Grants

Ellen and Charles Steinmetz Endowment for Archaeology

Archaeological Institute of America

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Deadline: November 1, 2023

Announced: In February

Amount: up to $7,000

Purpose: The Steinmetz Endowment supports the use of technology in archaeological research by providing grants to archaeological projects that make innovative use of technological tools and methods. Normally, such projects will have a fieldwork element. However, research conducted in a laboratory setting that employs technology may also be eligible for a grant. While all are encouraged to apply, priority will be given to new projects proposed by archaeologists at an early stage in their careers (within 8 years of the receipt of the PhD).

Projects may concern any location in the world and any time period, but must be designed to address important questions about the human past specifically through technological means. “Technology” should be understood broadly to include not only digital tools and approaches, but also those developed in engineering, chemistry, biology, physics, etc.

Requirements:

• Applicants must be AIA members in good standing at the time of application, with a PhD in archaeology or a related field, and are expected to have an academic affiliation.
• If the project requires a permit, applicants should also be the primary permit holders; if the applicant is not the primary permit holder, the application should be accompanied by a letter of support from the primary permit holder. Awardees must have the permit in hand before funds will be disbursed.
• Awardees should submit a photo and a brief project description (one to three sentences) for inclusion on the AIA website and social media at the time the award is made.
• Awardees must make a formal report to the AIA at the conclusion of the award period. This report should include a brief illustrated summary, written for a general audience, that can be published on the AIA’s website.
• Awardees are expected to submit poster or fieldwork abstracts for presentation at the Annual Meeting (submissions will be evaluated in the general pool, and acceptance is not guaranteed).
• For projects that generate digital data, publication of the dataset is especially encouraged, ideally in an open-access format.

Application Process

• Applications should be submitted via the online form accessible below
• All supplementary documents should be uploaded as PDF files
• Applicants must prepare a budget using the provided budget template which should be converted to PDF before submission. NOTE: AIA funds CANNOT be used to cover overhead or PI salaries.

Proposals will be reviewed according to the following criteria (roughly in this order of importance):

• The fit between the project and the mission of the Steinmetz Endowment
• The impact the research will have on our understanding of the past and on the use of technology in archaeology
• The level of innovation in the use of technology
• The feasibility of the project itself (how realistic its methods and goals are, in conjunction with its budget and timeline)
• The possession of, or the documented ability to acquire, the necessary permits (if applicable)
• The impact support from the Steinmetz Endowment will have on the overall success of the project (we assume that few projects will derive all their support from this source alone)
• The qualifications of the applicant (training, demonstrated research productivity, knowledge of/experience in the research region)
• The quality and feasibility of the publication plan, and (if digital data are involved) of the data management plan

Application Form

Recipients

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