The primary purposes for which the Hampshire Archives Trust is established are to promote the conservation and preservation of archives for the benefit of the public and to advance public education on matters connected with archives. One of the main ways in which we do this is by providing funds by way of grants so that local history projects can be progressed. The success rate for applications has been high so don’t hesitate to contact us about a project that you would like our support for. We will help guide you on any application.
Small grant applications are considered by the Grants Committee every two to three weeks and Main Grants are considered every six months although there is scope for an extraordinary meeting to consider an ’emergency’ application. Main grant deadlines are 30 June and 30 December each year.
Grant applications are judged on the extent to which they meet one or more of the following five eligibility criteria although considerably more detail is expected for main and emergency grants (between £500 and £10,000) than for Small Grants (up to £500).
The HAT has funded local groups and individual projects as well as projects set up by larger organisations, do note that it can only fund groups or organisations. Perhaps you’ve found recorded materials, photographs or legal documents with great local historical value or maybe you’d like to create an educational resource for young people. There are lots of examples of projects that the HAT has funded shown below and which could help to give you some ideas. You can download the main grants application form and the small grants application form. If you are not at that stage yet but would like some feedback on an idea/proposal then by all means complete our Grants Enquiry form and we’ll give you the guidance you need to make an application.
Watch this short film to find out about some of the grants Hampshire Archives Trust has recently given to help preserve and use valuable archives in Hampshire, and what that has meant to the organisations, large and small, who have benefited from the grants, then click on the links below. In the film films below, some of our many grant recipients talk about the process of applying for a grant and how they were able to use their grant: from helping to purchase important archives to preserve them and make them available for future generations, to helping to publish local history books and even the early history of skateboarding. Full-length video also available.
Papers came up for sale at auction November 2025 relating to the Bigg-Wither family of Manydown, Wootton St Lawrence, near Basingstoke, containing estate, official and family material dating mainly from...
This project to digitise and restore colour & monochrome film negatives (glass & wet negative) of British aviation research & development at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Farnborough in the...
HAT has awarded a £4000 grant to the The National Aerospace Library (NAL) with Farnborough Sixth Form College for a digitisation, research and training project. NAL holds programmes from the...
The Newnham Oral and Written History Project is all about ‘celebrating the past and building the future’ as it aims to use local heritage and history as a vehicle to...
Southampton Archives has a wealth of material deposited by community groups and individual community leaders, who have worked for change on a variety of local, national or international issues. Archives...
This project is to create an engaging, educational, and child-friendly illustrated timeline of the Mid Hants Railway affectionately known as the Watercress Line. HAT is contributing £500 to the project...