PRISM Fund
Organisation:
The Fund for the PReservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM Fund) was established in 1973. Until 31 March 2003, the Fund was administered on behalf of MLA by the Science Museum, but is now administerd directly by MLA. The Fund is allocated £250,000 per annum.
Programme objectives
To further the preservation of items or collections which are important for the history and development of science, technology, industry, medicine and natural history. The Fund awards grants towards the costs of acquisition and conservation of such items.
Eligiblity
- Applicant organisations should be based in England and Wales (Corresponding schemes are administered in Scotland and Northern Ireland by the National Museums of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Museums Council respectively.)
- In the case of conservation grants, the object/collection in question must normally be owned by the applicant institution.
- Conservation can include care of collections projects
Timetable
- This is a rolling programme
- Applications can be submitted at any time of the year and they aim to give a decision within 25 working days from the time that a valid application is received.
- Decisions are made by the Fund Manager using the criteria established for the Fund together with the advice of expert assessors (normally from national institutions).
Criteria
- The maximum acquisition grant that can be awarded is 50% of the eligible project costs.
- The maximum conservation grant that can be awarded is also 50% of the eligible project costs.
- If the Fund considers the costs to be excessive, or if demand on the Fund is high, the actual level of grant may be lower.
- If you can reclaim VAT, this will be excluded from the grant calculation.
- All grants are limited to a minimum of £500 and a maximum of £20,000 on any one item or project.
- Any one institution can only receive up to £20,000 per year from PRISM.
- Any one object may only receive £20,000 in its lifetime.
- Identifying appropriate matching funding is the responsibility of the grant applicant. In the case of conservation grants only, the notional value of volunteer labour on eligible works is allowable as matching funding at a nominal rate of £50 per volunteer per day.
Applications/Contact Details
To discuss the eligibility of your organisation for PRISM funding or want advice on the application and awarding process, contact Denislava Ivanova, Grants and Procurement Manager on 020 7273 1464.
To discuss a potential project or if you want advice on preparing an application please contact Katherine Doyle, PRISM Fund Manager. Tel: 020 7273 1446
Email: prism@mla.gov.uk
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, London, SW7 5HD
Types of Project Funded
Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service, Acquisition of the Sutherland Papers, £20,000
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, Acquisition of Pappus of Alexandria Collectionis mathematicae libri III-VIII (Manuscript in Greek, dated Oxford June 1710, £20,000
University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, Conservation of Hugh Strickland archive, Grant: £19,400.00
