Context and Scope
Archives Revealed is the only grant programme in the United Kingdom (UK) dedicated to the unlocking of archival collections. The programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives. The goal of Archives Revealed is to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspective of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.
Scoping Grants provide funding for independent consultants to ‘scope’ a collection. Scoping of a collection provides an overview report – it is not a substitute or replacement for a full item-by-item catalogue, but can be amongst the first steps needed to successfully manage and create access to your collection. The Scoping Grant report is envisioned to be a document that you will be able to use strategically, to plan next steps in the management of your collection and advocate internally and externally for support for your project.
You may be interested in applying for a Scoping Grant if the following statements apply to your collection:
- You have a collection that you believe has the potential to be of public benefit.
- You are unsure of the most effective way to target your resources, to realise the potential impact of your collection.
- You will be able to ensure free public access to the collection in the future – either directly or in collaboration with another organisation.
- You would like to develop a plan to move towards a cataloguing project or would like to scope the potential of the collection for a cataloguing project.
- You are keen to understand how your collection might be used to engage with new or existing audiences for your archives.
Each Scoping Grant usually funds six days of consultancy, with three days spent with the collection and three on report-writing and revisions. Archives Revealed recognises that there is significant diversity in the nature, collections and needs of organisations applying for a Scoping Grant – therefore we encourage all grantees to discuss their specific circumstances with shortlisted consultants, before starting a project. Usually, a Scoping Grant report will contain at least the following information about the management and development of your collection:
- an overview of the current status of the collection;
- analysis of its overall condition, significance, existing and potential use, levels of access, and existing documentation;
- a conclusion, with recommendations about next steps and development goals for the service.
Further details on the typical contents of a scoping report are outlined in the section below.
Programme Overview
Archives Revealed’s Scoping Grant programme provides grants for the scoping of archival collections, that are assessed to be of public interest. A Scoping Grant funds an independent consultant to conduct a collection assessment (scoping) report, which should be complete within a year from the grant award date.
The aims of the Scoping Grant programme are:
- To enable grantees to develop a better understanding of the content of their collection;
- To enable grantees to strategically prioritise the development of their collection;
- To enable grantees to advocate for the development of their service;
- To enable grantees to prepare an effective case for support when applying for funding.
- To enable grantees to plan for better access, audience development and engagement.
The Archives Revealed team will be available to support grantees in selecting and working with consultants. The Archives Revealed team maintains a list of independent expert consultants, and when an applicant is awarded a Scoping Grant, they will be given the opportunity to have their project offered to consultants on this list, and to be connected to interested consultants who will advise of their availability and how the project matches their skills, specialisms and geographic proximity. Grantees will be provided with guidance sheets on selecting and contracting a consultant, and on preparing your collection for assessment, when being awarded a grant.
For consultants interested in applying to join the Archives Revealed consultant database, please contact the Archives Revealed team for an application form. You will be asked for at least two references and two examples of recent works as part of the application process. Should a grantee wish to work with a consultant not on the approved list, this is possible with approval from the Archives Revealed team. Please contact the Archives Revealed team at archivegrants@nationalarchives.gov.uk if you are interested in joining the consultant register or have any questions about consultant selection.
The structure and content of the report will be focused on meeting the needs of the archive which has been awarded a Scoping Grant, and will be agreed before starting between the consultant and the archive service. However, we expect that organisations applying for Scoping Grants are likely to require guidance and advice on a number of key areas, including:
Overview of collection: an overview of the collection in its existing state. This might cover extent (measured in cubic meters or GB/TB), storage, provenance, ownership, management, skills available in the organisation, and extent of commitment of financial resource to the collection in question. This could also cover the extent of appraisal and sorting that has taken place on the collection to date.
Condition: top-level analysis of the condition of the collection, or more detailed analysis if a qualified conservator forms part of the scoping team.
Access: analysis of the extent to which the collection is physically accessible, or digitally accessible.
Appraisal: assessment of whether further appraisal needs to take place on the collection, to refine the content and streamline required storage.
Arrangement: analysis of the arrangement of the collection and whether any re-arrangement is needed.
Documentation/cataloguing: information about any listing, cataloguing, associated metadata or other documentation that is available, and an assessment of the standard of those lists, catalogues, metadata or documentation.
Use/potential research: an analysis of the significance of the content of the collection, and an analysis of the potential for use, research or engagement opportunities with the collections.
Potential for public engagement: an assessment of the collection’s potential for public engagement, including its prospective audiences, their requirements, and recommendations for potential methods of engagement, participation and outreach centred upon the scoped collection.
Next steps and recommendations: Recommendations detailing what might be an appropriate goal for the collection, and next steps for how an organisation might achieve that goal. This could also cover recommendations for other funding opportunities they can explore, to implement some of those recommendations – such as Archives Revealed Cataloguing Grants.
If you have any questions about Archives Revealed Scoping Grants, please contact us via email: archivegrants@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
To apply for a Scoping Grant, please complete this online application form.