Apply for EMKP Documentation Grants

Documentation methods can include but are not limited to, film, audio recordings, photographs, written notes, maps, 3D models, and drawings. Successful applicants will be required to submit digital copies of these records to be uploaded to the EMKP open-access repository, which is hosted by the British Museum.

Project Scope

• Applications for EMKP documentation grants must focus on topics that have a strong material dimension. Applications that include aspects of intangible practice and culture (e.g., dance, music/song, performance) must link these to material acts and knowledge – e.g., musical instruments, costume, staging. Projects that seek to document ecological knowledge systems must also ensure a direct connection to material and cultural practices. They do not, for example, support applications that exclusively document food production, but can support applications that document disappearing foodways in terms of food preparation, consumption and sharing, and the materials and object used in these processes.

Types of Grants

• Small Grants can last up to one year with a maximum award of £20,000. Small Grants are intended for projects that are focused on a specific/individual material practice, and which are limited in scope. They are also suitable for initial pilot work to establish the nature and extent of material knowledge systems where these might not be previously known, or for early career applicants who are building new projects.
• Large Grants can last up to two years with a maximum award of £100,000. Large Grants are suitable for mature projects where more intensive and diverse documentation is proposed. They are also suitable for projects that require a larger team, projects where multiple strands of work are happening simultaneously, and projects where more time is needed to complete the documentation (e.g. because of seasonal cycles of working).

Eligibility Criteria

• EMKP operates a Principal Applicant (PA)/Co-Applicant (CA) system. It is the responsibility of the PA for overall project management and co-ordination, including reporting to EMKP. CoApplicants should be closely involved in the project management and delivery and demonstrate relevant skills and experience. Principal Applicants who lead other EMKP grants are not allowed to apply for another grant until completion of the first grant. Co-Applicants involved in other EMKP projects are eligible to apply if these projects are up to date with their reporting.
• There is no restriction on the nationality of the Principal Applicant or Co-Applicants. They, or one of the CA’s, must however be affiliated with an appropriate academic or community institution (e.g., museum, archive, university, NGO) who will take responsibility for administrative oversight of the project including financial reporting.
• If a PA is currently enrolled as a student, they must provide a letter of support from their supervisor, undertaking to ensure the work is carried out according to the terms of the grant.
• EMKP grants cannot cover salary costs or teaching replacement costs for the Principal Applicant. Salaries for Co-Applicants can be considered as an exception and are restricted to the CA’s based in the country of research, and whose involvement is essential to the completion of the proposed work.

Ineligible

• They do not fund the following:
  • Revitalisation projects (using grants to revive lost or forgotten technologies, crafts etc). Projects must focus on material practices/practitioners that are still active/within living memory, even if they may be very few knowledge holders left.
  • Projects focused on ethno-medicine or medicinal knowledge.

For more information, visit EMKP.