National Manuscripts Conservation Trust
Organisation:
The trust was set up in 1990 by the British Library and the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, with a combination of government funding and private benefactors. The trust relies entirely now on investment income to fund grants. The trust is now administered by The National Archives.
Programme Objectives
The programme aims to provide financial assistance to owners and custodians in the UK for the preservation of the nation's written heritage.
You can apply for funding:
- Towards the cost of repair, binding and other preservation measures, including reprography.
- Towards the costs of contract preservation and conservation or the salaries and related expenses of staff specially employed for the project and expendable materials required for the project. They are not intended to cover capital costs or equipment.
- Towards the creation of inventories or summary lists as the first stage in conservation.
Eligibility
The following organisations are eligible to receive grants:
- Record Offices, libraries and other similar publicly funded institutions including local authority, university and specialist record repositories.
- Owners of manuscript materials which are conditionally exempt from capital taxation or owned by a charitable trust provided there is reasonable access, suitable storage, firm commitment to preservation practice and assurances of reimbursement of the grant in the event of subsequent disposal of the material.
The following materials are eligible to receive grants:
- Manuscripts, documents or archives which are the property of the applicant or required by law to be deposited on loan with the applicant or
- Of a national importance or significance which deserves special conservation treatment beyond the applicant's normal resources.
Timetable
- Closing dates for application are 1 April and 1 October.
- Trustees meetings are held two or three months later.
Criteria
- Grants normally match the applicant's contribution and will not normally exceed 50% of the total project costs.
- Grants are not normally considered for projects costing less than £1,000.
- Projects will normally be supported for no more than 3 years.
- The following material is not eligible for grant aid: public records within the meaning of the Public Records Act, official archives of the institution or authority applying, loan collections, photographic material, audio visual material, printed material.
- Applications cannot be accepted from institutions directly funded by the government.
- The custodian of a deposited collection may apply for funding jointly with the owner.
Types of Project Funded
Worcestershire Record Office - received a grant to for the conservation of the diocesan copies of the tithe plans, part of a collection of 639 documents including apportionments of rent charges, plans and associated documents.
Wisbech and Fenland Museum - received a grant to fully list and repackage all the items in the Townshend Manuscript Collection which consists of about 1,000 items in total and comprises manuscript items from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries by a varied selection of writers from the spheres of politics, medicine, theatre, art, music, literature, religion, economics and philosophy, both in Britain and also Europe.
The Sir Harry Page Collection - forms part of Manchester Metropolitan University Library's Special Collections. It is one of two major collections of Victorian source material held by the University. The Page collection consists of 276 albums and commonplace books, mainly nineteenth-century, the former compiled by a variety of contributors, the latter by a single person in each case. The project will conserve the albums by re-housing each in individually measured, handmade boxes.
Application/Contact Details
The SecretaryThe National Manuscripts Conservation Trust C/o The
National ArchivesKew, SurreyTW9 4DU
Tel: 020 8392 5218
Fax 020 8487 9201
E-mail: nmct@nationalarchives.gov.uk
Web: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/preservation/trust/
Notes and Comments
- Trustees are prepared to be flexible and each application is considered on its own merits. Any custodian or owner who is unsure whether a collection falls within the remit of the trust's terms and conditions is encouraged to contact the secretary for informal discussion.
- Grants are not intended to be ongoing and further grants are not normally made for the same projects.
- Organisations can receive more than one grant for different projects, though previous grants are taken into account.
- Short and simple application process.
