Archie Motley Memorial Scholarship Applications Solicited

MAC is soliciting applications for the 2026 Archie Motley Memorial Scholarship for Students of Color (http://www.midwestarchives.org/motley). The scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance to students of color pursuing graduate education in archival administration and to encourage ethnic diversification of the MAC membership and of the archival profession. Two $1,500 scholarships, accompanied by one-year memberships to MAC, will be awarded. 

To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must be of African, Arabic, Asian, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, or Latinx descent; must be a student currently enrolled in or accepted in a graduate, multicourse program in archival administration; and must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in their academic program. If the program is not listed in the SAA Directory of Archival Education, http://www2.archivists.org/dae, the applicant must provide proof of the multicourse standard by submitting copies of course descriptions from the institution’s current departmental catalog. Candidates will be evaluated on their scholastic potential, their commitment to working in and creating access to archives and archival material, and commitment to representing and serving underrepresented communities in their work.

Applications are due March 1, 2026 and must include the following documents:

• Completed application form, available at http://www.midwestarchives.org/motley
• Current resume that includes education, work history, involvement in campus or community organizations, membership in professional organizations, and any honors or awards received
• Transcript from the applicant's most recent academic program (unofficial transcript is acceptable)
• Essay describing how the applicant’s experiences and perspectives align with their interest in archiving. What are their future goals and plans for contributing to the archival field? (500 words maximum)
• One letter of recommendation (may be submitted separately by recommender).

Please send all materials (application form, transcript, and essay) as one single file. Completed applications should be sent to:

Megan Keller Young
Senior Instructor and Special Collections Librarian
University of Illinois Chicago
megank@uic.edu

Applications must be emailed by March 1, 2026. 

Awards will be announced no later than May 15, 2026.