Collaborative Project Grants

The purpose of this grant is to enable collaboration and encourage innovative partnerships and dialogue between parties who might not otherwise easily come together. Projected outcomes of the Collaborative Project Grant could include a series of workshops or conferences, a publication, an exhibition, a digital project or the submission of a collaborative research project proposal to a major funding body.

The PMC is an educational charity that champions new ways of understanding British art history and culture. Through all areas of our work, including our Grants and Fellowships programme, we promote activities that enhance and expand knowledge of British art and architecture. As an institution, we pledge ourselves to ensuring that the histories of British art are enriched and made more relevant to a broader range of people in the future. The inclusion of voices, narratives and experiences that have been marginalised or excluded in the past will have a transformational impact on the future of the Centre and upon British art studies. Accordingly, the PMC particularly welcomes applications from those who are under-represented within the academic field of the humanities in the UK.

Collaborative Project Grants are offered for up to a maximum of £40,000 to cover the full length of the project. Applications for less than £40,000 are also eligible.

The application must nominate one institution or applicant as the administrative lead. The awarded funds will be paid to this institution as a lump sum.

The grant is designed to cover the cost of the project participants’ research, travel, accommodation and meetings, and to help fund scholarly gatherings such as workshops, seminars and conferences. It cannot be used to cover staff costs, equipment, or costs associated with the practical dimensions of publication or exhibition making.

Our funding programme supports research, educational activities and the dissemination of knowledge in the fields of British art and architectural history, from the medieval period to the present day and across the spectrum of relevant geographical and cultural contexts. Our remit is broadly defined and adapts as the interests of those working in our field change. It encompasses art made in Britain or by British artists, but is not solely limited to art made, or artists from, within the geographical boundaries of the British isles. Rather we understand the field of British art studies to encompass a broad range of subjects and topics related to the artistic and cultural histories of Britain, past and present.

We do not offer grants and fellowships in field archaeology, the current practice of architecture or the performing arts. Applications in the fields of photography, performance, film and digital media will need to demonstrate their relevance to British art studies.

Applications are open to international as well as UK institutions.

For further questions on eligibility please contact the Grants & Fellowships Manager at [email protected].

Collaborative Project Grants are offered in our autumn round of funding.

The Autumn 2023 round of funding is closed. Next round: Autumn 2024.

To apply for a Collaborative Project Grant, you must use our online system at grants.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk. Once registered you will be able to fill out the online application form (an example of which can be downloaded below) and provide the details of two referees. Once the application is submitted, we will contact the nominated referees with details on how they can submit their references which must be completed through our online system and must be no more than five hundred words.

Referees should have first-hand knowledge of the applicant’s academic career and the subject area for which funding is being sought. The Advisory Council would like to be informed of the originality of the subject matter and the applicant’s suitability to pursue such research. We do not accept references from individuals who are directly involved in the project or individuals who are affiliated with the institution (employee, trustee etc.) unless it is a large institution, such as a university, and the individual is not personally associated with the project. If you have any questions about your choice of referee, please email the Grants & Fellowships Manager at [email protected].

Applications and nominated referee details must be received by the application deadline; referees have an extra seven days after the deadline to submit their references.

• Due to the large amount of funding offered, institutions should provide a comprehensive budget and detailed schedule of activity within the application (including proposals of meetings, visits, workshops etc.).

• The applicant is expected to set out how the collaboration has arisen and how it will result in original and innovative research.

• The participating institutions must provide details of the expected outcomes of the project in the application.

• On completion the recipients must submit a comprehensive written report: this would typically be around 500 words (1 page) but may be longer if required. The report should detail the research and activity undertaken during the funded period as well and how the supported work fits in to the wider project (if relevant). The report must be submitted within three months of the completed project, this will then be shared with the Advisory Council. If there are any further future outcomes of the project outside of the funding period (eg. publication, exhibition academic papers) then the recipient should send the details of these to the Grants and Fellowships Manager.
• The PMC must be acknowledged where relevant and guidelines on this will be provided to all successful applicants.