How to Fund Your Oral History Project

If you are looking for funding for your oral history project there are quite a few options available to you:

1.      Apply directly to Grants or Fellowships

2.      Fundraise

3.      Develop a partnership with an institution or group

Areas to look into for Grants or Fellowships

UNITED KINGDOM

In recent years, the British government has been putting funding towards oral histories, as they are a resource that is lost as each generation fades. If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, or part of an organization in the United Kingdom, you might be eligible to apply. Below are a few of the biggest funders of government grants in the UK, but there are many other suggestions of places to look for grant money in some of the posted links.

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF): www.hlf.org.uk

Must apply through a not-for-profit organisation registered in the UK

-          Sharing Heritage: 3000-10 000 Euro

-          Our Heritage: 10 000- 100 000 Euro

-          Heritage Grants: 100 000 plus

-          First World War: then and now: 3 000- 10 000 Euro

Big Lottery Fund: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

-          No obvious programs to apply for, but the content needs to involve social inclusion or community, such as work with disadvantaged communities.

More information about applying and other suggestions of where to apply: https://www.ohs.org.uk/advice/funding/

Considering applying for funding in the UK? Here’s a great guideline of what to think about first, and more ideas of where to apply: https://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/training/no13.pdf

CANADA

Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF): https://lacf.ca/activities/annual-grants-program

You do not necessarily need to be a Canadian Citizen to be considered.

Grants of up to $10 000 are available to explore or question issues that are crucial to the profession or landscape and have some relationship to Canada.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Oral History Association: http://www.oralhistory.org/

International applications welcome

-          Emerging Crises Oral History Research Fund: Up to $4000 for oral histories related to crises situations such as wars, natural disasters, political or economic/ ethnic repression, etc.

Schlesinger Library Oral History Grants: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/grants

International applications welcome

-          On women, gender and sexuality

-          Mellon- Schelesinger Summer Research Grants: Stipidend of $15000 for topics covering gender and suffrage, voting rights, citizenship, or other related topics.

-          Oral History Grants: Stipidend of up to $3000 for history of women or gender in the United States.

Fundraise

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/

Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/

Develop a partnership with an institution or group

Academies, historical societies, universities, non-profits might have funding available if your topic is related to their institution, or might have more access to apply for grants to fund your project.

If you can add to the list, please comment below. If you have experience applying to any of these grants, fundraising, or developing a relationship with a not-for-profit, please share! I would love to add as much value to this post as possible.