Paul Mellon Centre Curatorial Research Fellow
Curatorial Research Grants are offered annually to institutions, galleries or museums to help towards the costs of appointing a research curator to undertake research for a specific project.
The grant is an award of up to £40,000 to cover the full length of the research project.
The PMC is an educational charity that champions new ways of understanding British art history and culture. Through all areas of our work, including our Grants & Fellowships programme, we promote activities that enhance and expand knowledge of British art and architecture. As an institution, we pledge ourselves to ensuring that the histories of British art are enriched and made more relevant to a broader range of people in the future. The inclusion of voices, narratives and experiences that have been marginalised or excluded in the past will have a transformational impact on the future of the Centre and upon British art studies. Accordingly, the PMC particularly welcomes applications from those who are under-represented within the academic field of the humanities in the UK.
Scope
Curatorial Research Grants are specifically designed to help institutions, galleries or museums towards the costs of appointing a research curator to undertake research for either:
- an exhibition or installation of British art or architecture, or related topic
- a cataloguing project on part of a collection or archive that will result in a printed or online catalogue
Alternatively, an institution may apply for a Curatorial Research Grant to provide replacement staff costs and give temporary cover for a curatorial staff member to work on a specific exhibition or cataloguing project.
Applications for the support of part-time curatorial researchers are also welcome.
Funding
Curatorial Research Grants are offered for up to a maximum of £40,000 to cover the full length of the project. Applications for less than £40,000 are also eligible.
The award will be paid directly to the institution as a lump sum only.
The institution should give details of any financial support already in place or funding expected, or being sought, from other sources.
Eligibility
Our funding programme supports research, educational activities and the dissemination of knowledge in the fields of British art and architectural history, from the medieval period to the present day and across the spectrum of relevant geographical and cultural contexts. Our remit is broadly defined and adapts as the interests of those working in our field change. It encompasses art made in Britain or by British artists, but is not solely limited to art made, or artists from, within the geographical boundaries of the British isles. Rather we understand the field of British art studies to encompass a broad range of subjects and topics related to the artistic and cultural histories of Britain, past and present.
We do not offer grants and fellowships in field archaeology, the current practice of architecture or the performing arts. Applications in the fields of photography, performance, film and digital media will need to demonstrate their relevance to British art studies.
If you are unsure whether you are eligible then please contact the Grants & Fellowships Manager at grants@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk to discuss further.
Applications are open to international as well as UK institutions.
The grant is designed to cover the wages of a researcher; it is not to be used for other costs related to staging a curatorial project such as loans or equipment.
Only one Curatorial Research Grant application per institution will be considered each year.
For further questions on eligibility please contact the Grants & Fellowships Manager at grants@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk.
Application
Curatorial Research Grants are offered in our autumn round of funding.
The Autumn 2023 round of funding is now open. The closing date is Friday 6th October at 11:59pm.
To apply for a Curatorial Research Grant you must use our online system at grants.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk. Once registered you will be able to fill out the online application form (an example of which can be downloaded below) and provide the details of two referees. The option to provide the referee details will be available once the application is submitted. We will then contact the nominated referees with details on how they can submit their references which must be completed through our online system and must be no more than five hundred words.
Referees ideally should have specialist knowledge of the topic and subject matter and/or have first-hand knowledge of the nominated research curator’s academic career. The Advisory Council would like to be informed of the originality of the subject matter and the applicant’s suitability to pursue such research. We do not accept references from individuals who are directly involved in the project or individuals who are affiliated with the institution (employee, trustee etc.) unless it is a large institution, such as a university, and the individual is not personally associated with the project. If you have any questions about your choice of referee, please email the Grants & Fellowships Manager at grants@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk.
Applications and nominated referee details must be received by the application deadline; referees have an extra ten days after the deadline to submit their references.
Requirements
- Due to the large amount of funding offered, institutions should provide a comprehensive and detailed timeline and budget in their application.
- The institution must provide details of the expected outcomes of the project in the application. Curatorial research might result in an exhibition (physical or virtual), an exhibition catalogue, or a printed or online catalogue of part of a collection/archive.
- The institution must provide annual reports on the project’s progress until completion and a final report six months after the project has been completed.
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