Barakat Trust - Grant Programme 2025

The next programme will open in January 2025.

Who Can Apply?

We fund individual and institutional efforts to promote and preserve artistic culture and heritage related to the Islamic world as outlined in our Scope of Awards.  While we have a long track record of supporting projects and initiatives driven by individuals, including but not limited to research trips, publications, and training opportunities, individuals applying for grants from The Barakat Trust need to identify an institution to which grant monies can be transferred on their behalf. We cannot make transfers to personal bank accounts, but are strongly committed to the support of individual professional development and projects led by individuals.

Institutions to which we can transfer funds include:

• Registered Charities
• Registered Community Interest Companies
• Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisations
• Social enterprises
• Education  Institution including Universities
• Museums, Libraries and Archives
• Companies

Types of Grants

Barakat International Studentship

One scholarship of up to £20,000 to a Muslim student from the Islamic world who has already been accepted on a taught Masters courses in a subject relevant to the study of Islamic art, architecture, archaeology and material culture.

Where a student has been accepted on a two-year course, the grant may be awarded or renewed for the second year of the course, on the condition that the student is able to demonstrate outstanding performance during the first year of the course. Applicants must supply evidence of acceptance before any award can be made. The grant may be spent on fees or living expenses or a combination of the two.

Barakat Postgraduate Student & Early Career Award

Postgraduate students, early career professionals, and early career scholars who were awarded a doctorate after 30 June 2015, may apply for grants with an upper limit of £1,500 towards the costs of travel for fieldwork, research and study relating to:

1. the history of the art, architecture and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE;
2. the archaeological investigation of Islamic world;
3. the conservation of artefacts, buildings and material culture produced in or for the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE;
4. libraries, museums and other public institutions exhibiting the art and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE;
5. education and training associated with (1) to (4) above;
6. conferences, exhibitions and publications associated with (1) to (4) above.

Note: Applicants are advised that awards may no longer be paid directly to individuals. Awards may be paid in one of two ways: (i) either to the institution to which an applicant belong or at which an applicant is applying to conduct research or to study, in which case a representative of the institution to which payment will be made will be required to affirm the cooperation and support of the institution on the Application Form; (ii) or on the recipient’s behalf directly to the supplier of accommodation (e.g. the hotel) and travel (e.g. the airline).

Barakat Major Awards Including Conservation and Conservation Training

Established scholars attached to research institutions, curators, and heritage professionals may apply for awards with an upper limit of £10,000 for fieldwork, research, study, exhibitions, conservation and documentation projects, and  training of professionals in fields associated with history, heritage, conservation and archaeology relating to:

1. the history of the art, architecture and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE;
2. the archaeological investigation of Islamic world;
3. the conservation of artefacts, buildings and material culture produced in or for the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE;
4. libraries, museums and other public institutions exhibiting the art and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE;
5. education and training associated with (1) to (4) above;
6. conferences, exhibitions and publications associated with (1) to (4) above.

Note: Applicants are advised that awards may no longer be paid directly to individuals, and must instead be paid either to the institution to which an applicant belongs, or to the institution at or through which an applicant is applying to conduct research or to study. A representative of the institution to which payment will be made will be required to affirm the cooperation and support of the institution on the Application Form.

All applicants will receive 90% payment at the start of award, with 10% paid on presentation of an acceptable report.

Barakat Publication Grants

Grants with an upper limit of £6,000 towards the costs of a major publication on the history of the art, architecture and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE, the archaeological investigation of Islamic world, and the conservation of artefacts, buildings and material culture produced in or for the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE.

Note: Applicants are advised that awards may no longer be paid directly to individuals, and must instead be paid either to the institution to which an applicant belongs, or to the publisher. A representative of the institution or publisher to which payment will be made will be required to affirm their cooperation and support on the Application Form.

Barakat Digitisation Grants

One grant of up to £10,000 towards the costs of making available online data or images relating to any major collection representing the history of the art, architecture and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE, the archaeological investigation of the Islamic world, and the conservation of artefacts, buildings and material culture produced in or for the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE. Institutions which raise matching funds may receive priority. Successful applicants must undertake: (1) to adhere to the standards of digitisation agreed with The Barakat Trust; (2) to store all data with a cloud storage provider approved by The Barakat Trust (3) to make the digitised data freely available over the web, save only that, with the agreement of The Barakat Trust, the institution shall be entitled to publish low resolution and/or watermarked images of artefacts, and to levy reasonable charges for the supply of high resolution images and for the reproduction of images.

Note: Applicants are advised that awards may no longer be paid directly to individuals, and must instead be paid either to the institution to which an applicant belongs, or to the institution at or through which an applicant is applying to conduct research or to study. A representative of the institution to which payment will be made will be required to affirm the cooperation and support of the institution on the Application Form.

All applicants will receive 90% payment of initial start of award, with 10% paid on presentation of acceptable report.