Grants for 

Archaeology &

Anthropology

Statement of Purpose

By offering the Dr. David R. Wilcox Archaeology Grant to qualified applicants, the Verde Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society seeks to increase the knowledge and application of Archaeology and Anthropology to university and college students.


The grant program is open to all Archaeology, Anthropology undergraduate and graduate students, or students in any discipline with an archaeology or anthropology component, at nationally accredited colleges and universities who wish to advance education, opportunity, and experience in these fields of study.


These grants may be used for:

Proof of matriculation is required to receive an award.

Funds must be used within 9 months of award.

This grant is open to qualified archaeological and/or anthropological projects within Arizona, with preference given to, but not limited to, projects in the Verde Valley. This includes research in other disciplines that have a component related to archaeology or anthropology. 

Grants up to $2500 available.

For more information email: VVCScholarship@VVCAAS.ORG

Examples of funded Grants:

2023 Grant awarded Joanne G.
Masters Thesis Support, Northern Arizona University
Examining the patterns between exhibition content, the presence of indigenous voices, and the average length of guest interaction with archaeology-focused exhibits at the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Heard Museum.

The David Wilcox scholarship supported Joanne in studying the backgrounds of Arizonan archaeological exhibitions, during which she began questioning if the presence of Indigenous voices effect visitor perspectives in these spaces. As a culmination of her work, Joanne will present a talk on her Master's Thesis work, 'Disconnection and Reconnection: Visitor Perspectives, Archaeology, and Indigenous Presence in Southwestern Arizonan Heritage Exhibitions' in to the Verde Valley Archaeological Chapter, Arizonan Archaeological Society in Spring 2024.

 'My graduate education significantly benefited from understanding the intersections of Indigenous presence, Archaeology and Visitor Studies in Arizonan exhibition spaces. This scholarship aided in me finishing my last semester of school and in travel to both museum institutions.'

 

This funding also aided in giving Joanne access to university faculty resources such as statistical software and academic databases on museum studies, visitor studies and archaeological resources.

 

'I am grateful for the VVCAAS for their support and interest about my thesis work and the opportunity to present on Archaeological exhibitions, visitor feedback and Indigenous perspectives within these spaces.' 


2022 Grant awarded Emily Jonsson
Conservation Internship in the Arizona State Museum
This internship allowed Emily to study the contamination of cultural materials, during which time she began questioning how nuclear testing programs and uranium mining in the Southwest affected the preservation of artifacts and archaeological sites. As a culmination of her work, Emily presented a talk titled, 'Atomic Pasts: Preserving the Legacy of Nuclear Testing in the Southwest' to the Verde Valley Chapter, Arizona Archaeological Society in March, 2023.

“The opportunity to study how modern contaminants affect cultural materials in the Conservation Lab at ASM would not have been possible without the support of this grant. My graduate education significantly benefited from getting work hands-on with collections and artifacts in a museum setting, as asking questions from a conservation standpoint has changed the way I approach sites and artifacts. I am beyond grateful to the VVCAAS for their support and enthusiasm about my work and for the opportunity to present on nuclear testing and cultural resources!”


2022 Masters Thesis Support, Northern Arizona University

Ceramic Exchange in Northern Arizona: Mapping of prehistoric ceramics; trading of ceramics through Northern Arizona. Benjamin P., Master's Program, Northern Arizona University.