The Barakat Trust Grants Awards Programme is Now Open

The Barakat Trust Grants Awards Programme is now open!

The Barakat Trust’s grant applications programme for 2021  opened on 1 January 2021 and will close at midnight GMT on 31 March 2021.

We look forward to receiving well-developed proposals for projects and initiatives that will help preserve the artistic, architectural and archaeological heritage of the Islamic world.

Please Note:

Only consider applying if you meet the criteria in the Scope of Awards.

No applications received after the closing  date will be considered.

Applicants will be informed of The Barakat Trust’s decision at the end of May 2021 (a month later than usual because of the early date of Ramadan in 2021).

There is a separate application form for each category. You will need to download the application form in Microsoft Word for the category of award you intend to apply to.

Each separate application form contains specific guidance to that category. Please ensure that you follow the guidance. Once you have completed the application form and have all the necessary supporting documents you will need to submit it applications@barakat.org by the deadline.

If you intend to apply to more than one category of award you will need to submit the appropriate application form for that category.

Only applications submitted using the correct application form will be considered.

Online Question and Answer sessions

Online Question and Answer sessions will be organised by The Barakat Trust to help answer any queries prospective applicants may have.

These will take place on the following dates:

• 14 January 2020 3-4pm GMT (English Only)
• 14 January 2020 at 4-5pm GMT (Arabic Only)
• 15 February 2020 at 3-4pm GMT (English Only)
• 15 February 2020 at 4-5pm GMT (Arabic Only)
• 18 March 2020 at 12 Noon -1pm GMT (English Only)
• 18 March 2020 at 1pm- 2pm GMT (Arabic Only)

For all events Click Here to Register!

Types of Grants

A1. 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.

A2. 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).

A3. 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.

A4. 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.

A5. 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.

Grant Awards Postponed

The following grant awards have been postponed for 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

B1. Barakat Senior Scholar

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

B2. Barakat Postdoctoral Scholarship

The Barakat Postdoctoral Scholarship provides a grant of £18,000 to enable a Muslim post-doctoral scholar, who was awarded a doctorate after 30 June 2016, to reside in Oxford for nine months (normally October to June) to carry out a specific programme of research or to prepare such research for publication.

B3. Barakat Oxford Masters Studentship

One studentship to cover one year’s fees for a Muslim student already accepted by the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the University of Oxford to read for an M. St 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.