The Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites applications for grants to conduct research in its archival, art, and artifact collections in Salt Lake City, Utah. These grants are intended to offset travel and research expenses for performing research at the Church History Library and Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. We hope the grants will stimulate the examination of underrepresented groups and topics in Latter-day Saint history, such as women, youth, children, individuals outside the United States, immigrant groups, the globalization of the Church, and twentieth and twenty-first century history. We encourage all scholars who are interested in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies to apply, regardless of their affiliation with the Church or previous experience in researching Latter-day Saint history.

The department intends to award five types of grants in 2025:

• Domestic Emerging Scholar: This is for graduate students, recent graduates, or young professionals—including those who have obtained PhDs within the last five years—living in the United States and researching in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant of up to $5,000 is intended to facilitate approximately one week of research at the Church History Library and Museum.
• International Emerging Scholar: This is for advanced students, recent graduates, or young professionals—including those who have obtained PhDs within the last five years—living outside the United States and researching in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant of up to $8,000 is intended to facilitate three weeks of research at the Church History Library and Museum.
• Domestic/International Established Scholar: This is for more-seasoned scholars (i.e., those who obtained PhDs more than five years ago, tenured professors, individuals more established in their careers), either within or outside the United States, who are interested in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant of up to $8,000 is intended to facilitate between one and three weeks of research at the Church History Library and Museum.
• International/Domestic Independent Researcher: This is for individuals who are not professionals in the field (or studying to become professionals) interested in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant of up to $8,000 is intended to facilitate approximately one to two weeks of research, workshopping, and mentoring at the Church History Library and Museum.
• Scholar-in-Residence: This is for a scholar with a PhD in history, religious studies, or a related field—either within or outside the United States—conducting research on a book or extended study in Latter-day Saint history, Latter-day Saint art history, or Latter-day Saint studies. This grant of $15,000 is intended to facilitate an eight-week residence at the Church History Library. The scholar will be expected to be in continuous residence at the Church History Library, participate in at least three roundtables to discuss research and obtain feedback, and make a presentation to the entire Church History Department on the project at the conclusion of the residency.

To apply for the Domestic Emerging Scholar, International Emerging Scholar, Domestic/International Established Scholar, and International/Domestic Amateur Scholar grants, please submit the following:

• A brief description of your project and its significance (approximately 500 words)
• A brief explanation (approximately 150 words) of how research in archival, art, or artifactual holdings of the Church History Department would benefit your project and a preliminary list of pertinent collections. For the Church History Library catalog, click here. Assistance from a Church History Library consultant on library and museum collections is available upon request
• A budget of how you would use the funding. This should be a realistic line-by-line breakdown of travel, lodging, and research costs
• A curriculum vitae or résumé describing educational and professional accomplishments
• Two letters of recommendation from advisors or colleagues who are familiar with your project and your research abilities and work. These letters must speak about the relevance and significance of your project and its contribution to the field of your expertise

Funding must be used within one year of award date. Within one year, awardees must submit a brief report explaining how the funding was used and what was accomplished with it.

To apply for the Scholar-in-Residence grant, please submit the following:

• A detailed description of the project and its significance (approximately 1,000 words)
• A detailed list of the specific Church History Library materials to be consulted
• An outline of the plan of work for the residency period
• A curriculum vitae or resume describing educational and professional accomplishments
• Three letters of recommendation from advisors or colleagues who are familiar with your project, your professional accomplishments, and your research abilities and work. These letters must speak about the relevance and significance of your project and its contribution to the field of history, art history, or religious studies

At the end of the residency, the scholar will be expected to submit a one- to two-page report on her or his experience, progress, and research results.

Applicants do not need to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Applications are due August 15, 2025, and should be emailed to Matthew Godfrey at matthew.godfrey@churchofjesuschrist.org. Awards will be announced by October 15, 2025.

Each awardee will be assigned a consultant from the Church History Department’s Consultation Team to help in the navigation of collections. Reception of a grant does not constitute endorsement by the Church History Department or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Please contact Matthew Godfrey at matthew.godfrey@churchofjesuschrist.org with any questions or if you would like to be connected to a collections consultant in the Church History Library as you are preparing your application.