State Partnerships and Outreach Fund

Established by SSA in 2021, the State Partnerships and Outreach Fund helps cover SSA members’ costs when presenting on archival topics to non-archival audiences. The Fund is also to be used for SSA session sponsorships at state and regional historical associations’ annual conferences. SSA has set aside $3,000 a year to support such endeavors, and all requests for funding will be reviewed by three SPOC members, the SSA treasurer, and one SSA board member (all who are not applying for funds).

 Qualifications

• The event must take place within 18 months of when the funds are distributed
• The applicant must be a SSA member in good standing
• The event does not have to be located in the SSA region - it can take place anywhere, or even be virtual.
• Funds must be used towards:
  • Offsetting costs (registration and/or travel and lodging) for SSA members presenting at gatherings of primarily non-archivists (i.e. history, genealogy, museum studies, other interdisciplinary groups, etc.)
  • Sponsorship by SSA of a session at an academic or professional conference of an allied profession (i.e. state and/or regional historical associations’ conferences)

 To apply, fill out this form or send proposals directly to spoc@southwestarchivists.org. All applications must include:

• Name of applicant and event
• Date(s) of event
• Description (150 – 300 words) of the presentation. The description should include how the presentation will further the archival profession.
• Amount being requested ($600 maximum)
• Proof of accepted submission [i.e. name in program or documentation of session sponsorship]

 Recipients of the SPOC fund are expected to write up a brief article about their experience for The Southwestern Archivist.

 Funds will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis.

Past State Partnerships and Outreach Fund Recipients

May 2025, Krishna Shenoy, Workshop presenter

"Collaborations between biological collections and archives: Creating the Carlquist Extended Specimen Network"

The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, Lawrence, KS

March 2025, Sarah Waits, Panelist

"Mapping the Past: GIS Technology Implementation for Historic Sites"

Louisiana Historical Association Annual Meeting, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

March 2025, Emily Housdan, Roundtable presenter

"NextGen Advisory Committee: Expanding Access and Diversity in the Arkansas Humanities"

The National Council on Public History Annual Meeting, Montreal, Quebec

October 2024, Dylan McDonald, Workshop mentor

"Improving the Research Experience: A Workshop for Graduate Students in Western American History"

Western History Association/Southern Historical Association joint Conference, Kansas City, Missouri

See: "State Partnership and Outreach Committee Funding Highlight: Western History Association Conference Student Workshop," by Dylan McDonald, CA, New Mexico State University Library. Southwestern Archivist Vol. 48, No. 1 (February 2025), p. 12. 

April 2024, Danielle Afsordeh, Workshop leader

"Preserving the Past: Organizing and Protecting Historical Materials"

Arkansas Historical Association Annual Meeting, Heber Springs, Arkansas

See: “Engaging Allied Fields: Workshop Facilitation Supported by the State Partnerships and Outreach Fund,” by Danielle Afsordeh, Central Arkansas Library System, Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Southwestern Archivist Vol. 47, No. 4 (November 2024), p. 18.

March 2024, William D. Buckingham, PhD, Presenter

"Reanimating the Louisiana Décima: Intermediality and Music Sustainability in the Greater Caribbean"

Annual Meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association, Montreal, Quebec

See: "My SPOC-Funded Trip to the Annual Meeting of the American Comparative Association in Montréal," by William D. Buckingham, PhD, Executive Director, Institute for Public Ethnomusicology. Southwestern Archivist Vol. 47, No. 2 (May 2024), p. 15.

September 2021, Dr. T. DeWayne Moore, Panelist

"Redressing the Legacy of Slavery and Segregation"

American Association of State and Local History Conference & American Museum Association Annual Meeting, Little Rock, Arkansas

See: "Preventing the Erasure of African American History Through the Society of Southwest Archivists' State Partnerships and Outreach Committee," by T. DeWayne Moore, Assistant Professor of History, Prairie View A&M University. Southwestern Archivist Vol. 46, No. 3 (August 2023), p. 12-14.