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Programme Overview

The Engagement Grants Programme offers grants of up to £3,000 for organisations to conduct outreach and engagement projects that will connect archives with their communities in places across England and Wales.

Our engagement grants are often responsive to cultural events and days of national importance. Each opportunity is advertised on our website, Twitter and Jisc mailing list.

Last year, grant applications were based on the concept of ‘Community‘. The theme for 25/26 will be announced later this year, but you can find out more about the previous round below.

Programme context

As part of our leadership role for the archives sector in England and Wales, and to deliver Archives Unlocked, the Government’s vision for archives, we provide grants for skills, innovation and engagement in the archives sector.

Our approach to our leadership role is a collaborative one: supporting partnerships and working to encourage a sustainable and innovative sector. We want to prepare the archives sector for the future in an uncertain world. We will invest in:

  • the skills of the archives sector workforce
  • research to lead innovation in technology and archival practice
  • engagement to connect archives with changing societies in places across England and Wales

Each year we look for applications that are accessible, inspiring and inclusive for audiences. Projects can be based at your archive service or involve outreach work with your collections.

Previous Rounds

2024-2025

The theme for the latest application round was ‘Community’. We asked applicants to consider their collections, and how they could use them to engage with new and existing audiences and in new and creative ways, to explore ideas relating to ‘Community’. Whether that be communities formed around place, practice, interest or circumstance, we wanted to see applications that reflected the way in which communities connected and united us, and did so in a way that is inclusive of all.

Archives have an important and unique role in bringing people closer together to explore stories of people, places and events that have defined our shared history.

2023-2024

Applications to the first round of Engagement Grants were based on the idea and concept of ‘place’.

You can read about all awarded projects on our Current and Past projects pages.