MAA Scholarships & Awards
Marilyn McNitt Memorial Scholarship
The Marilyn McNitt Memorial Scholarship funds a student to attend the Michigan Archival Association Annual Meeting. Marilyn was an archivist at the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library for twenty-five years. Her commitment to researchers and students was an inspiration to fellow MAA members, and she left an indelible mark on the organization.
The scholarship covers lodging for two nights and conference registration. The recipient will also receive a $250 stipend for travel costs and a one-year membership to MAA. Finally, the scholarship winner will be asked to write an article for the MAA newsletter, Open Entry, about their conference experience.
In the event a conference is held virtually, the recipient will still receive free conference registration and a one-year membership, but the $250 stipend they also receive will go towards an educational use (or uses) of their choosing.
The scholarship is open to graduate students in an archival science program or related field. To apply, please submit a completed application form (MS Word .docx format) and application statement to Mark Prindiville at mprindiville@diosag.org. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2026.
The Marilyn McNitt Memorial Diversity Scholarship
The Marilyn McNitt Diversity Scholarship funds an attendee to attend the Michigan Archival Association Annual Meeting. Marilyn was an archivist at the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library for twenty-five years. Her home was always open to people from all walks of life, and we continue to honor her commitment to diversity throughout our organization today.
The scholarship covers lodging for two nights and conference registration. The recipient will also receive a $250 stipend for travel costs and a one-year membership to MAA. Finally, the scholarship winner will be asked to write an article for the MAA newsletter, Open Entry, about their conference experience.
In the event a conference is held virtually, the recipient will still receive free conference registration and a one-year membership, but the $250 stipend they also receive will go directly to them to use as they see fit.
The scholarship is open to underrepresented communities (sex, race, ethnicity, and national origin, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and first-generation college students) who work in the archival or special collections field. To apply, please submit a completed application form to Andrea Van Dyke at howarda1@gvsu.edu. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2026.
The Christiane Evaskis-Garrett DEI Award
This award originated as the MAA DEI Support Fund, established by MAA's Board in June 2020. Its creation was driven by a period of professional reckoning regarding systemic inequities and by the leadership of MAA's first president of color, Christiane Evaskis-Garrett, who championed the need for concrete, financial support for DEI initiatives. The award was founded on the principle that the association must resource the values it proclaims, leading to an annual grant designed to empower meaningful projects across Michigan's galleries, libraries, archives, and museums.The Christiane Evaskis-Garrett DEI Award provides a $250 donation each year to an organization, project, workshop, or other opportunity that would benefit from such help. This fund helps fulfill MAA’s mission to “foster a collaborative and inclusive professional network” by supporting DEI initiatives, projects, and programs, professional development, in Michigan archives, libraries, galleries, and museums.
If your archive, library, gallery, or museum has a DEI initiative, please consider applying for this funding. The winners will be asked to write an article for the MAA newsletter, Open Entry, about their work.
Selection criteria:
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Michigan library, archive, gallery, or museum with an initiative designed to support work with historically underrepresented populations.
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Individuals with archival training or credentials with an initiative designed to support work with historically underrepresented populations.
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Applications will be evaluated based on originality and impact.