Dear MAC colleagues,

The MAC Board has been approached by an anonymous donor to establish a MAC Student Travel Grant, pledging to match up to $10,000 to create a Trust Fund that supports student attendance at the Annual MAC Meetings through direct financial assistance.

Recent federal budget cuts have limited students’ access to loans, research opportunities, and professional development. As the future of archaeology, their participation in conferences is essential for building skills, networks, and careers—and your support can help ensure these opportunities remain accessible.

To advance this effort, the MAC Board has launched the 2026 MAC Student Fund Challenge. If each of our 360 members contributes just $25, we can raise $9,000 and nearly reach our goal, unlocking the donor’s match. Monthly reminders and progress updates will be shared by email and posted on the MAC website homepage.

The goal is to complete this challenge by September 1, 2026. That would allow time to begin setting up a trust fund by our next Annual Meeting. Please join me in this endeavor by donating to the fund through the following link:

https://www.midwestarchaeology.org/support 

If you have any questions about the proposed Student Travel Grant Fund, please feel free to contact me.

We appreciate your support in this important effort!

Sincerely,

Eve A Hargrave

President – MAC Inc.