The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Affiliate School Program

What is the Affiliate School program?
The Affiliate School Program is a special gateway to education resources, events, and tools designed to bring American history to life in the classroom. The program is funded by a “We the People” Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is totally free of cost to schools. To become familiar with the Institute, its mission, and offerings, please visit the Gilder Lehrman web site.

Why should my school join the Affiliate School program?
The Affiliate School program allows teachers and schools special access to Gilder Lehrman Collection resources, as well as regional Affiliate School forums with noted historians, access to an exclusive section of our web site with extensive teacher resources such as lesson plans, toolkits, and primary source documents to use in the classroom, as well as special access to our Summer Seminars and traveling exhibitions.

What is the Gilder Lehrman Collection and why is it important to me?
The Gilder Lehrman Collection, an important part of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, contains more than 60,000 documents detailing the political and social history of the United States. The collection's holdings include manuscript letters, diaries, maps, photographs, printed books and pamphlets ranging from 1493 through modern times.

For more detailed information about Collection holdings, visit its website or contact our reference librarian at reference@gilderlehrman.com.

For information about rights and reproductions, please visit the collection website or contact permissions@gilderlehrman.org.

Can districts or consortiums join the Affiliate School program?
The Affiliate School program is open to all K-12 schools, and we certainly encourage school districts or consortiums to their schools to apply, but each school must apply individually. One person may choose to serve as the Affiliate School advisor and main contact for all of the schools in a district or consortium, but we must receive applications from each school.

What are the benefits of joining?
Affiliate Schools will receive:

• Invitations to professional development opportunities for teachers, including priority consideration in Gilder Lehrman’s renowned 40 summer seminars
• Personalized master teacher consultations on the Civil War Essay Contest, National History Day, History Club, and Saturday Academies
• Free and discounted GLI materials, including:
• Materials for Constitution Day and Black History Month
• Posters and booklets
• Calendars
• Access to an exclusive Affiliate Schools section of the GLI website
• 25% discount at the Gilder Lehrman Institute online store
• Special access to the Gilder Lehrman Collection, recorded lectures from historians, and traveling exhibitions

How do I apply?
To apply please speak to your principal for his or her approval. The application can be found online here. The application should take no more than 20 to 30 minutes to complete, though getting the demographic information for your school might require a few emails.

What is expected of an Affiliate School?
Each school is required to complete an annual survey, administered by an outside assessment firm to help us track the effectiveness of the program, the resources offered, and school development. This allows the Institute to internally evaluate history education needs and report information about the grant to the National Endowment for the Humanities.

How long will it take to process my application?
Each application is reviewed by a senior member of our education staff, and typically takes about 2-4 weeks for approval. Once accepted into the program, you will receive an email from us, as well as a welcome pack containing free Gilder Lehrman materials.

My school has been accepted into the Affiliate School program. How do I access the web site?
Once your school has been accepted into the program, please request a two day pass on the program description page. Once we receive this request, we can then grant permanent access to the Affiliate Schools materials.

How do I book a traveling exhibit for my school?
Please contact Joanna Byrne at byrne@gilderlehrman.org, or call (646) 366-9666 to book a traveling exhibit. You may also download an traveling exhibition application form by clicking on the following links: (PDF Format) (Word document)

Please make sure to include that your school is a member of the Affiliate School program to receive the exhibit without cost. Exhibits are booked four to six months in advance and are scheduled upon availability. For more popular exhibits, there may be a waiting list.

How do I apply to Summer Seminars?
Please complete the Summer Seminar application, which opens each fall and closes in the early spring. To receive priority consideration, you must include that you are from an Affiliate School. A complete listing of seminars, deadlines, and the application can all be found on the Gilder Lehrman web site here. If you have any further questions, please contact us at seminars@gilderlehrman.org or at affiliates@gilderlehrman.org.

How do I get the Affiliate School discount at the GLI bookstore?
Please email us at affiliates@gilderlehrman.org for your 25% off discount code.

Who is my primary contact?
You may email affiliates@gilderlehrman.org or your regional coordinator:
Alabama – Steven Schwartz
Alaska – Ronald Nash
American Samoa – Ronald Nash
Arizona – Anthony Napoli
Arkansas – Ronald Nash
California – Ronald Nash
Colorado – Anthony Napoli
Connecticut – Anthony Napoli
Delaware – John McNamara
District of Columbia – John McNamara
Florida – Steven Schwartz
Georgia – Steven Schwartz
Guam – Ronald Nash
Hawaii – Ronald Nash
Idaho – Ronald Nash
Illinois – Ronald Nash
Indiana – Ronald Nash
Iowa – Ronald Nash
Kansas – Ronald Nash
Kentucky – Steven Schwartz
Louisiana – Steven Schwartz
Maine – Anthony Napoli
Maryland – John McNamara
Massachusetts – Anthony Napoli
Michigan – Ronald Nash
Minnesota – Anthony Napoli
Mississippi – Steven Schwartz
Missouri – Ronald Nash
Montana – Anthony Napoli
Nebraska – Ronald Nash
Nevada – Ronald Nash
New Hampshire – Anthony Napoli
New Jersey – John McNamara
New Mexico – Anthony Napoli
New York – Anthony Napoli
North Carolina – Steven Schwartz
North Dakota – Ronald Nash
Northern Marianas Islands
Ohio – Ronald Nash
Oklahoma – Anthony Napoli
Oregon – Ronald Nash
Pennsylvania – John McNamara
Puerto Rico – Steven Schwartz
Rhode Island – Anthony Napoli
South Carolina – Steven Schwartz
South Dakota – Ronald Nash
Tennessee – Steven Schwartz
Texas – Anthony Napoli
Utah – Anthony Napoli
Vermont – Anthony Napoli
Virginia – Steven Schwartz
Virgin Islands – Steven Schwartz
Washington – Ronald Nash
West Virginia – Steven Schwartz
Wisconsin – Anthony Napoli
Wyoming – Anthony Napoli