Community Research Grants
Grants for organisations working with underrepresented communities and partnering with researchers or historians to uncover the stories of people who have played a significant role in history.
The national blue plaque scheme celebrates people who have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness. We want to ensure the plaques we commission reflect the broad range of people who have made these contributions.
We are providing funding for groups and organisations to work with underrepresented communities and partner with a researcher or historian so that they can find out more about the people who lived within their community and help bring their stories to life.
Our current round of funding closed on 28 July 2024. Everyone who has applied for a grant will be notified of the outcome of their application.
What are Community Research Grants?
The aim is for the funded research to pave the way for communities to submit nominations for national blue plaques in the future. We also hope to create opportunities for the research to be shared with local communities and shine a light on significant people from their area or heritage.
This funding is specifically for research taking place outside of Greater London, or on projects where the potential national blue plaque would be installed outside of Greater London.
Grants of £3,000 to £7,000 per project are available. We aim to fund 10 projects in this first year.
Who can apply
All organisations and groups are eligible to apply, including:
- Community interest groups
- Education institutions
- Charities
- Local authorities
They must be working with an experienced researcher or historian as part of the project.
We will look to fund groups who can provide evidence of working with underrepresented communities, including:
- Diverse and minority ethnic communities
- LGBTQ+ people
- Disabled people
- Neurodiverse people
- Women
How to apply
You might want to apply for funding to:
- Access local or national archives to discover more about the life of a significant person and the building/place they are connected to
- Spend time researching the scale of significance a particular person or group had and discovering how their activities had national influence. This might be something like an invention or scientific discovery, or a style of art or music that went on to have great significance
- Conduct research into a particular community to discover people from that group who have had national significance
- Research with communities, capturing oral histories or collecting evidence about a particular person or group
If you are interested in applying for a Community Research Grant, please read the full guidance, which provides more information. To apply, please complete the application form and budget spreadsheet.
Funding will be made available in September 2024, and all projects must be completed by July 2025.
National blue plaque scheme nominations submitted as a result of funded research will be assessed in line with all other nominations made that year. This may not necessarily result in a national blue plaque, but we expect that through funding this work, we will see an increase in the diversity of people nominated.
