Apply Now: Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants Programme (UK)

Deadline: Ongoing

The Art Fund’s Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grant Programme provides funding for travel and other practical costs, to help curators undertake collections and exhibition research projects in the UK or internationally.

Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants support UK curators, museum professionals and researchers to undertake travel and other activities that will extend and develop their curatorial expertise, collections-based knowledge and art historical interests.

Through this scheme they aim to help individuals realise their curatorial ambitions, by offering grants for collections-based research and curatorial development opportunities. In all their grant making, Art Fund is committed to delivering public benefit, and they achieve this through supporting the development of museum collections so they are well presented and readily available for the public to appreciate and enjoy.

Funding Information

They are able to offer grants totalling approximately £75,000 annually.
Small Grant: Grant requests of £2,000 or less.
Large Grant: Grant requests of above £2,000.
Grants of £200 to £2,000.
A total of £40,000 is available annually for grant requests at this level. They would anticipate these applications being, in the main, small and discrete grants for travel (e.g. for research projects or visits to galleries/exhibitions/artists’ studios/art fairs), professional training courses, the purchase of books and catalogues, or research expenses.
Grants of £2,001 and above A total of £35,000 will be available annually in three rounds, and it is only in exceptional circumstances that they will offer a grant of more than £5,000.

Eligible Costs

Applications may include requests to support:
- Travel and accommodation for research trips and conferences
- Museum and exhibition visits
- Training courses and programmes of study
- Books and subscriptions to add to a museum’s research resources or library

Ineligible Costs

Purchase or hire of equipment – e.g. computers or related hardware, or cameras
Photographic or reproduction/copyright costs
First-class travel
Research projects being undertaken by undergraduate or postgraduate university students

Eligibility Criteria

The programme is open to curators and other professionals working in museums, galleries and archives that are open to the public.
They recognise the need for new skills, knowledge and research to benefit museum collections for the future, so these grants are also available to researchers, art historians and academics working with museums to improve the use and understanding of their collections. If you are not based in a museum or gallery, they ask that you provide a letter of support from a partner organisation. Please note that grants are paid to the supporting institution and cannot be paid to individuals.
They can consider applications from more than one applicant, and recognise that activities such as research for exhibition development can benefit greatly from collaborative trips, particularly with colleagues across departments. However, they are unlikely to consider applications with more than three joint applicants.
An individual applicant can receive a maximum of one grant per year (small or large). An organisation can receive a maximum of one large grant per year.

Ineligibility Criteria

Applicants who are not employed by, or working with, a UK museum, gallery or arts organisation.

Application Requirements

Provide details of your supporting institution. If you are not based in a museum or gallery they ask that you be supported by an accredited, or provisionally accredited, public collection.
Detail what activities or research you hope to undertake with the grant and how it will further the development of your curatorial expertise and benefit the collections in your care (if relevant).
Provide a budget breakdown and draft itinerary. They understand that plans and timings can change, but this helps them understand fully the activities they are being asked to fund.
Detail which other funding sources you have explored and whether your institution is able to contribute to your project.
Detail where else you are applying for support, and the timescale for decisions on these applications
Provide a one-page CV from each applicant.
If your grant request is for £500 or more, provide a letter of support from the Director (or equivalent) of the museum by which you are employed, or within which you wish to undertake the research project.
Provide any additional supporting documents that may have been requested during your initial conversation with them e.g. images of relevant works in your collection.

Deadlines