Guidelines

Thank you very much for your interest in grants made from the Martin Petersen Historical Writing Fund. In keeping with policies of the Mackinac Island Community Foundation and the wishes of Dr. and Mrs. Petersen, this fund will make grants from time to time recognizing authors whose historical writing as proposed or submitted to a selection committee of the Fund demonstrates the following qualities:

• A high caliber of historical accuracy dealing with legitimate historical concerns pertaining to, but not expressly limited to, the Straits of Mackinac area;

• A high degree of “readability” to the non-specialist historian (i.e. a readership interested in, but not specifically trained in historical research or methodology);

• A high degree of commitment and engagement to the ongoing promotion of history and historical writing, particularly to young people and non-specialist historians of the Straits area and beyond.

Deadlines: April 15 of every year

Length: Works of any length will be considered.

Publication History: Previously published or unpublished work is acceptable.

Eligibility: Any author writing about history is eligible to apply. A recipient of a Writing Fund’s grant may not apply for another grant within one year of having received a grant.

Amount of Grants: At its sole discretion, the Selection Committee will award amounts dependent on market conditions to an author or authors who have successfully met the criteria outlined above; the Committee is not obligated to disburse funds at any time, but will do so as the merit of the submissions warrants.

Notification: The Selection Committee will notify all applicants in writing within two months of the deadline for which the work was submitted. The Committee may encourage non-successful applicants to apply again at any time.

For information on how to apply, please check the Submit page.