How to apply

This programme can fund public sector bodies, registered charities, and other not-for-profit organisations. Eligible not-for-profits include those that are regulated by the Charity Commission, including Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), Charitable Trusts, and Companies Limited by Guarantee (as long as they have charitable status and are regulated by the Charity Commission). We cannot fund profit-making organisations or private individuals.

We can fund any of the above eligible organisations in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The funded collection must also be held in these countries. We cannot fund organisations based in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, or organisations whose collections are held outside of the UK.

We use the definition of an archive collection as given within the Archive Service Accreditation Scheme:

“Materials created or received by a person, family or organisation, public or private, in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of the enduring value contained in them or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator, especially those materials maintained using the principles of provenance, original order and collective control; permanent records.”

Society of American Archivists

Funded organisations must make their collections accessible to people outside of their organisation for at least ten years, following the conclusion of the grant-funded project. We can fund organisations with owned or deposited collections, providing they can provide a commitment from the depositor that the collection will not be withdrawn from public access or sold within ten years of the project end date. We reserve the right to reclaim funding, where this condition is not met.

There are no restrictions on past applicants applying, however our data shows that reapplications are no more likely to receive funding than first-time applications. Before asking the panel to consider a collection for the second time, you should discuss your proposed project with the Grants and Funding team at The National Archives. There is no restriction on institutions submitting an application for a different collection than that previously assessed.