OAC Grants
Grant Application Process and Instructions
The Ohio Archaeological Council (OAC) was formed to promote and support archaeological research, site preservation, and to educate the public about Ohio's rich archaeological legacy. To support these goals, the OAC has a grant program consisting of two types of grants: a Regular Grant and the Patricia Essenpreis Memorial Grant.
Since 1976, the OAC has provided funding to aid archaeological research on a variety of Ohio projects and educational pursuits. These projects include funding for activities such as, but not limited to, radiocarbon dates, salvage field projects, and paleoethnobotanical, faunal, textile, petrographic, obsidian hydration, and human skeletal analyses . Additionally, lab-based studies including oxygen and carbon isotopic analyses of faunal bone, have been funded. Other lab-based studies are encourages to apply.
The Regular Grant offers up to $1,000 to assist OAC members and their students in graduate and post-graduate research.The Patricia Essenpreis Memorial Grant was established in 1992 in memory of former member Patricia Essenpreis. The Grant offers up to $1,500 per project to support research in areas of Patricia's own special interests: Ohio Hopewell and Fort Ancient studies. Funding for research in other areas and time periods, however, will be considered.
Grant submissions will be considered as they are received by the Grants Committee. The Grants Committee will review each application at the time it was received, A recommendation for approval/rejection will be forwarded to the Board of Directors for a final determination. The Board of Directors may elect to fund several projects in any given year, dependent on funding. The Board of Directors will provide final approval or rejection of grant applications.
Because funding needs are sometimes the result of unexpected events or opportunities, the Grants Committee also will consider any applications marked “Urgent” on an expedited basis For these applications, however, approval also will be dependent upon available funding.
All grant recipients are required to report the project's results to the OAC membership in one (or more) of following means: 1) a presentation at an OAC meeting; 2) an article published in the OAC Current Research section of the OAC website; and/or, 3) an article in the Journal of Ohio Archaeology. This shall be done within two years of written notice of the grant award notice to the awardee from the OAC Board of Directors. All applications must be submitted electronically.
Conditions of the Award
- Grantee must be a member in good standing at least six months prior to applying for a grant and must remain a member in good standing throughout the life of the grant, i.e., until the OAC pays the final invoice and the project results are available or presented to the members.
- Active members and student members may apply for grants. Normally, student applicants have faculty sponsors, who are members, but that is not necessary.
- OAC will entertain a grant application from a student who did not have a faculty sponsor.
- All grants from the OAC are paid on a reimbursement basis. Requests for reimbursement must include complete accounting, an invoice, and information on to whom payment is to be made when and to what address.
- Consultation may be needed with affected persons, organizations, tribes, etc. in preparing the grant application and reporting the results of the research. Review/approval of applications may be delayed or rejected for lack of adequate consultation with Native American tribes or other descendant communities, especially when human remains and/or funerary objects are involved in the research.
- The grant application will be forwarded to the Grants Committee chair. The committee members will review and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors. The Board will review the application and grants committee recommendation and make the final decision. If the Board has questions about the grant application, the Board will communicate these to the applicant via the Grants Committee chair.
- The award will be made via a formal acceptance letter with terms conditioning the award, as necessary.
Send applications to:
Education and Grants Committee Chair
Contact: Kevin Schwarz, kschwarz@ascgroup.net
Field School Scholarship
Paying for archaeological field schools can be a challenge. The Ohio Archaeological Council offers a field school scholarship to students actively enrolled in college courses. Scholarships are awarded to students enrolling in field school classes that take place within the state of Ohio. Scholarships are awarded for up to $750 to help cover the costs associated with field schools such as: tuition, equipment, supplies, food, transportation, and lodging.
Interested applicants must submit the application form, as well as a cover letter explaining how the field school class will advance their career aspirations in archaeology, historic preservation, or cultural resource management.
Field school classes are typically taught during the summer months, and thus applications for June start dates should apply no later than April 15. However, applications for scholarships are considered on a rolling basis.
Applicants should submit their cover letter and application form to the Education and Grants committee Chair:
Kevin Schwarz
kschwarz@ascgroup.net
