Financial Aid

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is committed to making its Annual Meeting accessible to anthropologists from diverse backgrounds. To support this goal, we offer financial aid to partially or fully offset meeting registration for individuals who demonstrate financial need. These funds are provided by generous donations of AAA members, so members are also encouraged to donate to the “Annual Meeting Registration Fund” to support this funding initiative.

If you are in need of financial support to present at the 2026 AAA Annual Meeting, please complete this form to be considered as a potential recipient of the Annual Meeting Registration Fund. Annual Meeting Registration Funds partially or fully offset the cost of meeting registration only, NOT AAA membership, travel, housing, or meals. While you do not need to be a AAA member to apply for financial aid, all presenters must become members by the speaker registration deadline. We strongly encourage applicants to join AAA before registering, as the lower member registration rate reduces the size of the award needed — freeing up funds so that more attendees can be supported overall.

Please note that financial aid funds are limited and supported entirely by the generous donations of AAA members. Submitting an application does not guarantee being awarded funds. If you are part of an accepted submission and do not receive financial aid, AAA is unfortunately unable to provide additional assistance to support your attendance and participation. We encourage all applicants to plan accordingly and explore alternative funding sources in advance.

Invited Speaker Waiver

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) recognizes the importance of fostering global and interdisciplinary dialogue at its Annual Meeting. To enhance the diversity of perspectives in our program, AAA offers partial and full registration waivers to Section invited anthropologists based outside the U.S. and Canada, and/or non-anthropologists contributing to the program. Sections may apply for more than one waiver in cases of exceptional programming, however, a fixed amount of waivers will be granted. Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Any anthropologists based outside the U.S. and Canada, and/or non-anthropologists seeking the Invited Speaker waiver MUST be submitted by a Section President. Though we encourage AAA membership, being awarded an Invited Speaker waiver negates the requirement for that speaker to obtain AAA membership in order to present at the Annual Meeting.

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