Grant Types

The Barakat Trust has various grant categories. Each category has its own separate application form and specific guidelines. If you are applying to more than one category of award you will need to submit the appropriate application for each category. We regret that we can only consider applications submitted using the correct application form.

Once we open our next round of grant awards (in 2025), applications for each category will be made available on our Grant Application Forms webpage.

To submit your application and supporting documents, you will go to the “Apply Now” webpage and submit the documents by the deadline (usually no later than midnight GMT on 31 March of each year).

Before making an application, please read carefully the pages ‘Who Can Apply‘ and ‘How to Apply’. If you have any questions, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. If still in doubt, you can attend one of our upcoming online Q&A sessions in both English and Arabic (dates to be confirmed in January 2025).

Types of Grants

A1. Barakat International Studentship

One scholarship of up to £25,000 to a student from the Islamic world who has already been accepted on a taught Masters courses in a subject relevant to the history of Islamic art and architecture and/or the study of Islamic archaeology, material culture and/or heritage. Students MUST demonstrate a clear focus on at least one of the above subjects in order to be considered for this award. Prospective applicants who are unsure about the relevance of their proposed course of study are strongly advised to contact the Barakat Trust before applying.

Applicants must provide evidence of acceptance before any award can be made.

Notes on Finances: The grant may be spent on fees or living expenses or a combination of both. 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 demonstrates outstanding performance during the first year of the course.

Applicants are advised that awards cannot be paid directly to personal bank accounts. Awards can be paid to the institution which an applicant belongs or the institution at which an applicant is applying to conduct research or to study. Whichever is the case, a representative of the institution, to which the payment will be made, will be required to affirm the cooperation and support of the institution on the application form.

The A1 Application Form for this category will be available to download on our ‘Grant Application Forms‘ webpage on the 1st of January 2025.

Correspondence:

• For more information on the application process contact us at applications@barakat.org

A2. Barakat Postgraduate Student & Early Career Award

Postgraduate students, early career professionals, and early career scholars who were awarded a doctorate after 30 June 2020, may apply for grants with an upper limit of £2000 towards the costs of travel for fieldwork, research and study relating to:

1. History of the art, architecture, and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE
2. Archaeological investigation of the Islamic world
3. 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

Notes on Finances: Applicants are advised that awards cannot be paid directly to personal bank accounts. Awards can be paid to the institution which an applicant belongs or the institution at which an applicant is applying to conduct research or to study. Whichever is the case, a representative of the institution, to which the payment will be made, will be required to affirm the cooperation and support of the institution on the application form.

The A2 Application Form (2025) will be available to download on our webpage ‘Grant Application Form’ on the 1st of January 2025.

Correspondence:

• For more information on the application process contact us at applications@barakat.org

A3. Barakat Major Awards (Including Digital Projects, 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) History of the art, architecture, and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE

2) Archaeological investigation of the Islamic world.

Please note: Awards for archaeology projects are normally awarded for a) the first year of an archaeological project, as a start-up grant, or b) for a clearly-defined component or sub-project within a larger archaeological investigation. The Trust will not normally support the same archaeological project for a number of consecutive seasons.”

3) Conservation of artefacts, buildings and material culture produced in or for the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE

4) Digital and Digitisation Projects that focus on disseminating or making the heritage and material culture of the Islamic world more accessible to various audiences. For example, this can include broader types of digital content such as video recordings of crafting or conservation processes.

5) Exhibitions in libraries, museums, and other public institutions to present the art and material culture of the Islamic world before circa 1920 CE

6) Education and Training associated with the points 1 to 5

7) Dissemination of Knowledge through conferences, exhibitions and publications associated with points 1 to 5

For this grant category (A3), scholars are normally expected to be attached to research institutions, including but not restricted to universities, museums, and libraries.

Note on Finances: Applicants are advised that awards cannot be paid directly to personal bank accounts and must instead be paid either to:

a) the institution to which an applicant belongs; or

b) to the institution at or through which an applicant is applying to conduct research or to study; or

c) in the case of independent researchers, the awards can be paid to an approved organisation by the Barakat Trust and which is relevant to the applicant’s field of work and which is willing to receive the funds on the applicant’s behalf. This can include any relevant organisation such as but not limited to: companies, registered charities, registered community interest companies, registered charitable incorporated organisations, social enterprises, educational institutions including universities, museums, libraries, and archives).

In all cases above, a representative of the institution to which the payment will be made will be required to affirm by email or a letter the cooperation and support of the entity that will receive the funds on their behalf. Please read our ‘Who Can Apply’ webpage for further information on grant payments. For any queries on this point, please contact us by email at: applications@barakat.org .

All applicants will receive 90% payment at the start of award, with 10% paid on presentation of an acceptable final report and an actual expenditure form supported by receipts and/or documentation.

Deadlines: The A3 category has two deadlines:

• 15 February for submitting an ‘Expression of Interest Form’ , applicants shortlisted form this stage will be sent an A3 application form and invited to apply.
  
• 15 March is the deadline for shortlisted A3 applicants to submit their A3 Grant Applications.

The A3 ‘Expression of Interest Form’ will be available to download on our ‘Grant Application Forms‘ webpage on the 1st of January 2025.

The A3 Application Form (2025) will be sent via email to applicants who have been shortlisted to apply to the A3 Barakat Trust Major Awards Grant Category.

Correspondence:

• For more information on the application process contact us at applications@barakat.org

A4. The Iradj Bagherzade 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.

Notes on Finances: Applicants are advised that awards cannot be paid directly to personal bank accounts, 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.

The A4 Application Form (2025) will be available to download on our ‘Grant Application Forms‘ on the 1st of January 2025.

Correspondence:

• For more information on the application process contact us at applications@barakat.org

B1. Barakat Senior Scholar

One visiting scholarship of £10,000 to enable an established scholar from the Islamic world to reside in Oxford for three months to carry out a specific programme of research and to deliver a lecture on their research.

The B1 Application Form (2025) will be available to download on our ‘Grant Application Forms‘ webpage on the 1st of January 2025.

Correspondence:

• For more information on the application process contact us at applications@barakat.org

B2. Barakat Postdoctoral Scholarship

The Barakat Postdoctoral Scholarship provides a grant of £20,000 to enable a post-doctoral scholar from the Islamic world, who was awarded a doctorate after 30 June 2020, to reside in Oxford for nine months (normally October to June) to carry out a specific programme of research on Islamic art and/or architecture, or to prepare such research for publication.

Further guidance before applying: Please read carefully the separate Barakat Postdoctoral Scholarship Guidance webpage for important information before applying.

The B2 Application Form 2025 will be available to download on our ‘Grant Application Forms‘ webpage on the 1st of January 2025.

Correspondence:

• For general enquires on the application process or grant contact us at applications@barakat.org
• Applicants are encouraged to contact us very early before applications close (i.e., in January or February) with a curriculum vitae and a draft application. This is so applicants can be advised about their applications.

B3. Barakat Oxford Masters Studentship

One studentship to cover one year’s fees for a student from the Islamic world already accepted by the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Oxford to read for an MSt or MPhil in Islamic Art and Architecture. Renewal for the second year of the MPhil may be granted to candidates who perform well in the qualifying examination, but the grant may not be extended to cover doctoral studies.

The B3 Application Form 2025 will be available to download on ‘Grant Application Forms‘ webpage on the 1st of January 2025.

Correspondence:

• For more information on the application process contact us at applications@barakat.org

C1. Hands on Islamic Art

Fostering Inclusiveness and understanding through community engagement with Islamic art heritage in the United Kingdom

The Barakat Trust has recently received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to create this new grant category.

This category will offer grants of £8,000 plus in-kind support for projects in the United Kingdom (UK) that use collections of Islamic art in the UK to foster greater understanding about the cultures of the Islamic world, and involve a significant element of public engagement, ideally as part of the process of making collections more accessible. The grant will be open to UK institutions with collections of Islamic art and material culture. We are particularly interested in understudied collections.

Further guidance before applying: Please read carefully the separate guidance for The Barakat Trust Hands on Islamic Art Awards before applying.

The C1 Application Form 2025 will be available to download on our ‘Grant Application Forms‘ webpage on the 1st of January 2025.

Correspondence:

• Interested parties in the United Kingdom should contact The Barakat Trust for more information about this category by emailing: projects@barakat.org