FOR RELEASE:  Sept. 5, 2007
CONTACT:  Chelle Somsen, (605) 773-5521; Chelle.Somsen@state.sd.us

Research grant offered through State Historical Society--Archives

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota State Historical Society--Archives Research Grant Program is designed to provide funding for a senior history major that is currently enrolled in a South Dakota university.

The goal of this project is to provide a college history major funding to perform research, write a paper, and utilize South Dakota State Historical Society resources at the State Archives in the Cultural Heritage Center.

The chosen college student will write about a specific archives collection. The grantee will write on what is in the collection, what information the resource will provide fellow researchers, why the collection is important as a primary source, some historic background concerning the contents of the collection, and the collection’s significance to South Dakota history. 

“The research will provide greater insight into specific archival collections held by the State Historical Society,” said Chelle Somsen, State Archivist. “The grant project will provide funding for travel to the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre and introduce history majors to visiting an archival institution, which will assist them with future research opportunities.”

Maximum funding for the Research Grant Program is $750. Funding for the research grant is provided by the Scotty Philip Memorial Endowment Account, established by the South Dakota Heritage Fund as a memorial to South Dakota’s pioneer ranchers, cattlemen and immigrant settlers. The Scotty Philip Memorial Endowment Account provides funding for education-related projects in the field of history.

One award will be granted to one college senior annually. The funding will be distributed under three payment schedules of $250. The grantee will be awarded payments after completing certain grant requirements.

The deadline for applications is Oct. 26. The grantee will be notified of their selection by Dec. 3.  The grantee will choose from a predetermined list of State Archives collections listed in the application to write their paper.

For grant guidelines, the archives project list and important dates, please visit the South Dakota State Historical Society Web site at www.sdhistory.org. The link to “Research Grant – State Archives” is found under the “In the Spotlight” column.

The State Archives is open Monday through Friday and the first Saturday of the Month from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. You can contact the archives by phone at (605) 773-3804 or e-mail at archref@state.sd.us.