Get Involved with ACLS

Since our founding in 1919, ACLS has remained committed to the core belief that knowledge is a public good. As a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, our advocacy work reflects this core commitment by promoting and strengthening awareness of the value of the humanities and social sciences. On behalf of scholars, students, and administrators, and in partnership member societies and peer organizations, ACLS continues to support initiatives that advance the free circulation of humanistic knowledge through scholarship and teaching.  

Whether you have one minute or one afternoon, here are 10 key ways you can join us in the critical work of amplifying the humanities and social sciences:

1. Connect

Like, follow, and share our social media and website content to spread the word about our advocacy efforts, events, fellowship and grant competitions, as well as stories about awardees we support whose research has a direct impact on their respective fields and broader communities. 

2. Subscribe

3. Share

Your passion for your work is contagious! Practice speaking to non-academic audiences about why you enjoy the work you do, not just what you do. Sharing more about your “why” helps others better understand the importance of our fields, demystifies the learning that takes place on campus, and points to the impact of our work on past, present, and future students.

Take advantage of low-stakes, casual opportunities to share what excites you about your work. For example, if someone asks you what you do for work, you could say:

• “I teach students literature, and I love it because…”
• “I study migration because it helps us understand…”
• “I’m writing a book about the history of film because…”
• “I support students and scholars because…”

Our #TalkAboutHumanities #TalkAboutSocialSciences media campaign is a great way to practice this!

4. Attend

5. Write

Join ACLS community members in connecting the humanities and social sciences to timely issues by writing an op-ed for your local paper or other publications that reach audiences beyond the academy. Below are a few examples: 

• The Coming Assault on Birthright Citizenship (The Atlantic, January 2025)
  • By Amanda Frost (2019 ACLS Fellow)
• Trump Says Birthright Citizenship Was Only for the Children of Slaves. He’s Wrong (New York Times, March 2026)
  • By Martha S. Jones (2013 ACLS Fellow) and Kate Masur (2010 Charles A. Ryskamp Research Fellow)
• The Sikh Idea of Seva Is an Antidote to Our Current Malaise (Time, July 2022)
  • By Simran Jeet Singh (2018 Luce/ACLS Fellow in Religion, Journalism & International Affairs)

6. Speak

Pursue opportunities to speak at non-academic events within your community and demonstrate how the humanities and social sciences touch our everyday lives.  

For example, offer to present at a gathering for your rotary club, religious community, local library, or hobby group—you name it! Become a speaker at programs such as Lectures on Tap, Profs and Pints, or After5Society—event series featuring scholars giving lectures in bars, cafes, and other off-campus venues across the country including San Francisco, Los Angeles, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and New York. Seek opportunities to engage public audiences though podcasts or videos such as Wired Magazine’s “Tech Support” series where scholars and experts answer questions from the internet about timely topics related to their field.

7. Review

8. Nominate

ACLS is only as strong as our connections to learned societies and academic institutions that represent a range of disciplines and scholarly communities. Nominate your society or institution for membership in ACLS. Members take advantage of opportunities to network and collaborate with others committed to sustaining and enhancing the national infrastructure of humanities research, teaching, and writing.

To learn more about membership for scholarly societies, research libraries, museums, academic presses, or state humanities councils, please contact ACLS Director of Member Society Relations, Camilo Villalpando.

9. Join

10. Support