Purchase Grand Fund: how to apply for a grant

Eligibility

To receive support from the Purchase Grant Fund, organisations must first meet the Purchase Grant Fund's eligibility criteria. The minimum requirement is that museums are accredited under the ACE scheme and record repositories have adopted The National Archive’s Standard for Record Repositories.

Organisations are assessed when an application is first made and continue to be monitored.

The Fund is unable to support nationally funded organisations, friends’ organisations or other third parties.

A wide range of material, of any date, is eligible for support: archaeological and ethnographical material; objects illustrating social and popular culture, decorative and fine art; rare books; documents and letters with good historical content, estate maps, writers' manuscripts and archival photographs. Items to be commissioned from makers and items to be bought at auction are eligible.

The Fund is unable to consider scientific or technological material which are the remit of the PRISM Fund

Download: Find out more about the Fund’s eligibility criteria (PDF file, 25.8 KB)

Download: Find out more about the housing and displaying of grant aided objects (PDF file, 28 KB)

Download: Find out more about the care of manuscripts and archives (PDF file, 31.4 KB)

Download: Find out more about due diligence (PDF file, 33.1 KB)

Money matters

• The budget for 2011-12 is £600,000.
• The minimum purchase price is £500 and the maximum £500,000.
• Grants may be up to 50% of the purchase price.
• There is no limit to the number of applications which may be submitted.
• It is unlikely that any organisation will receive more than £40,000 in any one year.
• Local financial commitment is essential. Up to £5 of grant aid may be given for each £1 of locally raised funding. The balance may be sought from other grant giving bodies which operate nationally.

Process

Applicants must discuss the potential purchase with staff so we can offer tailored advice on an application and judge likely demand on the Fund's increasingly limited resources.

• If the item is to be sold at auction, you must discuss potential applications immediately. Do not wait until the other details are confirmed.
• An application form will be sent electronically after the initial discussion.
• Applications may be submitted at any time and decisions are normally given within 4 weeks of receiving all necessary information.
• Allocations are made weekly or, for larger purchases, monthly.
• Resources are limited and not all deserving cases will be successful. Applicants must therefore argue the significance of the proposed purchase in the context of their permanent collections as strongly as possible.

Download: Information leaflet (PDF file, 53.5 KB)

Download: Handy hints on making a good application (PDF file, 24.6 KB)

Download: Information on acknowledging the Fund’s support (PDF file, 26.3 KB)

Contact

All enquiries and requests for forms and should be made to the V&A UK section
Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 2536
Email: purchasegrantfund@vam.ac.uk