Grants for the Archaeology and Art History of the Roman Empire & Roman Britain

The Roman Research Trust and Roman Society have formed one grant-giving body for the archaeology and art history of the Roman Empire and Roman Britain, drawing on the Audrey Barrie Brown Memorial Fund and Donald Atkinson Fund.  All correspondence in relation to the application process should be directed to the Secretary of the Roman Society (office@romansociety.org).

Audrey Barrie Brown Memorial Fund

The Board of Trustees of the Roman Research Trust (founded in 1989) has income available to dispense as grants, the major part of which is derived from a capital sum bequeathed by the late Mrs. Audrey Barrie Brown and established as the Audrey Barrie Brown Memorial Fund. This fund is focused towards research projects in the archaeology of the Romano-British period, educational programmes including conferences and outreach events, and publications. Awards from this Fund are restricted to Roman Britain. The funds available are usually between £20,000 and £25,000.

Donald Atkinson Fund

The Fund was established out of a legacy from Donald Atkinson. It offers financial assistance towards undertakings or activities which further the scholarly purposes of the Roman Society: this Fund is not restricted to Roman Britain. The funds available are usually around £9,000.

Guidelines

Applications are limited to a maximum of £10,000 from the Audrey Barrie Brown Fund, and are normally limited to £2,000 from the Donald Atkinson Fund. Individuals may not make more than one application in any year. The Funds Committee has decided to focus its support from 2014 as follows:

Applications are particularly welcome for:

• Contributions to small research costs (not over £500) by PhD and junior researchers (including to speak at conferences) where institutional funding is unavailable or insufficient.
• Excavations involving local archaeological societies, or with engagement with the local community or schools.
• Post-excavation work on small finds, or conservation work needed in urgent (non-routine) circumstances.
• Applications for one-year funding that further develops projects previously supported by the Donald Atkinson or Audrey Barrie Brown grant funds.

Applications will not be considered for:

• Research activities of PhD students which are integral to their thesis and should be covered by their Universities.
• Conference attendance if the applicant is not giving a paper.
• Salaries of persons holding existing appointments (grants for the cost of additional staff may be considered for named individuals in exceptional circumstances).

How to apply

Please ensure that you follow the instructions very closely and include all the specified information. Give a concise and clear outline of the project, including publication plans if relevant. In your description of your project, please provide as much detail as possible about the specific activities for which funding is sought. Provide a timetable for particular activities and explain how they contribute to the overall project. You will need to make a strong case for the importance of the proposed activities, specifying how the outcomes will make a contribution with regard to research, education, personal development, public outreach, etc. as appropriate. Costings need to be detailed and realistic. Please declare any other applications for the same project.

Please also read the additional guidance here.

Completed applications should be sent by email to the Roman Society: office@romansociety.org

As the applications will be read online by the grant funding committee, electronic copies are essential and unfortunately hard copies cannot be accepted.

Download an application form here.

References

Applications for amounts over £500 require two references; applications for amounts up to and including £500 require one reference. Postgraduate students may use their supervisor; all other applicants must choose referees from outside their institution and who are not connected with the proposed project. At least one referee must be professionally active in a relevant field. Referees should not themselves be applying in the same grant round or participating on the grant award committee. References must be sent by email directly to the Society by the referee: office@romansociety.org. It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that references are submitted by the deadline.

Deadline

The deadline for receipt by the Society of applications and references is 31 January in any year. Late applications, and applications lacking references, will not be considered. The outcomes will be notified to applicants within two months of the submission date. Any offer of a grant will normally be considered to have lapsed if a satisfactory response has not been received from the successful applicant within six months of the offer being made.

Report

Successful applicants should submit a prompt and brief report (maximum 500 words) on their use of the grant, together with a financial statement and a short paragraph on the project suitable for web site dissemination, which must reach the Secretary of the Roman Society by the next 31 January at the latest. If no report is received, no future application from that applicant will be considered.