Conservation treatment of a paper document
Guide for applicants
Introduction
Guide for applicants
How to apply
Who is eligible to apply?
a. Record offices, libraries and other similar publicly funded institutions including local authority, university and specialist record repositories, and
b. owners of manuscript material which is conditionally exempt from capital taxation or owned by a charitable trust provided that
- Reasonable access is allowed to members of the public
- Suitable storage conditions are available
- There is a firm commitment to continuing good preservation practice
- Assurances are given for the reimbursement of the grant in the event of subsequent disposal of the material for which it has been made
Applications cannot be accepted from institutions directly funded by the government. The custodian of a deposited collection may apply for funding jointly with the owner.
What material is eligible for grant aid?
Manuscripts, documents or archives which are:
- The property of the applicant or required by law to be deposited on loan with the applicant (e.g. parish records under the Parochial Records and Records Measure 1978) and
- Of a national importance or significance which deserves special conservation treatment beyond the applicant's normal resources
The following types of material are not eligible:
- Public records within the meaning of the Public Records Acts
- The official archives of the institution or authority applying for a grant (older records, particularly if they are unusual or unique survivals, may however qualify for consideration)
- Loan collections falling outside the terms of sub-paragraph (b) above
- Photographic material
- Audio-visual material
- Printed material
The trustees are prepared to be flexible and each application is considered on its own merits. Any custodian or owner who is unsure whether a collection falls within the remit of the trust's terms and conditions is encouraged to contact the secretary for further advice and an informal discussion.
How much grant aid is available?
Subject to fund being available, grants will normally match the applicant's contribution and will not normally exceed 50% of the total estimated cost. Projects will normally be supported for no more than three years. Grants are not normally considered for projects costing less than £1,000.
In appropriate circumstances loans may be applied for or offered under the same conditions as grants.
What costs will grants cover?
- Grants will be made towards the cost of repair, binding and other preservation measures, including reprography.
- Grants may cover the cost of contract preservation and conservation or the salaries and related expenses of staff specially employed for the project and expendable materials required for the project. They are not intended to cover capital costs or equipment.
- Grants towards the cost of arranging and listing manuscripts will normally only be available for making inventories or summary lists as the first stage in conservation.
Further examples of the range, scope and extent of grants awarded are given here and in the trust's latest annual report, which is available on request from the secretary. VAT on project costs may be included in the grant if the applicant is unable to reclaim VAT charges.
Details required in the project description
The institution
- Brief details of the history of the institution applying for the grant
- Its objectives and subject scope, and any restrictions on use (e.g. members only); its relationship to other similar institutions and collections; times when open to members of the public.
- Details of the annual income and expenditure of the institution
- Ownership of the material which is the subject of the application
The material
- A description of the material to be preserved, including an explanation of its intrinsic merit and its importance on the national institutional context
- An indication of the present and expected use of the material
- A description of the conditions in which the material is, or will be housed (e.g. type of shelving, temperature and humidity controls, security arrangements)
- If a large project is proposed, or if more than one type of material is included in the application, an indication of the relative priority of each part of the work
- A description of the present condition of the material
The project
- Statement of how any grant made will be spent, for example on employing temporary staff to do the work; on employing temporary staff to relieve permanent staff so that they can do the work; on external contractors, etc.
- A description of the work it is intended to carry out. This must include details of the form of conservation proposed, technical specifications and detailed estimates from at least one conservator in which full consideration is given to the intended future use, and the known value of the items. If staff are to be specially employed for the project, it should include details of salaries to be paid, superannuation and national insurance costs, and the costs of materials. A breakdown of costs for each year of the project should also be provided.
- A note of the relevant qualifications and experience of any people who will be specially employed
- A timetable for the project, including a breakdown of the costs for each year if relevant, giving the date on which it is hoped to begin and finish the work, if known
- Estimated total cost of the work
Funding
- The contribution that will be made by the applicant
- Details of any committed contributions from other sources
- Details of any related applications to other funding bodies
- Amount sought in grant aid from the trust
- Explanation of why work cannot be paid for from the applicant's own resources
Additional information
- Any other relevant information. This may include the name of any experts who have been consulted. A copy of any reports which they have produced should be enclosed.
Conditions of grant
Before offering a grant, the awarding committee will take advice from experts in the British Library, the National Archives : Historical Manuscripts Commission, the National Libraries of Wales or Scotland or other appropriate outside bodies on the importance of the material involved, the appropriateness of the application, the proposed form of conservation, and the conditions under which the material will be kept and used. This will normally involve a visit to inspect the material.
On approval of the project and acceptance by the applicant of the general and any special conditions of grant (see below), 50% of the grant will be paid. Payment of the remainder will be conditional on the receipt of a satisfactory final report, but applications may be made for interim payments on submission of progress reports at six monthly intervals.
All grants are subject to the following general conditions of grant and to any special conditions which may be given in the letter of grant:
- That the material will not be dispersed at a later date without the prior approval of the trustees
- That in the event of the sale of all or any of the material for which a grant has been made, or its withdrawal from reasonable public access, the amount of the grant, adjusted for inflation according to the retail price index, must be reimbursed to the trust
- That the trustees or their representatives may inspect the manuscripts in question at any stage from the submission of the application to the completion of the conservation work
- That payment of the final part of the grant will only be made on receipt of a satisfactory final report from the applicant on the progress of the project, which should provide an account of how the money has been spent and summarise the background to the application, problems encountered in carrying out the work, the solutions adopted, and the benefits to the applicant of the grant awarded. Reports must be submitted to the administrator in paper and electronic form.
- That, whenever possible, copies of "before" and "after" photographs should be provided to illustrate how an award has been used. These photographs may be used in future trust publicity material.
Acknowledgement of grant aid
The trustees wish to draw the attention of potential new donors and applicants to the work of the trust, and they encourage all successful applicants to publicise their projects and the trust's role by means of a press release to newspapers, radio and television stations.
All applications, requests for application forms or free copies of the most recent annual report, and all enquiries, should be addressed to:
The Administrator
The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust
C/o The National Archives
Kew, Surrey
TW9 4DU
