The Wolfson Foundation‘s Libraries and Archives programme

The Wolfson Foundation‘s Libraries and Archives programme supports libraries and archives caring for nationally significant collections and which have a clear emphasis on public access and engagement. The programme usually award grants to collection storage facilities and research, education or interpretation spaces.

Applying libraries and archives should:

• Be operated by a registered charity or a local authority.
• Be fully accredited under the Archive Service Accreditation Scheme.
• Be open and accessible to the public for most of the year, with a reasonable number of visitors. The Foundation recognises that COVID-19 continues to affect visitor numbers and understands that the environment for many public sites has changed.
• Hold a permanent collection of national significance

For organisations based in England, a permanent collection of national significance is generally defined as holding a Designated Outstanding Collection (Arts Council England). Where a collection is not recognised under this scheme, or a national designation scheme is not in place, applicants should make a strong case for the significance of the collection within a national context.

Projects should have at least one of the following aims:

• Enhanced care of collections of national significance.
• Better public engagement with and understanding of collections.
• Increased numbers of visitors to libraries and archives.
• Improved future sustainability of the organisation, and/or
• Conservation of architectural heritage.