Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre | Archives Residency Project 2026–27

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Deadline for applications – 20 March 2026

Call for proposals

Purpose

The Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre are pleased to offer support for an Archives Residency Project (hereinafter, the Project) at the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives (BMUFA) at the Kule Folklore Centre. The Project is designed to foster, promote, and support archival research on Ukrainian and/or Ukrainian Canadian culture by scholars, authors, or artists using the collections housed by the Medwidsky Archives at the Kule Folklore Centre.

The archival holdings of the BMUFA are particularly strong in the areas of Ukrainian Canadian informal and traditional culture and folklore, including dance, music, and art, as well as community life, education, religious life, and the history of Ukrainians in Canada and other diaspora communities. These resources are valuable to researchers across a variety of fields.

The Project will be funded with an amount up to CAD $ 5,000. This support is intended to help cover living, travel, or research expenses incurred through in-person access to the BMUFA for the purpose of research. No more than one Project can be awarded per year.

Guidelines

To be considered for Project support, applicants need to submit a completed application form, a brief (2–3 page) project description, a curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of two professional or academic references. The project proposal should include an account of how the applicant intends to use archival materials in the Medwidsky Archives. It should also include the project timeline and any other sources of funding the applicant has or will receive to support the Project. Preference will be given to applicants whose research plan makes maximum use of the BMUFA.

Prospective candidates are encouraged to consult the BMUFA archival database https://archives.ukrfolk.ca as well as the BMUFA museum collection database https://collections.ukrfolk.ca; they may also contact the Archivist or Curator, prior to the application deadline, if they have specific questions about the holdings and to ensure there are archival materials at the BMUFA to support their research project.

A Project Committee will review each application based on the applicant’s research topic and the availability of relevant material in the Medwidsky Archives holdings. Only Projects by individuals can be supported. Institutions are not eligible to apply. This Project support does not provide funding for research at other institutions.

Conditions of the Residency Project

1. Recipients must complete their research project at the BMUFA within one year of being notified of receiving Project support;
2. Successful projects will be supported in two parts: 75% upon the announcement of the successful applicant and 25% upon completion of the research Project;
3. The funds will be paid by the Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre; 
4. Recipients must be in residence at the BMUFA for at least two weeks, devoting full-time workdays to their research. 
5. Recipients will be provided access to the specified archival materials at the BMUFA and will have access to the Kule Folklore Centre Library;
6. Recipients of the Residency Project support cannot be employed by the Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre or otherwise associated with the board members;
7. Recipients cannot be employed by the Kule Folklore Centre;
8. Recipients will participate in the Kule Folklore Centre’s and the Friends’ activities, as appropriate, and may be asked to give a public presentation;
9. The Project support must be acknowledged in the works resulting from the completed research projects;
10. Recipients will be asked to provide the BMUFA with a copy of any work resulting from the research conducted as a result of the Project, with permission to make it accessible for education and research and according to the Medwidsky Archives policy;
11. Recipients are to submit a short report to the Kule Folklore Centre and the Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre within two months of completing the Project. Excerpts from these reports may be used in the Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre’s and the Kule Folklore Centre’s promotional materials.

Application instructions

To apply for the Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre’s Archives Residency Project, applicants must complete the Application Form.

At the end of the form, applicants must upload one (1) PDF document containing the following materials, in the order listed below:

1. Cover letter
2. Current curriculum vitae (CV)
3. Project description (2–3 pages)
4. Budget of estimated expenses (maximum 1 page)
5. Names and contact information of two professional or academic references

Apply here

The deadline for submission of applications is 11:59 p.m. on March 20, 2026.

All applicants will be notified of the competition results by email no later than June 15, 2026.