Promoting the Study of the History of Sport
The BSSH is committed to supporting new research in sport history, and developing its dissemination. Competitive funding applications for the following are offered on a regular basis. (full details further down the page).
January 2021: New COVID-19 Special Research Grants of up to £100 have just been launched for PGRs/ECRS - see details below
Research Grants for Postgraduates (up to £500) - OPEN CALL (no deadlines)
Grants are available to current postgraduate researchers (PhD or Masters level) to help them undertake new original primary research in any area of sports history (for example, supporting a research trip to an archive). They are not intended to support conference attendance, subsistence costs or to support existing projects within a higher/further education institution.
Research Grants for Early Career Researchers (up to £500) – OPEN CALL (no deadlines)
Grants are available to researchers within 3 years of the award of their PhD to help them undertake new original primary research in any area of sports history (for example, supporting a research trip to an archive). They are not intended to support conference attendance, subsistence during travel, or existing projects within a higher/further education institution.
COVID-19 Special Research Grants (up to £100) – OPEN CALL (no deadlines)
Grants are now available to current postgraduate researchers (PhD or Masters level) and Early Career Researchers (anyone within 5 years of the award of their PhD) to help them continue their research at a time when access to resources has been made difficult due to the ongoing global pandemic. The grant could be used for travel to archives/libraries as and when they open, access to e-books or other online resources, necessary technical equipment, or other similar research-related needs that have been restricted by the pandemic. The grants will be offered for the next 12 months, at which point the need for this award will be reviewed.
Conference Panel Grants – OPEN CALL (no deadlines)
Grants to support multiple members of the BSSH to present a sport history panel at a conference, with the value of the award dependent upon the conference location (UK/Europe/rest of world).
Small Events Funding (up to £500 per event) – OPEN CALL (no deadlines)
Funding is available for research dissemination events which are consistent with the interests and aims of BSSH, or demonstrate the intention to enhance integration of sport history with other sub-disciplines.
NEW Community Sports History Award (up to £2,000) - OPEN CALL (deadline 25 June 2021)
This award is open to members and non-members of the British Society of Sports History (BSSH). BSSH Trustees may not apply for this award. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities within the UK.
Award: Up to £500
Eligibility: This award is open for anyone undertaking Postgraduate work (including Masters- and Doctoral-level study). It is only open to members of the BSSH.
Parameters of the award:
The award is intended to help an individual undertake new original primary research in any area of sports history, which may lead to a demonstrable output in support of the charity’s goals (including publications). The fund may be used for, inter alia, research trips to archive (in UK and Abroad). Funding is not intended to support trips to conferences, the hosting of, or attendance at, public events, the cost of food/drink while on research trips, capital expenditure, joint research projects with established academics, or already established academic projects within a higher/further education institution (including Master’s or Doctoral study). Applications for projects costing more than £500 will be considered, however, only a maximum of £500 will be reimbursed. The BSSH Trustees reserve the right to split the award should more than one project be deemed worthy of funding.
Requests for funding should be sent to the BSSH Postgraduate/ECR representative (katietaylor1968@yahoo.co.uk).
Your application should specify:
* an outline of the project and its importance for Sport History
* a budget of the project
* the amount requested
* details of other bodies funding the project
In addition to the application form, you are asked to submit a CV and a short written reference or letter of support for your project from a supervisor (for postgraduates), mentor or other academic.
Requirements for successful bidders:
Successful bidders are to supply receipts for any award amount claimed. Any successful bidders are required to produce a report for the BSSH, which may be published online, about how funds have been used. Successful bidders are required to recognise the help provided by the BSSH in all material disseminated relating to the project, including journal articles, public presentations etc., as stipulated by the Board of Trustees of the BSSH.
Funding:
Finances from the award will be paid to the recipient retrospectively following the completion of the project/research trip, upon receipt of a full expenses claim.
Please address any questions in the first instance to the BSSH Postgraduate/ECR Representative katietaylor1968@yahoo.co.uk.
Forms:
Award: Up to £500
Eligibility: This award is open for anyone within 3 years of the award of their Doctoral degree. It is only open to members of the BSSH. BSSH Trustees may not apply for this award.
Parameters of the award:
The award is intended to help an individual undertake new original primary research in any area of sports history, which may lead to a demonstrable output in support of the charity’s goals (including publications). The fund may be used for, inter alia, research trips to archive (in UK and Abroad). Funding is not intended to support trips to conferences, the hosting of, or attendance at, public events, the cost of food/drink while on research trips, capital expenditure, joint research projects with established academics, or already established academic projects within a higher/further education institution. Applications for projects costing more than £500 will be considered, however, only a maximum of £500 will be reimbursed. The BSSH Trustees reserve the right to split the award should more than one project be deemed worthy of funding.
Requests for funding should be sent to the Postgraduate/ECR Representative katietaylor1968@yahoo.co.uk.
Your application should specify:
* an outline of the project and its importance for Sport History
* a budget of the project
* the amount requested
* details of other bodies funding the project
In addition to the application form, you are asked to submit a CV and a short written reference or letter of support for your project from a supervisor (for postgraduates), mentor or other academic.
Requirements for successful bidders:
Successful bidders are to supply receipts for any award amount claimed. Any successful bidders are required to produce a report for the BSSH, which may be published online, about how funds have been used. Successful bidders are required to recognise the help provided by the BSSH in all material disseminated relating to the project, including journal articles, public presentations etc., as stipulated by the Board of Trustees of the BSSH.
Funding:
Finances from the award will be paid to the recipient retrospectively following the completion of the project/research trip, upon receipt of a full expenses claim.
Please address any questions in the first instance to Postgraduate/ECR Representative katietaylor1968@yahoo.co.uk.
Forms:
Award: Up to £100
Eligibility: This award is open to anyone undertaking postgraduate work (including Masters- and Doctoral-level study) and to Early Career Researchers (anyone within 5 years of the award of their PhD). It is only open to members of the BSSH.
Parameters of the award:
The award is intended to support postgraduate and early careers researchers overcome some of the obstacles in conducting research that the global pandemic has created. Examples of items that the fund may be used for include: research trips to archives/libraries, as and when they open, accessing e-books and other online resources, the purchase of technical equipment required for research. Applications for resources costing more than £100 will be considered, however, only a maximum of £100 will be reimbursed.
Requests for funding should be sent to the BSSH Postgraduate/ECR representative (katietaylor1968@yahoo.co.uk).
Your application should specify:
Requirements for successful bidders:
Successful bidders are to supply receipts for any award amount claimed.
Funding:
Finances from the award will be paid to the recipient retrospectively following the completion of the research trip, or the purchase of the relevant online resource, upon receipt of a full expenses claim.
Please address any questions in the first instance to the BSSH Postgraduate/ECR Representative katietaylor1968@yahoo.co.uk.
Award: Up to £500 (UK conferences), up to £750 (Rest of Europe conferences), or up to £1000 (US / Rest of World conferences), to be split between panellists as they see fit
Eligibility: All panellists must be members of the BSSH
Parameters of the award:
These grants are designed to assist BSSH members with the cost of attending conferences / symposia / workshops, as part of a joint BSSH panel. Applications for any event will be considered: applications will be judged on merit based on the extent to which they are seen to promote the study of sports history, particularly within the British context.
The maximum amount which can be claimed is as follows:
UK-based events: £500
Rest of Europe-based events: £750
US / Rest of World events: £1000
Panellists can decide between themselves how the money is split. Applications may include costs above this amount, however, no grant will be awarded above the stated maximum for each region.
Individuals may not apply. The money must be used to fund a panel, not an individual’s attendance at a conference. Applications for financial assistance with attending the BSSH’s own annual conference will also not be considered.
The money can be spent on any aspect of conference attendance which the panellists wish. Examples would be: travel costs, registration fees, accommodation, the cost of joining the Society which is organising the conference, attendance at the conference dinner.
Submissions will only be accepted from current BSSH members. Submissions made by non-members will not be considered. Those who successfully gain an award may not submit a proposal in subsequent years.
Should the panel be rejected by the conference organisers after an application is accepted by BSSH, the funding will not be awarded. Applicants will need to reapply for each subsequent conference even if the named panellists are the same.
Application procedure:
Applications should be sent to the BSSH Past Chair Matt McDowell (matthew.mcdowell@ed.ac.uk). Applications will then be considered by a panel of judges, with final decisions approved by the Trustee Board.
Applications should specify:
Requirements for successful bidders:
Successful bidders are to supply receipts for any award amount claimed. They are required to recognise the help provided by the BSSH in all material disseminated relating to the conference, including the conference programme.
During the conference, bidders will be expected to do the following:
After the conference concludes, successful bidders are also required to produce a report for the BSSH, which may be published online, about the conference (or other event). The help given by BSSH should also be recognised in any publications resulting from the conference.
Funding:
Finances from the award will be paid to the recipients retrospectively following the completion of the conference, upon receipt of a full expenses claim. Please address any questions to Matt McDowell (BSSH Past Chair) (matthew.mcdowell@ed.ac.uk).
Forms:
Award: Up to £500
The BSSH offers funding for research dissemination events. Guidelines for funding applications are as follows:
Application process and submission:
Conditions:
Forms:
Award: Up to £2,000
Closing Date: 25th June 2021 (17:00 BST)
Eligibility:
This award is open to members and non-members of the British Society of Sports History (BSSH). BSSH Trustees may not apply for this award. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities within the UK.
Parameters of the Award:
The award aims to help an individual or a community group undertake original primary research into the history of sporting activities within BME communities within the UK. The award of up to £2,000 seeks to support research specifically within and about these communities, as they are currently underrepresented within the field of sports history research.
The award is intended, first and foremost, to fund new primary research into the history of sporting activities within BME communities in the UK. It may be used for oral history research and/or other similar research activities which seek to engage with and capture the sporting histories of these communities. Examples of how we envisage that this funding might be used include: travel to archives/research sites, costs of accessing archives/sources, interview transcription, and venue hire for interviews. The funding is not intended for: trips to academic conferences, food and drink, pre-existing research projects already supported with funding from elsewhere, or to cover salary costs/teaching buy-out.
Application Procedure:
The application should comprise no more than 2 sides of A4, and should provide the following details:
1. A statement of the projected importance of the project in capturing the sporting history of a BME community in the UK
2. An outline of the proposed research methods
3. A draft chronology of the research project
4. A breakdown of the costs the project is likely to incur
5. Details of any other funding being applied for/or already received (either from employers or other external bodies)
Completed applications for funding should be sent as one file (either .doc/.docx or .pdf) to the BSSH Community Sports History Award Representative, Adam Burns (a.burns4@wlv.ac.uk). Applications will then be scrutinised by an expert panel of judges. Successful applicant(s) will be informed of the outcome shortly before the BSSH Conference in 2021, where it will then be formally announced and publicised.
Requirements for Successful Applicants:
The successful applicant(s) will be expected to present details of their project at the 2022 Annual BSSH Conference (format and style will be flexible and will be agreed in advance with the BSSH Executive). You will be expected to showcase your findings (to date) and both the researcher(s) and participant(s) involved in the research (as the research design allows). Limited additional funding will be available to support those presenting at the conference. In addition, successful bidders are required to produce a written report or video diary for the BSSH, which may be published online, detailing how the funds have been used.
The successful applicant(s) will be required to recognise the help provided by the BSSH in all materials later disseminated that were supported by the BSSH Community Sports History Award (including digital repositories, web content (such as podcasts), journal articles, public presentations etc.), as stipulated by the Board of Trustees of the BSSH.
Funding:
The successful applicant(s) will need to agree a schedule for payment of funds with the BSSH once the award has been formally announced. You will need to supply full receipts for all claims.
Please address any questions in the first instance to Adam Burns (BSSH Community Sports History Award Representative) at a.burns4@wlv.ac.uk.