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Investing in
Better History.
An award for developing a documented project and sharing the results through public interpretation.
A legacy of curiosity
and generosity.
Deborah was a historian, researcher, educator, living historian, and mentor who shared her knowledge freely. Her work explored eighteenth-century foodways, trade, domestic labor, material culture, and the wider communities whose lives intersected with the Revolution.
An early supporter of OAS, she joined one of our first interpretive programs at Valley Forge in 2018. Her encouragement helped make space for civilian-centered interpretation and continued learning.
Her generosity is the example this scholarship carries forward.
What the award provides.
One recipient will receive:
- A $500 stipend for approved research and project-development expenses.
- One year of OAS membership.
- A professional photo shoot of the completed project, including headshots, digital photographs, and a commemorative canvas print.
- A scholarship certificate and a featured spotlight sharing the recipient’s research and completed project.
Applications open: October 1, 2026
Application deadline: December 1, 2026
Recipient announced: December 30, 2026
Project period: December 30, 2026–December 30, 2027
Who can apply?
Individual applicants must be 18 or older, reside in the United States, and be affiliated with a reenactment, living-history, historical, or interpretive organization whose activities include interpretation of the American Revolution.
OAS membership is not required. Extensive prior living-history experience is not required, and selection is not based on personal financial need.
Current OAS board members and officers are ineligible. Applicants may submit one application and one project per cycle; previous recipients may not receive the award in consecutive years.
What can you develop?
Research-based impressions, demonstrations, historic trades, material-culture projects, experimental reconstructions, educational programs, and other forms of public living-history interpretation.
Projects may explore civilian or military experiences related to the American Revolution. You do not need a completed impression or project before applying.
Show us what you’re building.
The application includes a Research & Interpretation Portfolio, a project budget, and a plan for sharing the work through public interpretation. Prepare:
- A 100–150 word project summary.
- A 3–5 page research narrative with a separate bibliography.
- A 250–500 word community and interpretive impact statement.
- A 150–250 word discussion of research gaps and next steps.
- An estimated budget for the $500 stipend.
- Up to three optional pages of supporting visual or material documentation.
Explain what your sources establish, where the gaps lie, and how you will investigate them. Letters of recommendation are not required.
Using the stipend.
Approved expenses may include research access, books, workshops, historically appropriate materials, tools, furnishings, and commissioned reproductions connected to the project.
Funds cannot cover weapons or related accessories, travel, lodging, meals, event registration, insurance, membership dues, modern personal equipment, or expenses unrelated to the approved project. Read the full guidelines before preparing your budget.
Carrying the work forward.
The recipient signs an award agreement before funds are issued, provides a brief six-month progress update, and is expected to substantially complete the project and incorporate it into public interpretation during the project period.
OAS coordinates photography of the completed work. The full guidelines explain publicity, communication, extensions, and other award terms.
Good research deserves
room to grow.
Check the full applicant guidelines for submission requirements and award terms, then send your completed application through the official Google Form.