PSSC was established in 1968 through the efforts of social science stalwarts, namely, Dr. Mercedes Concepcion, Fr. Frank Lynch, Dr. Cristina Parel, Dr. Eufronio Alip and Dr. Armand Fabella, who constituted the first Executive Board of PSSC. They embraced the idea of an umbrella organization for the social sciences put forward by Dr. Estafania Aldaba-Lim of the Social and Human Sciences Committee of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines in line with UNESCO’s global thrust of tapping learned social science societies to address contemporary issues and challenges.

The early years of PSSC were spent building the institutional and financial capability of the organization. PSSC forerunners framed PSSC’s constitution/by-laws, established linkages and worked to secure funding support. The Ford Foundation, Asia Foundation and the National Science Development Board were among the first agencies to recognize PSSC’s potential and provided grants for PSSC’s newly-established programs.

In the mid-70s, following its success in program implementation, PSSC clinched endowment grants from the Ford Foundation and the National Economic and Development Authority, giving the organization a measure of financial independence and stability. In 1983, PSSC operations further received a boost when the Government of Japan gifted PSSC with its own home, the Philippine Social Science Center, which was envisioned to be the hub of social science activities and events in the country.

PSSC’s mission, from the very beginning, has been to advance Philippine social sciences and at the same time, serve as a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and activities. Early programs of PSSC reflected this thrust, such as the thesis and dissertation assistance grants, research training project, travel and seminars program and social science research fund. Towards the 80s, PSSC’s leadership saw the need to expand its mandate amid the turmoil and complex challenges faced by Philippine society. It began the quinquennial National Social Science Congress and regularized the holding of public lectures and social issues forums designed to engage the public and private sectors in national program and policy discussions. PSSC strengthened its fellowships and scholarship grant administration at the start of 2000.

The Council was tapped by various international and local foundations and agencies to administer grants and scholarships in the country. The Ford Foundation sought PSSC’s partnership to implement the Foundation’s International Fellowships Program (IFP), while the Asian Scholarships Foundation in Bangkok similarly asked the Council to administer its ASIA Fellowships Awards (AFA) in the Philippines. Locally, the Philippine Center for Population and Development (PCPD) tapped PSSC to implement the PCPD Graduate Fellowship and Research Grant Program.

PSSC continues to be of service to the social sciences community by giving financial support to its member-organizations in holding their national conferences; provides supplementary funds for the conduct of research and conference presentation abroad; organizes training workshops on timely and relevant topics; and recently, established the Social Science Ethics Review Board (SSERB) that promotes ethical standards and practices in social science research.

Today, PSSC is one of the country’s longest running and financially viable non-profit organizations. It has carved its niche as a base for developing social science scholarship and training, and repository of social science resources in the country