The CFM Early-career Fellowship
Overview
Funder: Cody Firearms Museum (CFM)
Application deadline: 15 October
Appointments made: November–December
Term of appointment: 1 year
Location: Remote with subsidised travel
Value of appointment: $1,500 USD
The Cody Firearms Museum (CFM) Early-career Fellowship is awarded to a researcher with fewer than three years of professional experience in arms history or a related field, including those individuals seeking to pivot from an unrelated field or professionalise their informal experience (e.g., collectors). The CFM Early-career Fellowship is awarded to support a project which will benefit from access to the world-class collections of the museum, which forms part of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming.
Fellowships will be awarded in November–December each year, and funds may be used anytime in the subsequent eight months for expenses related to furthering research in progress. Final and/or intermediate research outputs should be published in that same year, wherever practicable. Additional funds may be made available by the CFM at their discretion.
If you have any questions, please email us at research@armshistory.org
Eligibility
Applicants must be early-career researchers, defined as having fewer than three years of professional or post-graduate academic engagement in arms history or closely related fields. This includes individuals transitioning from unrelated fields or those seeking to formalise experience gained through informal study or collecting. Applicants can be located anywhere but should be willing to travel to work with the CFM collection at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming.
One or more of the proposed outputs should be published or distributed through one of the museum’s activities. Such outputs could include, for example, a presentation at the Cody Firearms Museum’s Arsenals of History Symposium or a published article appearing in the museum’s peer-reviewed journal, Armax: The Journal of Contemporary Arms.
Applicants intending to visit the Cody Firearms Museum must be confident they will be eligible for an appropriate U.S. visa. Applicants residing in the following countries cannot be accepted: Afghanistan, Belarus, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Yemen. Applicants from certain other countries may be subject to further vetting.
Application Process
Please email the documents outlined below to: research@armshistory.org
A copy of your completed application form, available for download here;
Cover letter describing your background, the proposed or ongoing research project, specific uses to which you will put the funds, and intended deliverable(s);
Curriculum Vitae (no more than 5 pages) highlighting relevant academic, professional, and personal experience connected to your intended research project; and
Short bibliography (1 page or less) of the most relevant and/or recent secondary works on the topic of your proposal.
Selection Process
The CSAH Advisory Council, in consultation with the Curator of the Cody Firearms Museum, will review applications in October–November and contact the successful recipient by the end of the application year (typically in December).
Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:
Relevance and originality of the proposed research – Does the project engage meaningfully with areas or objects that have received limited study to date, or engage with these areas or objects in a new way? Will the project make a substantial contribution to the field of arms history?
Feasibility and clarity of the research plan – Is the proposed work achievable within the time frame and budget?
Potential for professional development – Will the fellowship help the applicant establish or significantly advance their research career in arms history or a related area?
Quality of writing and presentation – Is the application clearly written and persuasive in explaining the significance and impact of the project?
Terms of Appointment
Successful applicants will be expected to provide one or more agreed-upon deliverables within 12 months of being appointed to a fellowship. Ordinarily, these deliverables will include a substantive piece of work (e.g., a journal article or book chapter) and one or more smaller outputs, such as presentations, blog posts, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc.
Early-career fellows agree to acknowledge the support of CSAH in all publications, presentations, or media appearances resulting from the funded research, using the following standard language: “This research was supported by a Cody Firearms Museum Early-career Fellowship awarded by the Centre for the Study of Arms History (CSAH). See: www.armshistory.org” [slight variations on this language may be approved].
Early-career Fellows will be required to provide photos and text relating to their research project for use on the CSAH website (see below).
Previous Recipients
2024 – Justin Baird (Early History of the Krag–Jørgensen Rifle)
