a single researcher for a period equivalent to four, full-time months in calendar years 2020 and/or 2021.
Named for pioneering periodicals scholar and mentor Linda H. Peterson (1948-2015), the Peterson Fellowship supports the study of primary sources from the nineteenth-century British periodical press. Projects range from studying periodicals within Britain itself to the wider Empire where British magazines and newspapers were bought, sold, and read during the “long nineteenth century” (ca. 1780-1914).
The Peterson Fellowship is intended to provide a researcher with the most valuable scholarly resource—time. Funds may be used to supplement sabbatical or other grant income, provide course “buy outs,” and/or conduct travel related to the project. During the award period, a grantee may conduct secondary research, write, or pursue other scholarly activities related to their proposed project. That said, eligible projects must include substantial research involving nineteenth-century primary sources, whether those sources appear in print, manuscript, or digital facsimile.
Development Grants for Enhancing Periodical Studies
RSVP’s Field Development Grant exists to help one researcher or a team of collaborators create resources that will facilitate the work of other nineteenth-century periodical scholars. The annual grant is made possible by a generous bequest from the late Eileen Curran, Emerita Professor of English at Colby College and an integral member of RSVP.
RSVP intends to grant one Field Development award of up to $27,500 in 2020 to a single researcher or a team of researchers. Two smaller awards may be given if the right projects present themselves. Research must begin during the 2020 or 2021 calendar year and conclude within one year of receipt.
Regardless of method or type, projects supported by the RSVP Field Development Grant must advance the study of the nineteenth-century British periodical press in some way. Typical projects include:
- Collaborations to produce print or digital publications
- Demonstration projects that make use of new technologies
- Research tools such as indices and bibliographies
- Digitization efforts
- Workshops or seminars that address research methods for the study of periodicals
While collaboration is not a requirement, the grant is intended to give researchers meaningful opportunities for collaboration. Thus, awards may be divided among participants to be used for things like salary replacement, travel, funding for research or technical assistants, hardware or software purchases, securing permissions or rights, and/or other research expenses directly related to the project.
More Details On Our Website
For application details and full eligibility requirements, please visit our website. All applicants are strongly encouraged—but not required—to become members of RSVP. Please note that Officers and Directors are not eligible to apply for either award. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our Society president.