The American Association for the History of Nursing is currently accepting research grant proposals for its H-15 Grant, designed for early career scholars, its H-21 Grant, designed for established scholars, and its H-31 Grant, designed to encourage and support graduate training and historical research at the Master’s and Doctoral levels. Grant materials must be submitted to grants@aahn.org by May 1, 2026. Proposals are reviewed by the AAHN Grant Review Committee.
H 15 GRANT: Early Career Research Grant
The H-15 Grant is awarded to early career scholars who hold a research doctorate and received their doctorate within the previous 8 years for proposals outlining a historical research study. The grant provides $3,000 in funding. For faculty members affiliated with an academic institution, indirect costs for Facilities and Administration (F&A) of 8% are also available. Applicants must be AAHN members and have received a research doctorate. It is expected that the research and new materials produced by the grant recipient will help ensure the growth of scholarly work focused on the history of nursing.
Deadline for Submission of applications: May 1, 2026
Date of Award: First week of July 2026
Application
A copy of the proposal should be sent by email to grants@aahn.org. Only Word or PDF documents will be accepted.
The application should be no more than six double-spaced pages, not including references, curriculum vitae, or writing sample. The outline below specifies the information that should be included in your application. The form and length of your application should be adapted to the research that you propose to do.
Aims:
Begin with a concise statement of the aims of the research that you wish to do and relate these aims to your own long-term historical research goals.
Background Significance:
Give a brief background of your research problem. This will enable reviewers to place your proposal within the context of the present state of historical knowledge about the study area. Explain the importance you expect your results to have. Please be sure to cite the published work of others that relates to your topic.
Previous Work:
Describe briefly any work that you have done in this area or closely related subjects. Cite your publications. You are required to submit an example of your writing, whether published or unpublished, of which you are the sole author.
Methods:
Explain how you intend to approach your study and clearly identify the specific archival records that this grant will allow you to access to advance your project.
Please submit a bibliography of the primary and secondary sources that you will use for the larger project.
Facilities:
Describe existing resources at your disposal that will help you in carrying out this project.
Other research support:
Include an overview of your existing and pending research support.
Budget:
Outline and itemize the budget, detailing the ways you will use the award and briefly justifying each item. For example, travel, purchase of equipment, copying, or salary support may be requested.
Curriculum Vitae:
Please include a resume of professional accomplishments, including education, research publications, and other publications relevant to the project you propose.
Process of Review
Each application will be reviewed by the AAHN Research Grant Review Panel. The Panel will reach its decision about the award by June 15, 2026, and the recipient will be notified by July 1, 2026.
If the study involves sources requiring approval by an Institutional Review Board protecting human subjects, funds will not be awarded until documentation is received. Funding will start July 1 of the grant year and last for one year. A no-cost extension may be granted on request. Grantees will be expected to submit a report on research when the project is completed.
Publications and presentations arising from AAHN-funded research should acknowledge funding from AAHN. For example: Research for this work was funded by the American Association for the History of Nursing, H-15 Grant.
Post-Award
The recipient of the H-15 will submit a Final Financial and Research Report within one year of receiving the grant. The deadline is July 30, 2027. The main research report should take the form of a 750-word summary suitable for publication on the AAHN Website. There is no specific format for this summary, but it is expected that the recipient will discuss his/ her research question, how funds from the H-15 advanced the research, and any relevant findings. AAHN Staff will provide forms regarding the financial report submission to the awardee. In addition, please provide a one-paragraph statement of how this grant furthered your research journey, suitable for publication in the AAHN Bulletin.
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H-21 Grant: Established Scholar Research Grant
The H-21 Grant is awarded to mid-career and senior scholars (faculty members or independent researchers who earned their doctorate more than 8 years ago) for proposals outlining a new historical research study. The grant provides $3,000 in funding. For faculty members affiliated with an academic institution, indirect costs for Facilities and Administration (F&A) of 8% are also available. Applicants must be AAHN members, hold a research doctorate, and be the author of a published book or peer-reviewed articles in the field of history that is based on original research. It is expected that the research and new materials produced by the grant recipient will help ensure the growth of scholarly work focused on the history of nursing.
Eligibility Criteria
Proposals for a new historical research study in the history of nursing
The scholar will be a faculty member or independent researcher who holds a research doctorate
The scholar will be the author of a published book in the field of history based on original research
Deadline for Submission of applications: May 1, 2026
Date of Award: July 1, 2026
Application
A copy of the proposal should be sent by email to grants@aahn.org. Only Word or PDF documents will be accepted.
The application should be no more than six double-spaced pages, not including references, curriculum vitae, or writing sample. The outline below specifies the information that should be included in your application. The form and length of your application should be adapted to the research that you propose to do.
Aims:
Begin with a concise statement of the aims of the research that you wish to do and relate these aims to your own long-term historical research goals.
Background Significance:
Give a brief background of your research problem. This will enable reviewers to place your proposal within the context of the present state of historical knowledge about the study area. Explain the importance you expect your results to have. Please be sure to cite the published work of others that relates to your topic.
Previous Work:
Briefly describe any work that you have done in this area or closely related subjects. Applicants are required to submit a sample of their writing; they must be the sole author of the sample submitted, and it should be a peer-reviewed article or chapter of published work.
Methods:
Explain how you intend to approach your subject, identifying any cutting-edge methodologies. Where applicable, be as specific as possible in identifying the archival collections that this grant will allow you to access to achieve your aims.
Facilities:
Describe existing resources at your disposal that will help you in carrying out this project.
Other research support:
Include an overview of your existing and pending research support.
Budget:
Outline and itemize the budget, detailing the ways you will use the award and briefly justifying each item. For example, travel, purchase of equipment, copying, or salary support may be requested.
Curriculum Vitae:
Please include a resume of professional accomplishments, including education, research publications, and other publications relevant to the project you propose.
Process of Review
Each application will be reviewed by the AAHN Research Grant Review Panel. The Panel will reach its decision about the award by June 15, 2024 and the recipient will be notified by July 1, 2025.
If the study involves sources requiring approval by an Institutional Review Board protecting human subjects, funds will not be awarded until documentation is received. Funding will start July 1 of the grant year and last for one year. A no-cost extension may be granted on request. Grantees will be expected to submit a report on research when the project is completed.
Publications and presentations arising from AAHN-funded research should acknowledge funding from AAHN. For example: Research for this work was funded by the American Association for the History of Nursing, H-21 Grant.
Post-Award
The recipient of the H-21 will submit a Final Financial and Research Report within one year of receiving the grant. The deadline is July 30, 2027. The main research report should take the form of a 750-word summary suitable for publication on the AAHN Website. There is no specific format for this summary, but it is expected that the recipient will discuss his/ her research question, how funds from the H-15 advanced the research, and share any relevant findings. AAHN Staff will provide forms regarding the financial report submission to the awardee. In addition, please provide a one-paragraph statement of how this grant furthered your research journey suitable for publication suitable for publication in the AAHN Bulletin.
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H 31 Grant: Pre-Doctoral Research Grant
This grant is designed to encourage and support graduate training and historical research at the Master’s and research Doctoral levels. The grant will be $2,000. Awardees will also be given one year of free membership to the AAHN. Proposals will focus on a significant question in the history of nursing. Students applying for this grant must be enrolled in an accredited Master’s or research Doctoral program and be a member of AAHN.
Eligibility Criteria
Proposals will focus on a significant question in the history of nursing.
The student will be enrolled in an accredited Master’s program or research doctoral program.
The student will be a member of AAHN.
The research advisor will hold a doctorate in the history of nursing, demonstrate continued scholarly activity in nursing history research, and have prior experience in the guidance of historical research.
Deadline for Submission of applications: May 1, 2026
Date of Award: July 1, 2026
Application: Form
Title Page
Narrative of five double-spaced pages to include
Central thesis or research questions;
Explain the significance of your study; how does it recast the existing scholarly literature?
Explanation of your approach to your study, identifying any innovative aspects of the methodology selected. Explain why the approach chosen is well-suited to your study.
Identify pertinent secondary sources you will be using. Indicate if you have completed this step or when you expect to complete this review.
Identify the primary sources that are critical to your study. Students are advised to have investigated the online finding aid or to have corresponded with the relevant archivists in order to cite the specific archival collections that can realistically be visited during the period of this grant.
Indicate if you have received the necessary ethics approval, if required by your institution, before undertaking your study.
Indicate any relevant facilities and resources available to support your project.
Attachments
Applicant’s curriculum vitae, including education and any research publications and presentations relevant to the proposed project.
Letter of support from advisor.
Budget: Outline and itemize the budget, detailing the ways you will use the award and briefly justifying each item. For example: travel, purchase of equipment, and copying.
A copy of the proposal should be sent by email to grants@aahn.org. Only Word or PDF documents will be accepted.
The Award
Selection criteria include the scholarly merit of the proposal, consideration of the student’s preparation for this study, the advisor’s qualifications for guiding the study, and the project’s potential for contributing to scholarship in the field of nursing history.
If the study involves sources requiring approval by an Institutional Review Board protecting human subjects, funds will not be awarded until documentation is received.
Funds will be awarded directly to the student.
Review
Each application will be reviewed by the AAHN Research Grant Review Panel. The Panel will reach its decision by June 15, 2026, and the recipient will be informed of the decision by July 1, 2026. Funding will start on July 1, 2026, and last for one year.
Publications
Publications and presentations arising from AAHN-funded research should acknowledge funding from AAHN. For example: Research for this work was funded by the American Association for the History of Nursing, H-31 Grant.
Post-Award
The Recipient of the H-31 will submit a Final Research Report within a year of receiving the grant. The research report should take the form of a 500–750-word summary, indicating the progress made and relevant findings, that is suitable for publication on the AAHN website. A short one-paragraph summary, highlighting the importance of the grant to forwarding your research, is also required. This synopsis should be suitable for publication in the AAHN Bulletin. The deadline for submitting both is July 1, 2027.
The deadline for receiving applications for all Grants is May 1, 2026.
