The Oral History Centre is now accepting applications for the  2020 Abe and Bertha Arnold Oral History Grant. Interested applicants can find the application criteria below. Download the application form here.

Application Criteria

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Purpose: To support a researcher or community group without access to additional funds to pursue an oral history project.

Value: $1000

Application deadline: April 17, 2020

Competition results: May 1, 2020

General information:

Abe and Bertha Arnold established the Abe and Bertha Arnold Oral History Project in 2006 with a donation to the University of Winnipeg Foundation intended to fund oral history projects focused on the immigrant experience, ethnic/race issues, labour, women’s and gender history, human rights and social justice. 

The Oral History Centre established the annual Abe and Bertha Arnold Oral History Grant in 2019 to award an individual or group funds toward establishing an oral history project that works to document community histories in relation to the above areas of inquiry.

Application criteria:

The successful applicant will have attended the Oral History Centre’s Introduction to Oral History workshop, or commit to attending the workshop in May or September 2020. There will be no fee for the workshop, and it will include a one-year free membership to the Oral History Centre, which grants access to the Centre’s facilities, equipment, and expertise. The successful applicant will be expected to conduct oral histories according to the standards and best practices taught in this workshop.

Application submission:

Each applicant must submit a complete application which includes the completed application form and the following as .docx, .pdf, or .txt attachments:

• A project description including its focus, historical context and relevance, current state of the project (for example: just thinking about it, beginning to plan the project, have conducted some research, have done several interviews, etc.), and any goals for publication or dissemination.

• A detailed budget including financial need and anticipated expenses plus any sources of financial or in-kind support either applied for or received to date or anticipated in the future.
• Eligible expenses may include personnel (eg. transcribers, interviewers), honorariums for interviewees, materials and supplies, equipment, project-related travel and accommodations, and promotional materials including the printing of posters/pamphlets/etc.
• Ineligible expenses include personal remuneration and non-project-related materials, supplies, equipment, or travel.
• A tentative timeline indicating anticipated completion of the grant-funded portion of the project.
• A plan for the long-term preservation of the project.  If certain conditions are met in the creation of the project, the Oral History Centre may be willing to archive the project in the short- and long-term.

Completed applications should be submitted by email to the Oral History Centre.

Adjudication and disbursement of funds:

Applications will be adjudicated by the Director and staff of the Oral History Centre.  Adjudication criteria will include the project’s viability, sustainability, and historical value, and the perceived ability of the applicant to achieve the goals, as set out in their application.

Priority will be given to applications focusing on communities in Manitoba.

The first disbursement of funds will consist of $750 and will be issued immediately to the successful applicant.

The second and final disbursement of funds will consist of $250 and will be issued following the completion of a final report by a date to be determined by the successful applicant and the Director of the Oral History Centre.