About American Historical Association
To promote historical studies, support historians in research and teaching, and advocate for the value of history in public life.
Focus Areas
HistoryHistorical researchHigher educationK-12 history educationPublic policy related to history
Who They Fund
subgrantee organizations / partner nonprofitsmuseums, archives, and historical societiesresearchers and community historians
Funding Style
subgrantingproject-specific/restricted supportprogram-level multi-award fundingoperational/program support for discrete initiatives
About American Historical Association
The American Historical Association’s recent grantmaking is anchored by a large cluster of project-specific support for SHARP subgrants, including $173,840 to the John Gardner Institute for a History Gateways subgrant and $130,160 to NORC at the University of Chicago for a mapping subgrant. That combination points to a funder that supports historical work through named initiatives rather than broad general giving. The foundation also backs research and interpretation across museums, archives, historical societies, and scholarly organizations, with recent awards to groups such as the American Museum of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender History and Cultu and the Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture. Its active programs include the Phillips Fund for Native American Research, which supports research in Native American history and related fields through competitive awards, and a Teaching with Primary Sources regional subgrant program for the Mid-Atlantic and U.S. Territories. The grant list shows both larger program awards and smaller research grants, reflecting support for scholarship, teaching, and public history work across different institutional settings. In practice, the foundation funds organizations that preserve, interpret, and teach history through discrete projects and program-level initiatives.
What American Historical Association Funds
In public history and interpretation, the foundation supports museum and archive work through SHARP subgrants such as $65,634 to Sing Sing Prison Museum and $53,419 to South Asian American Digital Archive. It also funds local historical organizations, including $50,935 to Cayuga Museum of History and Art and $48,297 to Lane County Historical Society. For historical research, the Phillips Fund for Native American Research is a competitive grant program for scholars and researchers working in Native American history and related fields. Teaching and education show up through the Teaching with Primary Sources Mid-Atlantic and U.S. Territories Regional Subgrant Program, and related mapping and history-gateways work appears in awards to education and research partners. Across these areas, the foundation supports specific projects, not unrestricted awards.
How American Historical Association Gives
Typical grant size sits at a p25 of $13,845, a median of $24,178, and a p75 of $49,800. Recent grants show repeat programmatic funding within the same initiative areas: SHARP subgrants appear across many recipients, while mapping subgrants recur for NORC at the University of Chicago in 2024. The foundation is a regular funder and does not fund individuals. Its pattern is subgranting and restricted support for discrete initiatives, including program-level multi-award funding and operational or program support tied to specific projects. The Phillips Fund also accepts unsolicited applications, which signals an open competitive grant channel within at least one program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.6M
Total Assets
$10.5M
Total Revenue
$4.2M
Total Expenses
$5.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $14K and $50K, with a median of $24K.
25th Percentile
$14K
Median
$24K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National23 states funded
About 2% of grants go to recipients in MD.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DANA SCHAFFER
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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