Our 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.

The grants can support, for example:

• UK and international travel and accommodation for research trips and conferences
• training courses and programmes of study (including online)
• subscriptions, for example archive subscriptions
• other kinds of activity where a strong case can be made for its contribution to the development of curatorial skills and collections-based research projects

Please note that the last large grant (£2,001+) application deadline for 2020 has passed.

Who should apply

The programme is open to curators and other museum professionals, including researchers and academics, who are:

• employed by or working in partnership with museums and galleries that hold at least provisional accreditation, or with arts organisations which have charitable status and regularly programme exhibitions

If you are not based in a museum or gallery we ask that you provide a letter of support from a fully or provisionally accredited public collection. Please note that grants are paid to the supporting institution and cannot be paid to individuals.

We can consider applications from more than one applicant and we recognise that activities such as research for exhibition development can benefit from collaborative trips, particularly with colleagues across departments. However, we are unlikely to consider applications with more than three joint applicants.

Credits and acknowledgments

This programme was established with the support of Jonathan Ruffer and Anthony Mould, who share our belief in the importance of developing curatorial skills and supporting serious research.

COVID-19 Update (30/10/20)

We are committed to supporting our museum network during this hugely challenging time. The Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants are still open. Despite travel restrictions the fund can still be used for UK travel, courses, online learning, conferences, subscriptions and more which support the development of curatorial skills and research. We are happy to discuss projects which may fall outside the criteria specified in our guidance for applicants. Please get in touch if you are interested in applying.