World Wings International, Inc. Creative Grant


Since its first international flight in 1927, Pan Am positioned itself as a world leader in American commercial aviation. Formed in 1959, World Wings International, Inc. (WWI) is an association of women and men who served as Pan Am flight attendants and pursers, that now dedicates itself to charitable activities. This collection includes the administrative records of the organization as well as scrapbooks, photographs, membership and annual meetings files, correspondence, and financial records.

The World Wings International, Inc. Creative Grant is open to applications for creative projects and activities by artists, writers, teachers, as well as researchers who would like to use the organizational records as starting points and inspiration for their projects. Priority will be given to proposals that will result in publication in any media. Up to $2,000 will be awarded annually to support travel to visit the University of Miami Libraries’ Special Collections to consult with a librarian and make use of the World Wings International, Inc. Records.

Prospective grantees are encouraged to explore new areas of creativity, scholarship and inquiry within the World Wings International, Inc. Collection at the University of Miami. We encourage creative use of these materials as inspiration for books, novels, artworks, film projects, documentaries, and we intend this call to be open to a variety of projects. The collection is very rich and can support interests across genres of history, geography, business, sociology, gender studies, and more. Successful applications will propose projects which further the image of World Wings International, Inc., and encourage further study into the role former Pan Am flight attendants had in the history of aviation, philanthropy, feminism, and women’s business history.

Grant awardees will be expected to give a presentation to faculty, students, staff, and interested community members either during the time of their stay or at a convenient later date.

Now Accepting Applications

Applicants must submit a proposal of no more than two pages describing their project and include a curriculum vita, resume, and/or bio. WWI Board Members and UM librarians sit on the selection committee.

Application deadline: Sept 21, 2023

Please send inquiries and applications to:

World Wings International, Inc. Creative Grant
c/o Robin Nolasco, Special Collections Librarian
University of Miami Libraries
PO Box 248214
Coral Gables, FL 33124-0320
robinnolasco@miami.edu

(note: the recipient will be announced one month after the deadline and the successful applicant will have until May 2024 fulfill their grant requirement. Please be reminded that this is a travel grant, if the chosen applicant is unable to travel to Miami between October 2023 and May 2024, the award will have to go to the next person).

About World Wings International, Inc. and the University of Miami Libraries

World Wings International, Inc. is the philanthropic organization of former Pan Am flight attendants who seek to maintain the historic Pan Am tradition of global humanitarian assistance, safeguard Pan Am’s place in Aviation History, and promote friendship among its members through cultural and civic activities. For more information about the organization, visit https://worldwingsinternational.net/.

The Special Collections of the University of Miami Libraries preserves and provides access to research materials focusing on the history and culture of Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America. The department also curates the official records of the Pan American World Airways. For more information about the Special Collections of the University of Miami Libraries, visit https://www.library.miami.edu/specialcollections/.

Past Winners

  • 2019: Camille Di Maio, “Come Fly with Me”
  • 2018: Matthew Hollow, “Learning the ‘Pan Am Smile’: The Politics and Gendering of Skills Training with Pan Am, 1945-1991”
  • 2016: Adelina Stefan, “Vacationing in the Cold War: Foreign Tourists to Socialist Romania and Francoist Spain in the 1960s-1970s”
  • 2015: Waleed Hazbun, “The Jet Set Frontier in the Middle East”