Value proposition

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Why join, why now?

Federation membership gives you the power to think, speak, and engage from platforms of national and international significance to the humanities and social sciences.

Think critically and clearly with others about the issues in the humanities and social sciences that affect your research, institutions, and societies.

Speak progressively and passionately with others about the value of the humanities and social sciences to your professions, workplaces, and communities. 

Engage innovatively and inclusively with decision-makers, governments, and each other on the future of the humanities and social sciences in democratic progress. 

Federation membership helps institutions: 

  • Build their reputations for expertise in HSS research;
  • Emphasize the value of HSS broadly;
  • Drive federal funding and enrolment;
  • Communicate their expertise and contribution to Canadians;
  • Empower faculty and students with research and publishing programs.

Federation membership helps associations: 

  • Strengthen their reputations;
  • Connect with scholarly associations in Canada and abroad;
  • Retain and grow their membership;
  • Expand their pipelines of news and information to their members;
  • Build their management skills;
  • Present and disseminate their research through Congress;
  • Acquire unparalleled and logistically streamlined opportunities for visibility through Congress.

Networking

  • A key member event, the Federation’s Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences is the convergence of over 70 scholarly associations and up to 10,000 academics, researchers, and policy-makers. Here, once a year, they share findings, refine ideas, and build partnerships that will help shape the Canada of tomorrow.
  • The Federation’s Big Thinking lectures, held several times a year virtually, at Congress, as well as in podcast format, showcase top HSS research and scholarly work on topics of interest to Canada’s policy and research communities and the public.
  • The Federation hosts Member Forums twice a year with all member associations. The Forum is a place for members to hear updates about the Federation and Congress, and to share best practices, network, and address emerging issues together. 
  • Members have access to a Member Directory in the Member Portal. The directory includes member organizations' contact information, social media links, journal information and more.

Advocacy 

  • The Federation promotes member research interests and concerns to the federal government, policy makers, and the media. We do this through the Policy Development Framework, which seeks contributions to our pre-Federal Budget submissions, government policy consultations, and other advocacy initiatives led year-round.
  • Members play a key role in influencing federal policy by providing input to any major submission, recommendation, or statement from the Federation. They remain in the loop through regular communiques and information sessions about government decisions that affect the academic community.  

Promotion

  • The Federation engages with media year-round to help scholars’ voices reach policy makers, influencers and the public. These efforts include member-authored or co-authored stories on topics the Federation pitches for placement in national outlets. 
  • The Federation is active on social media, generating valuable conversations about issues of importance to the humanities and social sciences community. Members are also given priority consideration as guest bloggers on the Federation’s issues-driven blog, or as a guest on the Big Thinking Podcast.  

Support

  • The Federation’s Scholarly Book Awards (ASPP) offer members 180 Publication Grants of $8,000 apiece and five Translation Grants of $30,000 – a total contribution of over $1.5 million dollars to the dissemination of Canadian research. 
  • The Federation offers an EDID Initiatives Fund to support scholarly associations' initiatives that advance Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID).
  • The Federation also offers three Congress funding programs to support international collaboration, interdisciplinary exchange, graduate student participation, and public engagement at the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. 
  • The Federation is a nominating partner for the Governor General’s Innovation Awards, and welcomes recommendations from members of outstanding candidates or teams to nominate.

Professional services for scholarly associations

The Federation provides programs and services specifically tailored to scholarly associations in Canada that enhance their knowledge and expertise and save their members time and money:

Get in touch

Federation members are what the world needs now: agile, well-rounded thinkers who can assess and adapt to rapid technological, economic, environmental, and social change. 

If that’s you, please visit our Become a member page or contact membership@federationhss.ca.