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SHRAB Grants and Programs

Part of the SHRAB’s mission involves developing educational opportunities to meet the needs of historical records communities. The SHRAB provides skills-building workshops, training, and mentorship opportunities in support of archival work and in keeping with best practices and standards.

The SHRAB also publicizes grant opportunities, offers consultation and draft reviews of grant proposals, and guides applicants in obtaining grant funds from NHPRC and other sources. Read below for more information on grants and programs offered through the SHRAB.

Roving Archivist Program

The Roving Archivist Program is not currently accepting applications for strategic assessment and program review. The Roving Archivist Program will begin accepting applications again May 1, 2025 until May 31, 2025 for review by the board in June. We will be accepting 5 institutions from the applicants for strategic assessments this round.

More information about the Institutional Application for Roving Archivist Services form.

The Roving Archivist Program connects historical records stewards with a trained professional archivist to provide advice on policies, procedures, arrangement and description of records, preservation planning, emergency preparedness, and priority settings.

The Roving Archivist conducts a site visit, creates a Strategic Assessment and Program Review, and then develops a report of recommendations and resources customized to the needs of the institution. After the initial assessment, the roving archivist continues to engage with the institution, per request, for guidance on implementation, regrant funding, and additional connections within the Commonwealth's archival community.

SHRAB accepts applications to the Roving Archivist Program from May 1st to May 31st and November 1st to November 30th every year. Once received applications will be reviewed at the following month’s board meeting.

Typical grantees include historical societies, museums, town clerks*, historical commissions, special libraries, schools, community archives, and public libraries with local history collections.

Through grant funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), Roving Archivist Program services are available at no cost to institutions.

*The Roving Archivist program is for assistance dealing with permanent historic documents. For help with records management issues please reach out to the Records Management Unit at RetentionHelp@sec.state.ma.us

Map of Roving Archivist recipients

Regrants Program

The SHRAB is not accepting applications for the Regrants program at this time.

Through grant funding from the NHPRC, the SHRAB provides funding for the purchase of supplies and materials needed to arrange, describe, preserve, and popularize archival collections.

Preference will be given to institutions with smaller collections (500 linear feet or less), and to institutions with an existing Roving Archivist strategic assessment. Applicants must provide matching funds or services covering 25% of their total project cost. Applicants with a SHRAB Roving Archivist assessment are encouraged to apply for these funds to implement recommendations from their reports.

Archival Field Fellowships

The Archival Field Fellowship program is not currently accepting applicants. Please check back in July, 2025.

The Archival Field Fellowships (AFF) program provides support to cultural heritage institutions and emerging archival professionals through mentorship, archival supplies, and collection processing.

Map of Archival Field Fellowships sites

Through grant funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the Massachusetts State Historical Records Advisory Board (MA SHRAB), a program within the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office, is pleased to provide funding for 3 Fellowship opportunities for emerging archives professionals to gain practical processing experience at an archival repository in Massachusetts. The MA SHRAB Archival Field Fellows will work onsite at the selected repository to rehouse and process an archival collection and will be supervised remotely by the MA SHRAB Roving Archivists. In addition to professional experience and mentorship, Fellows will receive a stipend of $1,250.00 to complete approximately 60 hours of work to rehouse, arrange, describe, and make accessible an archival collection. Projects will be completed within a two-month timeframe. The Field Fellow will work with the repository to share online the collection information or finding aid, as well as write a blog post about the Fellowship experience for the MA SHRAB blog. To view previous examples of Field Fellowship posts, visit the MA SHRAB blog.

Requirements for Host Institutions

  • Applicants must provide matching funds or in-kind services covering 25% of the $500 regrant for supplies they are requesting from the MA SHRAB.
  • Applicants must have received a Strategic Assessment and Program Review through the MA SHRAB Roving Archivist program.
  • Before the Archival Field Fellowship, repositories must have relevant policies in place such as an articulated collection scope, accession policy, retention schedule, and deed-of-gift.
  • Repositories must have a computer available for use by the Field Fellow and be willing to explore ways of sharing collection descriptions online.

Requirements for Applicants

  • Interested candidates must be enrolled at, or be a recent graduate from, a college or university at the graduate level pursuing a degree in information and library science, archives management, history, public history, or a related field (note: no academic credit is provided through the MA SHRAB Field Fellowship program).
  • Must have demonstrated knowledge of archival theory and standards.
  • Ability to work independently.
  • Must arrange own transportation to and from the repository.
  • Availability to complete the Fellowship project within two months, working part-time or full-time.

Fellowship Outcomes

  • Apply archival principles and standards to arrange, rehouse, and describe an archival collection.
  • Work with the repository to share the collection finding aid online.
  • Write a blog post about the field site and processing project for the MA SHRAB blog.
  • Submit a brief summary of the Field Fellowship to the MA SHRAB.

How to Apply

Host Institutions

Please refer to the Institutional Host Application 2024 – 2025 Institutional Host Application 2024 – 2025 for how to apply.

Submit to with the subject line “Archival Field Fellowship – Host Application”.

Archival Field Fellows

Submit the following information to with the subject line "Archival Field Fellowship – Fellow Application":

  • Resume
  • One-page letter of interest including an indication of preferred geographic area of the state for field placement as well as an estimate on the months/days-of-the-week/hours-per-week available.
  • Provide contact information for two references who can speak to the applicant's knowledge of and/or experience in archival studies (such as from a professor, program director, or archives employer/internship supervisor).

Veterans' Heritage Grants

The Veterans' Heritage Grant program is open to Massachusetts municipalities and non-profit organizations, such as libraries, historical societies and commissions, museums, schools, and universities. Grants provide state matching funds of up to 50 percent of a project's total cost. Applicants can apply for up to $20,000 per project for this funding cycle.

Eligible projects must be relevant to veterans and their military encounters, and may include:

  • Preservation or digitization of historic documents and photographs
  • Increased access to archival collections
  • Oral history projects
  • Renovation, rehabilitation, restoration, or enhancement of existing monuments or memorials
  • Proposals to construct new markers for historically significant sites
  • Planning projects will also be considered
General civic enhancement projects, such as flag poles or public green spaces, will not be accepted. We also do not fund regular maintenance or upkeep of existing spaces.

Grant Writing Webinar: September 30, 2024 at 11 a.m. E.T. via Zoom.

Draft deadline (Optional): November 4, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. E.T.

Application deadline: December 8, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. E.T.

Grant Assistance

The SHRAB can provide guidance for assessing appropriate grant project proposals, as well as review of grant drafts. NHRPC grants are priority, but the SHRAB is can also assist with private grants or grants from other governmental agencies. To learn more about grant assistance, email .

Massachusetts Local History Conference

Through grant funding from the NHPRC, the SHRAB sponsors the annual Massachusetts Local History Conference. Institutions who receive SHRAB assistance are encouraged to join and participate in the Mass History Commons.