What is the funding cycle timeline?
Our collaborator cohort begins in May 2026 and runs until May 2027. Your proposed project timeline start and end dates should fall within the May 2026- May 2027 period. If your project starts or ends outside of this period, you should amend your timeline or apply in the following cycle.
What are the responsibilities of an SFA oral history collaborator?
An oral history collaborator is responsible for the agreed-upon edited oral histories (including properly filled-out release forms and fieldwork notes). The final folder should include completed oral history audio, edited transcript, signed release forms, final narrator approval of transcript and interview, narrator biographies, and a project introduction. You will also share information about narrators with a collaborating photographer who will be assigned to you as you conduct your fieldwork.
Do I have to transcribe my interviews?
No, SFA pays transcriptionists to transcribe all oral history interviews. You are responsible for final edits of each transcript and final approval of the oral history transcript and audio with each narrator.
Am I responsible for providing photographs of narrators?
No, you are not personally responsible for photographing narrators. SFA will pair you with a professional photographer who will provide photographs for the session. Oral history collaborators are responsible for informing narrators about their photography session, and you should share the narrator’s contact information with the photographer. If you wish for a greater level of collaboration with your photographer, you may work more closely with them.
How are SFA oral historians paid?
SFA oral history collaborators are paid per interview for the work that they do. Our rate is $500 per interview. Collaborators receive 25% of the full payment up front, and the remaining 75% after all work is completed. Full payment is dependent upon receiving the completed oral history, biographies, edited transcript, sending the transcript back to the narrator for their final approval, and a project introduction.
Are oral history narrators compensated?
Yes. Oral histories are a significant commitment of time for narrators. SFA provides oral history narrators with a $100 honorarium in appreciation for their time. Additionally, each narrator receives a packet with a bound transcript, a USB drive containing photographs and audio from the interview, and a printed portrait from their session.
What do I need to do to get paid? What does an oral history narrator need to do to get paid?
SFA’s co-director, Mary Beth Lasseter, will share forms needed for compensation. All payments are made through the University of Mississippi, SFA’s home.
What happens to the oral histories I complete as an SFA oral history collaborator?
SFA houses all completed interviews in SFA’s Karen Barker Documentary Archive. The oral histories are available for public use, and they may appear in SFA’s social media channels, our weekly newsletter, in Gravy Quarterly, the Gravy podcast, or other SFA presentations.
Can I use these oral histories in my personal work?
Absolutely. This work is a co-created document between you and your narrator. We honor that labor, and we encourage collaborators to use the oral histories they create in larger academic, documentary, and creative projects. Be it a public exhibit, radio story, article, academic presentation, or in a classroom setting—the possibilities are endless! If you share your work on another platform, please credit the Southern Foodways Alliance. Also, share what you’ve created with us! We are always delighted to see how individuals utilize the archive.
