The Society offers several forms of financial support to those planning on participating in the annual meeting.

 

AFS Gerald L. Davis Fund Travel Grants

In memory of folklorist Gerald L. Davis, AFS provides a limited number of grants of up to $500 each year to persons of color who want to participate in the annual meeting. Prospective applicants may be graduate students, community scholars, staff members of public folklore programs, or others who want to attend. AFS will also waive annual meeting registration fees for Gerald L. Davis Fund grant recipients.

Applications should include the following:

• A brief curriculum vita, resume, or biography of your professional life.
• A letter detailing your specific reasons for wanting to attend the AFS annual meeting AND the impact you expect the meeting will have on your work.
• Your estimated expenses and the amount requested.

Supporting letters are not required. Applications received after the deadline may not be considered. Previous recipients are eligible to receive a second award, but you must apply again, and your application must be competitive. Members of AFS Cultural Diversity Committee will review the applications and select the grant recipients.

The deadline for applications is April 15. Send applications to Cultural Diversity Committee chair Rachel González-Martin at rvgonzal@austin.utexas.edu.

 

AFS Stipends for International Participants

The American Folklore Society warmly encourages the attendance of folklorists and other cultural specialists from outside the United States and Canada.

A limited number of travel stipends will be available on a competitive basis for international scholars and practitioners at a junior level who are participating in the annual meeting program. Stipends will vary between $500 and $800, depending on the availability of funds and the number of applicants. Previous recipients of international travel awards are not eligible to apply.

The AFS particularly encourages applications from individuals who have limited or no institutional support for travel, as well as from independent scholars and freelance practitioners. Applicants should be in the early stages of their careers. Please note: this award is primarily for international scholars traveling to the meeting from abroad, rather than for international scholars already residing in North America.

To apply for a travel stipend, please send the following:

• A letter introducing yourself and your work and describing how you will benefit from attending the AFS meeting.
• A statement of purpose (no more than 100 words) in which you briefly outline the paper or presentation you plan to make.
• A brief statement explaining how you will communicate your experience of the meeting to your home professional context. (The overall goal of the travel awards is to increase international communication and awareness of international issues in our field. Since the AFS has limited funding available, it is important for applicants to communicate their experience effectively to a larger professional community back home.)
• A current curriculum vitae.

The deadline for submission of applications is March 31. Applications must be made by email. You must also submit all proposal and registration forms and information (as specified elsewhere in this Invitation for Participation) to the main AFS address by the same deadline. Please direct your inquiries and applications to AFS Committee on International Issues chair Valdimar Hafstein at vth@hi.is.

We also encourage AFS members and sections to spread the word, to help identify potential applicants, to collaborate with international colleagues in the application process, or to provide or seek matching funds to complement the possible AFS award. For example, by adding a visit to your campus or a consultation at your agency, you could fruitfully expand on an international visitor’s participation in the AFS meeting. We especially welcome AFS member assistance in organizing panels that include international participants. International scholars and AFS members are invited to contact Valdimar Hafstein, chair of the AFS Committee on International Issues, to discuss ways in which they might work to expand international participation in the meeting.

 

AFS Student Travel Stipends

AFS will provide stipends of $300 each to selected students whose presentations are accepted for the annual meeting program. There are no additional application requirements for these stipends; your presentation proposal, if accepted, will serve as your stipend application. Decisions will be made on the basis of the quality of the proposal and geographical representation among students’ institutions. Previous recipients of these stipends are not eligible. We will notify recipients in July.

 

Archie Green Student Travel Awards

The AFS Public Programs Section will provide up to three awards of up to $500 each, named for folklorist and activist Archie Green of San Francisco, for students to defray costs for traveling to the meeting. The Section is interested in supporting graduate and undergraduate students who have an interest in working as public folklorists, or who have chosen an area of public folklore as a primary topic of research.

Application materials will consist of: (1) a two-page letter written by the applicant, (2) a letter of support written by a faculty member or public folklorist that describes the student’s interest in public folklore and supports the student’s plan for using the AFS meeting to further her or his interests in public folklore, and (3) a budget outlining anticipated expenses. The applicant’s letter should address her/his interest in public folklore, goals for attending the meeting, and plans for using the resources of the meeting to further her/his academic and/or professional development. Previous recipients of student travel awards are not eligible to apply.

The deadline for receipt of applications is July 15. Awards will be announced by August 1. To apply, send the above materials by email to Michelle Stefano at mstef@loc.gov.

 

The Independent Folklorists’ Section of the American Folklore Society announces the availability of a travel stipend of $1000 to attend the 2018 AFS meeting in Buffalo, NY. The award will support travel costs (transportation, meeting registration, lodging and/or per diem expenses) for a member of the AFS Independent Folklorists' Section involved in public folklore to attend the annual meeting and to present their work. Support for the award is provided by the Public Programs Section and the Independent Folklorists’ Section.

The stipend will be awarded to a member of the Independent Folklorists’ Section who plans to submit a proposal to the upcoming annual AFS meeting program committee, and who demonstrates an interest in, and contribution to, the field of public folklore.

The deadline for submission is via e-mail by midnight, March 1, 2018. The awardee will be notified prior to the AFS presentation proposal deadline (March 31).

The award is contingent on the applicant's proposal being accepted for participation in the AFS meeting. The recipient will be announced to the Public Programs and Independents Section members after AFS proposal reviews are complete, usually by June 15.

To qualify for the award applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Paid membership in the AFS Independent Folklorists’ Section, but not necessarily an AFS member.
• Live at least 100 miles from the meeting location.
• Be a member who earns a significant portion of her/his income from independent consulting work.
• Plan to attend the annual AFS meeting for at least two full days as well as the business meetings of the Public Programs and the Independent Folklorists’ Sections (where the recipient will be acknowledged and may be asked to briefly describe their participation).
• Not have made the same presentation at a previous AFS meeting.
• Not have received the award in the past two years.
• Be willing to serve on the selection committee the year following their award.

You may apply for both this award and the Women Independent Folklorists’ Travel Award, if you are eligible for both, and both will be reviewed by the same committee, but you can only receive one award.

How to Apply:

Please submit the following materials in an email attachment by midnight, March 1, 2018, to this year’s Selection Committee chair Joan Saverino at joan.saverino@gmail.com.

A letter of application (not to exceed three pages) with a narrative describing:

• How you will participate in the annual American Folklore Society meeting (paper session, panel, forum, workshop, or other event);
• Your work as an independent folklorist and your experience and interest in public folklore;
• The approximate proportion of your income that is derived from independent consulting work;
• The impact receiving the Independent Folklorists’ Travel Stipend will have on your ability to attend AFS 2018;
• How you hope to benefit from attending the meeting and what contribution your presence at the meeting will make to the field;
• Budget Estimate: Please estimate the travel expenses you expect to incur (Include airfare or other transportation costs, lodging and meal expenses, and meeting registration fees). It is understood that the $1000 stipend may not cover all expenses.
• A current resume or cv.

Review Criteria:

• Applications are reviewed by the stipend selection committee, which is composed of a representative from the Independent Section, Public Programs Section, the Women’s Section, and the previous years’ recipients of the award, according to the following criteria:
• The quality and significance of the applicant’s work, as based on the narrative, abstract proposal and résumé.
• The extent to which the applicant’s attendance at the AFS meetings will benefit both the applicant and the field, especially in the area of public folklore.
• The feasibility of the budget and the applicant’s demonstrated need of the stipend in order to attend the meeting.

The award recipient will be notified before the March 31 AFS annual meeting deadline of the committee’s decision. If you have questions about the Independent Folklorists' Travel Stipend contact the Selection Committee chair Joan Saverino at joan.saverino@gmail.com.

The Independent Folklorists' Section gratefully acknowledges support from the AFS Public Programs Section to facilitate participation in the annual meeting by an independent folklorist.

 

Polly Stewart Student Travel Stipend

The AFS Women’s Section invites applications for the Polly Stewart travel stipends for one or more students to attend the AFS annual meeting. If enough qualified applications are received, the Section awards a First Place Prize of $500 and a Second Place Prize of $300 in the hopes of facilitating participation in the annual meeting by emerging scholars who show promise of furthering the study of women’s folklore, gender issues in folklore, and/or feminist approaches to the study of folklore. The award supports travel costs (transportation, meeting registration, lodging and/or per diem expenses) for students or recent graduates who are members of the AFS Women’s Section and who plan to attend the annual meeting and present her/his work.

The deadline for submission via email is midnight, June 25. The recipient is announced in late July.

To be considered for the stipend, an applicant must be enrolled as a student at the time of application; be a member of the Women’s Section at the time of application and for at least one year following the award; demonstrate commitment to the study of women’s folklore, gender issues in folklore, or feminist approaches to the study of folklore; plan to attend the annual AFS meeting for at least two full days; be willing to submit a brief written report to the Women’s Section; and be willing to serve on the selection committee the year following your receipt of the award.

Information about how to apply will be posted when it is available.

 

Travel Stipend for Women Independent Folklorists

The Independent Folklorists’ Section and the Women’s Section of the American Folklore Society announce the availability of a travel stipend of $750 to attend the 2018 AFS meeting in Buffalo, NY. The award will support travel costs (transportation, meeting registration, lodging and/or per diem expenses) for a member of the AFS Independent Folklorists' Section and the Women’s Section to attend the annual meeting and to present their work. Support for the award is provided by the Women’s Section and the Independent Folklorists’ Section.

The stipend will be awarded to a member of the Independent Folklorists’ Section and the Women’s Section who is working on women’s issues and who plans to submit a proposal to the upcoming annual AFS meeting program committee.

The deadline for submission is via e-mail by midnight, March 1, 2018. The awardee will be notified prior to the AFS presentation proposal deadline (March 31).The award is contingent on the applicant's proposal being accepted for participation in the AFS meeting. The recipient will be announced to the Women’s and Independents’ Section members after AFS proposal reviews are complete, usually by June 15.

Eligibility for the award:

• Paid membership in the AFS Independent Folklorists’ Section and the Women’s Section, but not necessarily an AFS member.Live at least 100 miles from the meeting location.
• Be a member who earns a significant portion of income from independent consulting work or as an independent scholar.
• Plan to attend the annual AFS meeting for at least two full days as well as the business meetings of the Women’s and the Independent Folklorists’ Sections (where recipient will be acknowledged and may be asked to briefly describe their participation).Not have made the same presentation at a previous AFS meeting.
• Not have received either of the two Independent Travel Awards in the past two years.
• Be willing to serve on the selection committee the year following receipt of the award.

If you are eligible, you may apply for both this award and the Independent Folklorists’ Travel Award, but you can receive only one award.

How To Apply:

Please submit the following materials in an email attachment by midnight, March 1, 2018, to this year’s Selection Committee chair Joan Saverino at joan.saverino@gmail.com.

A letter of application (not to exceed three pages) with a narrative describing:

• How you will participate in the annual American Folklore Society meeting (paper session, panel, forum, workshop, or other event);
• Your work as an independent folklorist and your experience and interest in women’s folklore;
• The approximate proportion of your income that is derived from independent consulting or academic work;
• The impact receiving the Independent Folklorists’ Travel Stipend will have on your ability to attend AFS 2018;
• How you hope to benefit from attending the meeting and what contribution your presence at the meeting will make to the field;
• Budget Estimate: Please estimate the travel expenses you expect to incur (Include airfare or other transportation costs, lodging and meal expenses, and meeting registration fees). It is understood that the $750 stipend may not cover all expenses.
• A current resume or cv.

Review Criteria:

• Applications are reviewed by the stipend selection committee, which is composed of a representative from the Independent Section, Women’s Section, the Public Programs Section, and recent recipients of the award, according to the following criteria:
• The quality and significance of the applicant’s work, as based on the narrative, abstract proposal and résumé.
• The extent to which the applicant’s attendance at the AFS meetings will benefit both the applicant and the field, especially in the area of women’s folklore.
• The feasibility of the budget and the applicant’s demonstrated need of the stipend in order to attend the meeting.

The award recipient will be notified before the March 31 AFS annual meeting deadline of the committee’s decision. If you have questions about the Independent Folklorists' Travel Stipend contact the Selection Committee Chair, Joan Saverino, at joan.saverino@gmail.com.

The Independent Folklorists' Section gratefully acknowledges support from the AFS Women’s Section to facilitate participation in the annual meeting by an independent folklorist.