The 29^TH MGSA SYMPOSIUM

MGSA Symposium Financial Support

Eligibility: Beneficiary groups

• Graduate students 
• Recent unemployed PhDs (2024 to present) and Adjunct PhDs
• Junior faculty with minimal or no access to travel funds
• International scholars with no access to travel funds

All eligible candidates from the above categories, whose individual abstract or panel paper has been accepted and who will be attending the 2026 Symposium, may apply for grants from the MGSA to partly meet incurred travel costs. The terms for applying for financial aid from the MGSA are described below. Those candidates affiliated with the host institution or from other universities in or near the host city who do not incur travel costs will be excluded. At its last symposium, stipends offered were in the range of $500. The MGSA acknowledges the generous contributions to this fund in support of graduate students both from its sponsors as well as from the host institution.  

• Graduate students; recent unemployed, underemployed and adjunct PhDs; and junior faculty with no access to travel funds should follow the link to http://mgsasymposium.org/grads.html to learn more about financial support granted by the MGSA to eligible candidates delivering papers in person in these categories.. 

Applicants are asked to submit the following documentation (in pdf scan and via email attachment) along with their request for a reimbursement:

• copy of most recent student ID card
• title of paper to be presented
• institutional and departmental affiliation and address
• a brief statement from the dissertation advisor on university letterhead confirming the graduate student status of the applicant, or his/her status as a recent but unemployed PhD.

Please compile all documentation in one pdf scan and direct all applications to MGSAsymposium@gmail.com by April 25, 2026. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

• International scholars coming from outside north America who have either a part-time or full-time position at a university, archive, or research center, but have no access to institutional funds, may also apply for financial support. Grants aim  to help offset costs for travel and accommodation at the symposium. 

To apply, please provide the following to MGSAsymposium@gmail.com:

• Your name and institution of employment
• Budget to attend conference
• Amount contributed by your university, archive, or research center
• Additional comments or information for the committee to consider.

The deadline for application in all categories is April 25th, 2026. 

Decisions will be available no later than May 17, 2026. 

Final decisions about financial support are made at the discretion of the Fundraising and Publicity Chair, Graduate Studies Committee Chair, the Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee, and with the support of the Executive Director. Funds will be disbursed to presenters on site when they pick up their registration materials at the symposium. No funds will be disbursed prior to this date.

Inquiries and completed applications may be sent to MGSAsymposium@gmail.com.