Support our Work at the INSTAP Study Center
We award fellowships and grants each year to graduate students, doctoral candidates, and post-doctoral researchers who use the resources of the Study Center to advance their work in Aegean Bronze Age scholarship. Other funding opportunities at the Study Center include support for the conservation lab, library, and many other aspects of the facility’s operation. The Friends of the INSTAP Study Center also facilitates fundraising opportunities. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Support our mission by making a secure donation today! Click the donation buttons in each of support area to contribute via Stripe (all major payment methods, including digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay) or PayPal. You may also write a check in U.S. dollars ($) to the INSTAP Study Center for East Crete and mail it to Elizabeth Shank (elizabethshank@hotmail.com) at our U.S. Office: P.O. Box 162 Rouzerville, PA 17250. If you would like to donate in euros (€), contact Eleanor Huffman (eleanorhuffman@instapstudycenter.net, tel. +30-28420-93027) at the INSTAP Study Center, P.O. Box 364, Pacheia Ammos, Ierapetra, 72200, Crete, Greece.
Unrestricted Donations
Unrestricted donations provide vital, flexible support that allows the Study Center for East Crete to direct funds where they are needed most — whether it’s maintaining our facilities, purchasing new equipment, supporting ongoing archaeological research, or enhancing educational programs. If you have a specific purpose in mind, please state how the funds are to be used. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps sustain our mission and daily operations.
Giving Levels
We are grateful for every gift and recognize donors according to the following levels. These categories apply to all contributions to the Study Center, regardless of the program or fund you choose to support:
| Patron | $1,000 and up | Donate Now | Donate via PayPal |
| Partner | $500 – $999 | Donate Now | Donate via PayPal |
| Steward | $100 – $499 | Donate Now | Donate via PayPal |
| Supporter | $25 – $99 | Donate Now | Donate via PayPal |
Your generosity makes a lasting difference in preserving and advancing the study of Crete’s rich archaeological heritage.
Richard Seager Doctoral Fellowship: Fundraising Goal: $3,000
The Richard Seager Doctoral Fellowship was established in 2009 with the goal of helping doctoral candidates use the resources at the Study Center to bring their dissertations closer to completion. Each year, one fellowship is awarded to a candidate working on a topic in the Aegean Bronze Age or Iron Age. The results of the recipient’s work are published in the annual Study Center newsletter, Kentro, and fellows are often invited to give online lectures for the Study Center, which are open to all who are interested. With your help, we can reach our goal of $3,000 for the next fellowship.
Harriet Boyd Hawes Fellowship: Fundraising Goal: $3,000
The Harriet Boyd Hawes Fellowship was established in 2017 by a generous donation from Gloria Steinem’s Ms. Foundation for Women. This fellowship aims to incorporate gender studies in Aegean Bronze Age and Iron Age archaeology to highlight various aspects of ancient life that have not yet received sufficient attention. This fellowship is open to graduate students and recent Ph.D. recipients in the fields of Anthropology, Art History, Ancient History, or Classics. The results of the scholar’s work are published in the annual Study Center newsletter, Kentro, and fellows are often invited to give online lectures for the Study Center, which are open to all who are interested.
William D.E. Coulson Conservation Laboratory, Fundraising Goal: $9,100
Conservation Internship: $3,000
This stipend will support a conservation intern for the season, providing hands-on training while advancing the lab’s capacity to treat and document finds from ongoing excavations.
Portable Fume and Dust Extractor – JUMBO FILTERTROLLEY 2.0: $4,000
This new mobile extractor unit will allow our conservators to safely handle chemicals and materials that produce hazardous fumes or dust.
Basic Laptop for Microscopic Photography: $500
A new dedicated laptop is needed to process and archive high-resolution images taken through the microscope.
4 Magnifying Lamps for Conservation Tables: $1,600
These new high-quality lamps will improve visibility and precision during conservation treatments, especially for detailed and fragile materials.
The Al & Mary Leonard Emergency Preservation Fund, Fundraising Goal: $5,000
The Al & Mary Leonard Emergency Preservation Fund provides annual grants to support one or more projects on the island of Crete focused on the preservation of cultural heritage. Eligible uses of the fund include, but are not limited to, site conservation, the construction or repair of fences around sites, or the addition of bilingual signage to help visitors better understand the significance of an excavated site. The fund is available to individuals or groups actively involved in the preservation of Crete’s cultural heritage.
We invite all of our members to consider contributing to this important cause. To download the grant application and learn more about how to apply, please use the links below:
McDonald Lab of Ceramic Petrography, Fundraising Goal: $59,000
The McDonald Lab of Ceramic Petrography was founded in the summer of 2002 thanks to the vision and financial support of Dr. Jennifer Moody and Wick Dossett. This yearly four-week internship is supervised by Dr. Eleni Nodarou, director of the lab. Emphasis is given to the archaeological component of the discipline—the strategy behind sampling petrographic projects—as well as the criteria for grouping petrographic samples and the methodology of describing thin sections. We are asking for support for the 2026 graduate student petrography intern at $3,000.
New Lapping Plate: $50,000
This essential piece of equipment is used in the preparation of thin sections, allowing ceramic samples to be ground with precision to a thickness of 30 microns for microscopic analysis. Our current plate has exceeded its service life, and replacing it is critical for the lab to continue producing high-quality slides used in research and publication.
New Leica Petrographic Microscope: $6,000
A new microscope is necessary in order to upgrade our equipment and improve our thin section analysis ability and enable us to digitize our petrographic data—both crucial aspects of modern ceramic petrographic studies.
Drafting Lab, Fundraising Goal: $3,000
Support the Drafting Lab with a donation toward a new high-performance PC built to handle advanced image processing, 3D rendering, and design applications such as CAD and modeling software. This essential upgrade will allow our staff to work more efficiently on complex projects with greater speed and precision.
Physical Plant, Fundraising Goal: $6,000
The Study Center is seeking funding for a new 100-terabyte Network-Attached Storage (NAS) system to support its expanding digital archive. This vital upgrade will provide secure, high-capacity storage for archaeological data, images, and reports, ensuring reliable backups and long-term preservation. The cost for this new equipment is $6,000.
Study Center Library
The Study Center Library supports scholars with open access to essential Aegean Bronze Age resources. Your gift helps us maintain subscriptions, expand the collection, and preserve rare materials for future research. We welcome cash or book donations. For book donations, please get in touch with the library fellow at sceclibrary@gmail.com.
