Community Hub: Bursaries

The Spaces, Places and Belonging Community Hub is led by The National Archives in partnership with Leeds Museums & Galleries, the National Library of Wales, and the Community Archives & Heritage Group.

The programme aims to respond to the long-standing challenge of how “to make innovation and learning from community-facing projects more sustainable, transferable, and accessible” in the UK’s GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) and heritage sectors. Through a supportive funding structure and wider development programme, it aims to help communities and organisations share their work more widely and contribute to a growing body of knowledge that others can learn from and build upon.

Our Bursaries scheme will offer grants of up to £1,000 for individuals seeking to grow their expertise in community heritage work. It is open to practitioners at any stage of their journey and is designed to support a wide range of professional development activities. Bursaries are designed to be accessible and responsive, helping to build confidence and capability across the UK, particularly among those who may not have had access to such opportunities before.

Eligible costs could include:

• Course or workshop fees (in-person or online)
• Travel and accommodation costs related to training
• Mentoring or coaching sessions
• Attendance at conferences or sector events
• Materials or resources needed for learning (e.g. books, toolkits)
• Costs associated with shadowing/placements in GLAM orgs.

Our aim is to support practical, meaningful development opportunities that build confidence and capability in community heritage work.

The scheme will be offered on a rolling basis and will be assessed quarterly. You can find more information on how to apply, eligibility criteria and assessment of applications on our How to Apply pages.

If you have any questions about the Bursaries scheme, either contact Sophie Anstee de Mas, our Community Hub Manager, or book in a 30 minute consultation with a member of the Community Hub team.