SCHOLARSHIPS
ASOR’s programs support scholars and bring their work to the public—from peer-reviewed journals and the Annual Meeting to public webinars, expert-led tours, and cultural heritage protection in the Middle East and North Africa. Choose a program below to direct your gift.
Excavation Scholarships
Excavation scholarships help individuals join excavations and archaeological projects across the Middle East and wider Mediterranean, covering costs like travel and participation fees for volunteers and staff. Awards are typically a set amount per recipient, with some designated for specific excavations, regions, or groups such as active-duty military and veterans.
Stevan B. Dana Scholarships support participation in excavations at the site of Hazor and other excavations in Israel. Six scholarships are designated individuals to participate in excavations at Hazor: we currently anticipate three for the excavations in the Lower City directed by Dr. Shlomit Bechar and three for the Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations in Memory of Yigael Yadin. The remaining scholarships are designated for digs in Israel.
Established in 2013 through generous gifts made by the family and friends of P. E. MacAllister, scholarship funds have been designated to support the participation of ASOR members as volunteers or staff on excavation projects. MacAllister became part of the ASOR family in the early 1970s, and he served as Board Chair from 1994 through 2013.
Established in 2014 through generous gifts made by the students and friends of Eric and Carol Meyers, scholarship funds have been designated to support the participation of ASOR members as volunteers or staff on excavation projects. Eric and Carol joined the Duke faculty in 1969 and 1977 respectively. Both have taught and mentored several generations of archaeologists and biblical historians, and both have received the highest accolades for their academic work.
Through generous gifts made by Professors Carol and Eric Meyers, scholarship funds have been designated to support the participation of ASOR members as volunteers or staff on excavation projects. One-half of the funds awarded each year are in memory of Eric ‘s mother, Shirlee Meyers. The other half of the funds are in memory of G. Ernest Wright, former ASOR President and a professor of both Eric and Carol Meyers.
Through a generous gift of the late Mrs. Katherine Barton Platt, scholarship funds have been designated to support the participation of ASOR members as volunteers or staff on excavation projects.
Established in 2014 by the Sheeler family, scholarship funds have been designated to support the participation of ASOR members as volunteers or staff on the Hesi Regional Project. Harva L. Sheeler (1934–2013) was a long-time friend and supporter of ASOR. The Sheeler Scholarship celebrates Harva’s life and is funded by annual contributions from her family.
The Strange and Midkiff Families Endowed Scholarship Funds have been designated to support the participation of ASOR members as volunteers or staff on excavation projects. Jim and Carolyn Strange were members of ASOR for more than 50 years, and all of their children have been active in ASOR. A son, a daughter, and a son-in-law are now professional archaeologists. Jim directed an important excavation for the University of South Florida at Sepphoris for several decades, and Carolyn also played an integral role in that project.
Established in 2019 through annual gifts from Charles Steinmetz, these scholarships support the participation of U.S. military personnel or veterans in archaeological excavations.
ASOR’s Member-Supported Scholarships are funded by contributions from our members. Many of these gifts are made during March Fellowship Madness, and other members make contributions (ranging from $10 to $2,000) throughout the year. Whenever the gifts are made, ASOR segregates these donations into a special fund reserved for scholarships for fieldwork that support our student and early-career members.
Project Grants
Project grants support directors of ASOR-affiliated archaeological projects across the Mediterranean, funding excavation, site documentation, preservation, and community engagement work. Awards range from a few thousand dollars up to $10,000, with an expedited option for urgent, time-sensitive site situations.
Shepard Urgent Action Grants are intended for emergency documentation, stabilization or excavation at an archaeological site in the greater Mediterranean region. Grant amounts range from $2,500-$10,000.
Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Grants are designed to support projects that will incentivize local engagement with protection, preservation, and presentation of archaeological sites in Jordan, starting with Madaba Plains Project sites.
The Denise L. Gold Fund was created to support ASOR-affiliated archaeological projects. Gold has been a member of the ASOR family for more than three decades, and she has participated in numerous excavation projects in Israel, including Megiddo and Lachish.
The Stevan B. Dana Project Fund provides modest annual grants to worthy field projects that are ASOR-affiliated, particularly to newer and smaller projects, to help them get started, and to discrete components of larger projects that can be completed with an award. Funds may be use to purchase a piece of equipment or to pay for a discrete smaller initiative. The grant also may provide support for off-season research and/or analysis.
The Stevan B. Dana Fund for Projects in Israel provides modest annual grants to worthy field projects in Israel that are ASOR-affiliated, particularly to newer and smaller projects, to help them get started, and to discrete components of larger projects that can be completed with an award. Funds may be use to purchase a piece of equipment or to pay for a discrete smaller initiative. The grant also may provide support for off-season research and/or analysis.
The Harris Endowment provides modest grants to worthy projects that are ASOR-affiliated, particularly to newer and smaller projects, to help them get started, and to discrete components of larger projects that can be completed with an award.
The Seger Endowment provides modest grants to worthy field projects that are ASOR-affiliated, particularly to newer and smaller projects, to help them get started, and to discrete components of larger projects that can be completed with an award. The endowment funds are intended both to support a particular need for an archaeological project and to help the PI and the project secure matching funds.
Research Fellowships
Research fellowships support members’ scholarly work outside of active excavation, funding activities like studying museum and archival collections, and research on specialist topics. Awards vary in size and focus, with some open to graduate and postdoctoral students, and funds can typically cover travel, per diem, and other direct research expenses.
The Study of Collections Fellowships are intended to support the study of collections by our members. The collections include museum and archival collections, repositories, or collections of national authorities. The fellowship funds may be used to support travel, per diem expenses, and other direct expenses.
The Mason Fellowship is awarded biennially to a scholar/poet/writer/artist whose project proposal comes closest in scope to Herbert Mason’s oeuvre. The project manuscript must be transmitted into English. The monetary award may be used to support travel expenditures to special collections, acquire access to rare or hard to find research materials, art illustrations of a proposal or to further scholarly studies.
The Mesopotamian Fellowships are primarily intended to support field/research on ancient Mesopotamian culture carried out in the Middle East, but other projects such as travel to work on museum collections or archives related to ancient Mesopotamia will also be considered. Projects with a focused component on the involvement and acknowledgement of local public/scholars are particularly welcome.
Annual Meeting Scholarships
Annual Meeting scholarships help offset the cost of attending the yearly conference. Support includes discounted or waived registration for members facing financial hardship, small travel grants for students at ASOR institutional-member schools, and funded travel for scholars from specific regions.
Due to COVID-19, and thanks to ASOR’s generous members, current ASOR members with a need may request a 25%, 50%, or full scholarship for annual meeting registration. We will strive to meet all requests from members, with a preference towards those who have not received a scholarship in the past two years.
ASOR is once again pleased to announce up to ten travel scholarships of $250 for students enrolled at an institution that is an institutional member of ASOR (see list of Institutional Members). Funding for these scholarships comes from the institutional membership fees.
ASOR is pleased to announce the creation of a travel grant program to support Annual Meeting participation for scholars from Iraq and its Kurdistan Region. The Tigris Travel Grants, made possible through the generosity of Kiersten Neumann, cover the cost of flights to the Annual Meeting as well as accommodation in the ASOR hotel. ASOR will also assist successful candidates with obtaining the relevant visas and permissions for travel.
Membership Scholarships
