Training bursaries for those experiencing financial hardship

5 June 2025

Deadline: June 27, 2025

Apply for up to £4,000 to start training in a heritage craft or to further develop your skills.

Many people are dissuaded from training in heritage crafts because of the cost, and therefore the make-up of the sector is not truly representative of the mix of backgrounds that make up the UK as a whole. These bursaries have been set up to help cover or subsidise the cost of training for someone who would otherwise be prevented from pursuing this career path as a result of the cost.

Bursaries are for:

• new entrants who have demonstrated a commitment to starting a new craft career and need to acquire the necessary hand skills;
• early-career practitioners who have not yet attained the hand skills required to achieve commercial success; or
• early- or mid-career craftspeople who need to acquire distinctly different hand skills to develop new ways of achieving commercial success.

What can these bursaries be used for?

You can apply for a bursary for any amount up to £4,000 which can cover or contribute towards the costs of:

• apprenticeship-style training with a craftsperson/people;
• attending a specialist training course (accredited or non-accredited);
• undertaking a self-directed programme of training with one or more craftspeople;
• the cost of specialist tools or materials, books or study materials, or supporting travel and accommodation (no more than 30% of total budget).

These bursaries cannot be used for general living expenses, research, promotional activities or anything else.

Ring-fenced bursaries

Of the 30 bursaries currently available, HC have specific funding allocated for Black and ethnically diverse trainees, British military veterans, and those who intend to work in specific areas of the UK. The remaining bursaries will be allocated to anyone in the UK experiencing financial need and with a stong training proposal. You will automatically be considered for the general funding pot as well as all of the categories that apply to you.

How to apply

Please apply by completing the application form, HERE, which also contains more information about the bursary including the assessment criteria. HC will also accept a video application of no more than 15 minutes in length in which you address all of the questions in the form.

Deadline: Friday 27 June 2025, 5pm

These training bursaries are targeted at new entrants and early-career craftspeople experiencing financial hardship. They are sponsored by National Lottery Heritage Fund, Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, Capri Holdings Foundation, City & Guilds Foundation, Army Benevolent Fund, Royal British Legion, Ashley Family Foundation, Sussex Heritage Trust and Malcolm and Rosalind Gammie, and are part of a suite of awards and bursaries offered by Heritage Crafts to support and celebrate heritage craftspeople.