2025 Conference Scholarships & Awards

Make It Happen

February 17 to 19, 2025
Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center
Gaithersburg, Maryland

Awards

The Small Museum Association recognizes two museum professionals each year by selecting them for two awards, which are presented at the annual conference:

• The Hunter-Burley Award recognizes an individual’s outstanding contributions to the advancement of public access and professional growth for an individual institution.
• The Small Museum Association Award celebrates an individual’s outstanding contributions to the advancement of funding for, professional growth within, and/or the accessibility of information to the small museum community on a regional or state level.

How to Nominate

Nominating colleagues for these awards is an excellent opportunity to publicly acknowledge their hard work at their museum(s) or in the small museum field. Nominations will be accepted through November 30, 2024. Award presentations will take place at the 2025 SMA Conference, February 17 to 19, 2025.

Awards Nomination Form

Scholarships

The Small Museum Association offers funding for scholarships each year through the generosity of past conference organizers and attendees as well as several partner museum organizations. Scholarship recipients receive full conference registration., (See Registration page for details on what is included with full registration.)

Eligibility

Anyone affiliated with a museum, library, historical society, or related graduate study program (e.g., Museum Studies, Public History, Library and Information Studies, Historic Preservation) is eligible for the SMA Scholarships. This includes full-time or part-time employees, board members, students, interns, and volunteers. Museum organization scholarships may have additional restrictions. Applicants will automatically be considered for the scholarships for which they qualify. Past conference attendees are encouraged to apply, but previous scholarship winners are not eligible. First-time attendees and/or applicants that identify as belonging to a group historically underserved by the field are strongly encouraged to apply. Scholarships are open to residents of the United States and residents of countries that do not require a sponsored visa to visit the United States.

Expectations

If selected, SMA scholarship recipients will be expected to agree to the following terms and conditions:

• Conference Attendance: Scholarship recipients will receive a code to use to register for the conference at no cost. Active participation is essential to maximize the benefits of this invaluable professional development opportunity, so scholarship recipients are expected to attend all scheduled conference sessions, workshops, and events during the SMA Annual Conference.
• Assistance with Sessions and Banquet: Scholarship recipients will be assigned sessions where they will keep time for speakers, distribute surveys, and other duties as assigned. Scholarship recipients are also expected to assist with banquet seating.

SMA Scholarship Types

Anyone affiliated with a museum, library, historical society, or related graduate study program (e.g. Museum Studies, Public History, Library and Information Studies, Historic Preservation) is eligible for the Lisa Mason-Chaney and Lesley van der Lee Scholarships. This includes full-time or part-time employees, board members, students, interns, and volunteers. Past conference attendees are encouraged to apply but previous scholarship winners are not eligible.

• Lisa Mason-Chaney Scholarship for Museum Leaders: Lisa Mason-Chaney, a former president of the Small Museum Association, embodied the spirit of SMA by demonstrating exactly how much could be done by the smallest of us. As a museum professional, her knowledge of and dedication to professional standards and best practices was unparalleled. She showed by example that to be small meant to be dynamic, vital, engaging, and relevant to the community. The scholarship awarded in her honor supports funding for a Conference attendee who also reflects the same traits.
• Lesley van der Lee Scholarship for Emerging Museum Professionals: The Small Museum Association’s Lesley van der Lee Scholarships offer funding for several SMA Conference attendees. Lesley van der Lee is an important part of the history of the SMA, as she was often responsible for planning the SMA Conference during its formative years. Lesley designed legislation that provided for the Maryland Historical and Cultural Museum Assistance Program and taught up-and-coming museum professionals in the Museum Studies program at the George Washington University. The scholarship named in her honor covers the cost of conference registration, hotel room, meals and a one-year membership in the SMA.

Organization-Sponsored Scholarships

if your organization would like to sponsor a scholarship, please email scholarships@smallmuseum.org for more information.

How to Apply

Complete the form linked in the button below and email PDF copies of your current resumé and a letter of recommendation from a supervisor or advisor to the SMA Scholarships & Awards Coordinator at scholarships@smallmuseum.org. All requested application materials must be submitted by Friday, October 20, 2024.

Scholarship Application Form

Questions

Contact the Scholarships & Awards Coordinator at scholarships@smallmuseum.org.