Deadline: 07-Nov-2025
The British Library is requesting applications for its Endangered Archives Programme to preserve cultural heritage and make it available to as wide an audience as possible.
The Programme is funded by Arcadia, a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge. It invites applications to identify, digitise and make available online material on any theme or aspect of culture from any part of the world outside the UK, Western Europe or North America. Grants are offered on the condition that the original material is not removed from the country of origin and the digital materials created by the project are held and maintained by local Archival Partners.
The Programme provides financial support covering salaries, professional fees, equipment, travel, and training, with all payments made in GBP. It offers three grant types: Pilot projects (up to 12 months, £15,000) for preliminary surveys or small-scale digitisation; Major projects (up to 24 months, £60,000) for digitising and cataloguing collections; and Area projects (up to 24 months, £150,000) for large-scale initiatives requiring proven archival expertise and institutional capacity.
Applicants may apply to only one of the Arcadia-funded programmes per round. Projects involving the same Principal Applicant or Co-applicants, digitising materials from the same collection, or from the same institution relying on the same project team will not be eligible for concurrent funding. Applicants with collections including substantial material from before and after the mid-20th century can apply to both programmes for related projects but in different application years. Projects funded by one must be completed before applying to the other.
Before applying, applicants must ensure that all stakeholders, including Archival Partners, archive owners or custodians, and other institutions, are aware of the application. A senior representative from the Host Institution must be familiar with the Grant Agreement and authorised to sign it without alteration. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their applications with the EAP team or attend a webinar.
Applications are evaluated against three broad criteria: the Content of the archive, the Project team, and the Project plan. Under Content of archive, applicants must demonstrate endangerment, research value, appropriate location and age of material, and adherence to legal and ethical rights.
Under Project team, applicants must show relevant experience, skills, and knowledge within the team. Under Project plan, they must present a feasible and well-structured proposal addressing logistics, local capacity building, and budget justification. The plan should also outline post-project activities, including equipment usage and training application for future initiatives.
The deadline for applications is 7 November 2025.
For more information, visit British Library.
