Apply for Heritage Crafts training bursaries

New or early-career makers who need financial assistance to help develop their skills are invited to apply for Heritage Crafts training bursaries of up to £4,000 each. The money is for any craft that has been practised in the UK for two or more generations.

For many, affording the costs of training (whether formal courses or on a one-to-one basis with a maker) is challenging. With the numbers of apprenticeships dwindling, or people choosing to come into a craft later in life, Heritage Crafts wants to give opportunities to those who might otherwise be lost to the heritage crafts sector at a key moment in their early career.

In all, 27 training bursaries are available. Of these, two will be allocated to Black and ethnically diverse trainees, six to British military veterans, five to trainees who intend to work in Scotland and Wales, plus three to rural crafts, decorative crafts and endangered crafts. The remaining 11 will be allocated depending on individual needs. Applicants will automatically be considered for the general funding pot, as well as all the categories that apply to them.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for the full £4,000 to maximise the impact the bursary will have to develop their hand-skills in their chosen craft.

Heritage Crafts assessors are not necessarily looking for wonderfully crafted applications. Applicants should explain the challenges they face in accessing training and outline how the bursary could help overcome these issues.

Applicants can apply for more than one course/training opportunity. The training can take place from September 2024 and run over the course of a year to demonstrate the learning and impact of the skills. For example, an awardee could do a formal course, take the learning away to practise, then a few months later book a one-to-one session with a master to further refine skills.

Find out more and apply via this link.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 2 August 2024.