Paul Mellon Centre

Paul Mellon Centre is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 313838).

The Paul Mellon Centre exists to advance education in, and appreciation and understanding of, British art, supporting scholarship, academic and curatorial research, and the dissemination of knowledge in British art and architectural history through publication, digitisation and programming. It was founded to promote the study of British art history. The Centre says it awards around £1 million each year to research projects in British art, visual culture and architectural history. Its grants for organisations include Research Project Grants, Exhibition Publication Grants, Event Support Grants, Conservation Grants and Digitisation Grants.

Priority Areas

The Centre’s organisational grants support original, rigorous research into British art, architecture and visual culture, with a clear historical and critical dimension and a contribution to the study and interpretation of the field. Its expansive approach spans the medieval period to the present and includes global histories and contexts. Eligible applicants include institutions, nonprofits, publishers and other entities with a dedicated business account; opportunities are open to international applicants. Grants support ambitious, sustained research and the dissemination of findings through exhibition publications, events and programming, as well as conservation research or digitisation of organisations’ own collections. The Centre values robust methods, original insights, dialogue and shared endeavours, and assesses scholarly rigour, originality, timeliness, need, feasibility, inclusion, impact, value for money and environmental impact.

Themes

• British art
• Architecture
• Visual culture

Geographic Focus

International.

Organisations submit applications through the grants system while a funding round is open. Sample application forms are available on the relevant funding opportunity webpage.

Deadlines: The autumn application deadline is 30 September and the spring deadline is 31 January.

Application windows:

• The autumn round closes on 30 September.
• The spring round closes on 31 January.
• The next funding round opens on 30 November.

Who can apply:

• Organisations, institutions, nonprofits, publishers or other entities which hold a dedicated business account.
• All organisations must provide proof of legal registration.

What to send:

• Proof of legal registration.
• A governing document or equivalent proof.

Applying again: Whether successful or unsuccessful, you are welcome to apply in future rounds of funding opportunities. If seeking to apply again for the same project, alterations and improvements to the application form are advised.

What the charity says:

• The Advisory Council considers academic rigour.
• It considers originality and distinctness in the context of current scholarship.
• It values contribution to scholarship in the longer term.
• It considers timeliness when a project is connected with a particular moment or opportunity.
• It considers support for work in a geographical or cultural context it has not previously supported.
• It considers need, including whether the research would be unlikely to go ahead without this support.
• It values impact and inclusion, including work that brings in voices or reaches people not previously represented in British art studies.
• It considers feasibility and application quality, including clear, thorough information and a credible plan for completing the project as proposed.
• It considers value for money, environmental impact and whether the budget is realistic and appropriate.