Council for British Archaeology

Registered charity 287815 · since 1983archaeologyuk.org·England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Your work fits best if it is archaeological research or public participation in archaeology linked to the CBA's charitable objectives, as its stated criteria put it.
Grants are small: the stated single-programme ceilings run from up to £250 in CBA East to up to £1,000 in CBA East Midlands, CBA South Midlands and CBA Wessex, so a modest request suits.
Each regional scheme has its own area, and projects outside that area are excluded, so check the scheme's limits first; CBA East Midlands and CBA South Midlands also require applicants to be members of the CBA or their local group, and CBA Yorkshire is limited to volunteer groups and individuals.
Watch the timing: CBA East closes on 31 December each year, CBA West Midlands accepts applications only from 1 April to 30 April in grant-giving years, and CBA South Midlands asks for applications at least a week before its next committee meeting.
The annual report gives no readable grants total, and nothing says how competitive the grants are, so the best next step is to read the relevant group's own instructions and ask it directly.

Overview

Council for British Archaeology is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 287815).

The Council for British Archaeology is a charity registered in England and Wales that exists to advance the study and practice of the archaeology of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and to promote public education in it. It was founded as an independent champion for archaeology to combat intense pressure on the historic environment from post-war redevelopment, and it also works to advance public understanding and care of that environment. It runs the Young Archaeologists' Clubs for young people aged 8-16 and the annual Festival of Archaeology, through which 15000+ people discover archaeology for the first time each year. Its five key areas of work are membership, youth engagement, events, publications and communications, and casework and advocacy. Its network's CBA Groups run separate small grant schemes.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The CBA makes grants available to individuals and organisations, when funding allows, for projects meeting its stated criteria for research and/or public participation linked with its charitable objectives. Its network’s CBA Groups run separate small grant schemes supporting archaeological study, aspiring archaeologists and local history projects. Across its wider work, the CBA supports grassroots archaeologists and connects commercial, academic and community groups through a collaborative and inclusive approach. It offers opportunities for people to experience and participate in archaeology through local groups, the Festival of Archaeology and the Young Archaeologists’ Club, while championing care for the historic environment.

Themes

Archaeological research
Public participation in archaeology
Local history projects

Geographic Focus

Great Britain And Northern Ireland.

What they don't fund

CBA East Midlands only: projects outside Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland; applicants who are not a member of the CBA or the CBA East Midlands group
CBA London only: activities that are not non-profit; projects or events that do not relate to the history or archaeology of Greater London
CBA North West only: individuals and groups outside Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside; projects outside the region
CBA South East only: activities or past events that do not relate to Kent, Surrey, or Sussex
CBA South Midlands only: research outside Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, and Oxfordshire; applicants who are not a member of the CBA or the CBA South Midlands group
CBA Wessex only: projects not undertaken within the Wessex Region; projects that do not have regional value
CBA West Midlands only: archaeology projects outside the West Midlands region; applicants other than local groups or organisations working within the West Midlands region
CBA Yorkshire only: projects outside the region; applicants other than volunteer groups and individuals

How to apply

CBA Groups run separate schemes with their own application instructions. For CBA East, applications are submitted by its annual deadline; the group’s website provides further information and how to apply. CBA North West asks applicants to complete its online form.

Deadlines:

CBA East applications should be submitted by 31 December each year.
For CBA West Midlands in grant-giving years, applications are accepted from 1 April to 30 April.
CBA South Midlands applications should be submitted at least a week before the next scheduled committee meeting.

Application windows:

CBA East: Applications should be submitted by 31 December each year.
CBA West Midlands: During a grant-giving year, applications will be accepted from 1 April until 30 April.

Who can apply:

CBA East: CBA East also welcomes applications from young people who live in the region.
CBA East Midlands: To apply you must be a member of the CBA or the CBA East Midlands group. Grants are available to individuals, archaeological societies, groups, or units.
CBA London: These are available to individuals or community-based groups
CBA North West: CBA North West offers grants of up to £500 for individuals and groups within Chesire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside, to undertake archaeological projects in the region.
CBA South Midlands: Applicants must be a member of the CBA or the CBA South Midlands group.
CBA Wessex: Any individual, local group, or organisation working in Wessex is welcome to apply for a grant up to the value of £1000 (although this limit is not set in stone and each application is decided on a case-by-case basis).
CBA West Midlands: Any local group or organisation working within the West Midlands region can apply.
CBA Yorkshire: Grants of usually up to £500, are awarded to volunteer groups and individuals across the region.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Projects should meet the CBA's criteria for research and/or public participation linked with its charitable objectives.
CBA East particularly seeks to promote education, research, public awareness and participation in regional archaeology.
CBA Wessex values projects with regional value and, where relevant, reference to available research frameworks.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Council for British Archaeology.

British Accounting and Finance AssociationInvitation only British Orthopaedic AssociationInvitation onlyGave £47,515 The Association of Taxation TechniciansFixed deadlinesGave £53,000 Combined Cadet Force Association (CCFA)Invitation onlyGave £712k British Science AssociationNo public processGave £3M Acct UkInvitation onlyGave £94,537 General and Education Trust (GET)Fixed deadlinesGave £47,897 A J BELL TRUSTInvitation onlyGave £148k Betty Phillips Charitable TrustRollingGave £123k Blood Cancer UKFixed deadlinesGave £5.5M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£941,417	£795,841	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£924,437	£835,928	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£667,205	£750,183	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£829,878	£847,876	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£978,068	£956,534	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.