In 1989, The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage established a Community Scholars Program as a Summer Folklore Institute. Community scholars are generally local documentors, presenters, and conservators of culture repositories of knowledge and insight who are not formally trained in cultural studies. This program brings together community or lay scholars with academic and public-sector colleagues to share ideas about their work. An institute on a chosen topic is held for several weeks during the time of the Festival. Community scholars come to Washington as institute fellows to discuss their work, meet with public officials, increase skills, examine and critique institutional activities, and become familiar with larger networks of people and organizations. Fellows return home more knowledgeable of the support potentially available to them and their work. 

See the Educator Resources area of this site for information on oral history kits and community research guides.