HES New Initiatives Fund
The History of Economics Society was formally constituted in 1974 to promote interest in and inquiry into the history of economics and related parts of intellectual history; to facilitate communication and discourse among scholars working in the field of the history of economics; and to disseminate knowledge about the history of economics.
While the society’s annual meeting will continue to be the principal means for accomplishing these goals, the History of Economics Society also administers a New Initiatives Fund.
Competition for funding is open to HES members only. The Society issues two calls for New Initiatives Proposals each fiscal year. The first has a deadline of December 1st, with decisions announced late in January. The second has a deadline of May 15th, with decisions announced early in July. The Society supports up to three projects per year, with a maximum of $5000 support provided to each selected proposal. The primary selection criterion will be the quality of the proposal in light of the preferences and submission guidelines listed below. The HES will not consider proposals to fund individual travel for research projects or conference participation. Proposals that include funding for travel for multiple participants (e.g. workshops or exchanges) will be considered.
Proposals will be vetted by a New Initiatives Committee consisting of Jeff Biddle (chair), Nahid Aslanbeigui, and Muriel Dalpont Legrand. Recommendations of this committee will then be voted on by the full Executive Committee.
Proposers are encouraged to discuss the ways in which the project could have a lasting impact on scholarship in the field, and support the mission of the HES, as specified above. The Initiatives Committee is particularly interested in:
- Proposals that clearly have innovative elements, for example, for projects that involve or encourage newer research methodologies or the exploration of under-researched areas or themes.
- Proposals to develop “public good” resources for historians of economics– digitizing archival material, for example, or creating searchable data bases.
- Proposals that create opportunities for interaction between HES members and scholars outside the HES who share our membership’s interest in the history of economics.
- Proposals that have as a component support for younger scholars or scholars with inadequate access to research support.
- Proposals that could lead to innovations in or expansion of the teaching of the history of economics.
Multi-year initiatives will be viewed more favorably if they have a plausible plan for developing their own sources of ongoing funding. Funding from the Society is not considered an ongoing commitment but may be renewed at the committee’s discretion.
Guidelines and Proposal Format
1. Cover page providing the name, mailing address, phone number and email address of all proposers.
2. Project narrative. This narrative should not exceed 2000 words, and should address:
- Need for and objectives of the project;
- Tentative dates, proposed location, as applicable;
- Project design including the major features and specific activities of the project and how they relate to the goals of the History of Economics Society;
- Strategy for project evaluation;
- Personnel who will be involved in the project and their roles
3. Detailed budget indicating how the dollar figure requested was determined, how the money will be used and when.
4. A one page vita from each Principal Investigator highlighting professional activities relevant to the proposal, and any previous experience managing grants, organizing conferences, etc.
Recipients are expected to submit a report to the HES President following the completion of the event specifying how the funds were utilized, summarizing the proceedings of the event, and reporting on evaluation results.
How to Apply
Proposals should be submitted electronically as pdf files to the New Initiatives Committee chair, Jeff Biddle (biddle@msu.edu).
Mario Cedrini