The Palaeontological Association
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The Association's funds support palaeontological research, fieldwork, scientific meetings, public engagement and career development, and the research it supports has a worldwide reach.
- It supports individual researchers and students as well as organisers of scientific meetings, workshops and short courses, so a small nonprofit is most likely to fit as a meeting or workshop organiser, which can apply to Grant-in-aid by 1 March or 1 September.
- Requests should stay within the stated maxima, from up to £2,500 for Career Development Grant to up to £10,000 for Research Grants, and the Association does not fund overheads, core operating costs, or equipment costing more than £1,000.
- Research Grants are limited to members with a PhD and a track record as an independent investigator, and current PhD students are excluded, so those applicants should not apply.
- Deadlines differ by scheme, for example 1 March for Research Grants and 1 September for Engagement Grants, so check the scheme that fits before writing.
Overview
The Palaeontological Association is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1168330).
The Palaeontological Association exists to advance education for the public benefit in palaeontology and its allied sciences. It promotes the study of palaeontology through academic publications, meetings, field excursions and research grants, and it has over 1000 professional, amateur and student members. Its activities include its Awards and Grants programmes, the Progressive Palaeontology meeting for early career researchers, and the Annual Meeting. Awards can assist palaeontological research up to a maximum value of £10,000 GBP per award.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Association promotes palaeontology through research, publications, meetings and field excursions, and its grant programmes support palaeontological research, fieldwork and travel, scientific meetings and workshops, public engagement and education, and career development. It supports researchers at different career stages, students, and organisers of scientific meetings, workshops and short courses. Some schemes require applicants to be Association members; its Small Grants Scheme is open to members, with preference for students, early-career researchers and avocational members. The research supported by its funds has a worldwide reach.
Themes
- Palaeontological research
- Public engagement
- Scientific meetings
- Fieldwork
- Career development
Geographic Focus
Priority: Worldwide.
What they don't fund
- Institutional overheads or core operating costs
- Overheads, estate or building costs
- Administrative or support services
- Directly allocated staff time
- Any proportion of Full Economic Cost (fEC)
- Equipment with a purchase cost exceeding £1,000 GBP, except where evidence is provided that the cost of hiring the equipment would be greater than the cost of purchase
- Sites, buildings, or any other capital expenditure
- Any shortfall caused by reduced, withdrawn, or inadequate public finance
- Student tuition fees or summer research bursaries, except for those specifically covered under the Undergraduate Research Bursaries scheme
- Research Grants only:
- The attendance at, or organisation of, conferences, workshops or exhibitions
- Any of the expenditure outlined on the Palaeontological Association Grant Ethics and Conditions
- Current PhD students (i.e. those who have not yet been awarded a PhD by the application deadline)
- Applicants must be members of the Association
- Applicants will normally have a PhD and a successful track record as an independent scientific investigator
- Preference will normally be given to candidates who have not previously won an award
- Career Development Grant only:
- Applicants must be members of the Association
- Applicants must be close to submitting their PhD (submission must occur before funds are taken up, i.e. before April following the deadline), or have submitted their PhD within one year of the application deadline
- Applicants must demonstrate a lack of financial support following the end of their PhD funding or employment
- Applicants are not eligible if they have already secured a postdoctoral position, fellowship, or permanent role following their PhD or current contract
- Applicants are not eligible if they have previously received a Career Development Grant
- Applicants are not eligible if they receive supplementary funding from other sources
- Overheads
- Open access or page charges
- Employment of another e.g. a student research assistant
- Small Grants Scheme only: These grants are open to any member of the Association
- IPC7 Student Travel Grants only: Student members of the Association (doctoral and earlier); Student presenters
- Postgraduate Travel Fund only:
- Postgraduate students who are members of the Association
- International meetings that are not directly supported by the Association through the Grants-in-Aid scheme
- Conferences that are not explicitly scientific in nature
- Jones-Fenleigh Fund - SVPCA only: Individuals with no access to funding for conferences
How to apply
Organisers of scientific meetings, workshops and short courses may apply to Grant-in-aid for events aligned with the Association’s charitable purpose. The grants listing provides an application form for this scheme.
Deadlines: Grant-in-aid applications have deadlines on 1 March and 1 September each year.
Application windows:
- Carer’s Bursary: Deadline: 22nd May (Progressive Palaeontology) and 8th November (Annual Meeting)
- IPC7 Student Travel Grants: Deadline: 7th September
- Career Development Grant: Deadline: 7th October each year
- Engagement Grants: Deadline: 1st September
- Grant-in-aid: Deadline: 1st March and 1st September each year
- Jones-Fenleigh Fund - SVPCA: Deadline: 17th August
- Research Grants: Deadline: 1st March
- Small Grants Scheme: Deadline: 30 September
- Undergraduate Research Bursaries: Deadline: 1st February
Who can apply:
- Small Grants Scheme: These grants are open to any member of the Association, although preference is given to students, early career researchers, and avocational members.
- Career Development Grant
- Be members of the Association.
- Be close to submitting their PhD (submission must occur before funds are taken up, i.e. before April following the deadline).
- Have submitted their PhD within one year of the application deadline.
- Demonstrate a lack of financial support following the end of their PhD funding or employment.
- Research Grants: Applicants must be members of the Association and will normally have a PhD and a successful track record as an independent scientific investigator.
What to send:
- Career Development Grant
- Provide the proposed (or known, if already submitted) date of PhD submission.
- Please provide a budget with justification (upload max 1 page word document).
- Please provide a timeline for the activity for which you are applying (200 words).
- Research Grants
- A CV of the principal researcher, up to two A4 pages in length
- Applicants must also list pending and previous applications (with funding bodies and results) for funds to support this or related research.
- A breakdown of the proposed expenditure, up to one A4 page in length.
- If other individuals are to be involved with the project, this document must include a clear justification of their role(s) and costs.
- The details of three referees that may be approached to review the proposal.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- International
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to The Palaeontological Association.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £399,063 | £346,402 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £394,471 | £487,293 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £464,971 | £484,820 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £588,628 | £546,220 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £438,866 | £538,483 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
— No grants figure for that year.
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.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- palass.org
- palass.org/association/who-we-are · read on 31 October 2026
- palass.org/awards-grants/grants · read on 31 October 2026
- palass.org/career-development-grant · read on 31 October 2026
- palass.org/research-grants · read on 31 October 2026
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 31 October 2026.
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