About the program
The Dirt Podcast was founded in 2018 as a platform for bringing stories and research from archaeology, anthropology, and history to the world and to demonstrate that there are as many ways to be a human as there are ways to study humans through anthropology
Now, four years later, we are thrilled to announce a new mechanism for doing just that: Pass the Mic, a competitive grants program designed for student scholars who might not otherwise be able to attend conferences and present their original research.
Beginning in Fall 2022, The Dirt will begin a periodic, competitive grants cycle in which applications will be reviewed by the program’s hosts and subject matter experts. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of strength of abstract, capacity for conference participation to positively impact the applicant’s academic career, cost reasonableness of requested budget, and alignment of the applicant’s research with the focus and values of The Dirt Podcast.
If you are not a potential applicant, but are interested in opportunities to contribute in the way of “time, talent, or treasure,” please jump to the bottom of this page.
Purpose and value of grant
Grants will be issued in the budgeted amount submitted with the application, up to a maximum of $1,000 USD. The grant is intended to provide the grantee with sufficient funding to attend a conference for presentation of original research and access to networking opportunities, without placing financial strain on the individual.
Eligible expenses include:
Conference registration
Travel (e.g., airfare, train fare, or public transit)
Lodging
Meals and incidental expenses
Local transit (e.g., airport transfers, from lodging to venue)
Printing services for posters
Applicants are asked to refer to The Dirt’s conference budgeting tutorial prior to preparing their budgets, and encouraged but not required to use the available spreadsheet template for their submitted budget.
Applicants who require accommodations such as accessible hotel rooms, additional travel/transit support, or a medical attendant or companion animal are encouraged to include associated costs for these in the submitted budget, and costs in excess of the $1,000 limit will be considered in those cases.
Students who have received other small grants or awards, but lack the funds to cover remaining anticipated conference expenses, are especially encouraged to apply. Confirmed or pending funding should be indicated in the application, but an applicant’s funding status will not be a criterion for selection.
Eligibility
Selected Pass the Mic Grantees must:
Be current undergraduate or graduate students
Be students of anthropology, archaeology, history, or related field
Intend to present original research at a professional academic conference
Receive confirmation of acceptance of their paper or poster prior to receipt of funds (this is not a prerequisite for application!)
Demonstrate actionable strategies for sharing research via public outreach, science communication, or other content created for broad, non-specialist audiences
Consent to their work being featured on The Dirt Podcast, either via an interview or citation of their work in a script recorded by the hosts
Additionally, applications are encouraged from:
First-time conference attendees
Researchers with a heritage or descendant community connection to their subject of focus
Applicants of identities that remain underrepresented or marginalized in academia
Students of non-traditional age, are first-generation and/or from working class or low income backgrounds
Application requirements
A complete application must include the following:
Submission of the Application Form, with complete answers to all required questions. Consult a static version of the application here for short- and long-answer prompts.
An email to thedirtpodcast@gmail.com with the subject line “Pass the Mic - Materials - [Full Name]” that includes the following attachments:
A complete budget reflecting anticipated expenses in the conference. For a comprehensive guide on establishing a conference budget, see this guide.
A copy of the applicant’s current CV
Grants will only be issued to selected applicants upon confirmation of paper/poster acceptance. For finalists who still await acceptance at the time of application, organizers will reach out for an updated status prior to final decisions.
Letters of recommendation are not required, and will not be considered, nor will any other materials beyond the application requirements stated above. In the event that reviewers have questions on any aspect of submitted materials, applicants will be contacted via the email provided in the application form.
Timeline for selection
February 3, 2023 - Cycle 2 Application Opens
Intended for those applying to present at AABA, ARCE, SAA, and other conferences scheduled between April and September.
Friday, March 10, 2023 11:59 PM EDT - Cycle 2 Application Closes
Late March 2023 - Finalists Notified via Email
April 2023 - Cycle 2 Grantees Announced on The Dirt Podcast
June 2023 - Cycle 2 Grantees’ Work Featured on The Dirt Podcast
December 2023 - Cycle 3 Application Opens
Intended for those applying to present at AAA, ASOR, AIA, SHA and other conferences scheduled between October and March.
Updates regarding future application cycles will be made directly to this page, as well as announced on all Dirt Podcast social media channels.
Looking to help?
Like all aspects of The Dirt, we are made possibly only by our listeners and wider community. If you are interested in contributing to this initiative, we would be honored and grateful to you for any of the following:
Sharing the call for applications
Share this page with the student scholars in your life!
Post this flyer in your department.
Tag The Dirt when you share the call in png format on social media, with alt text directing folks to thedirtpod.com/passthemic for complete details.
Contribute financially
Beginning July 1, 2022, all revenue from sponsored episodes of The Dirt Podcast will be directed fully to support Pass the Mic. For a minimum donation of $25, The Dirt will dedicate an episode to the topic of your choice. Find full details on sponsoring an episode at this link.
If you are interested in contributing funds otherwise, up to sponsoring a grant or establishing a matching donation, please contact us.
Serve as a reviewer
If you are a subject matter expert in some corner of the anthropological constellation and are interested in assisting with application review in your subfield, please contact us.