THE FRIENDS – GRANTS AND BURSARIES

The Friends of the Centre for English Local History registered as a charity in 1999 and has provided more than £30,000 in bursaries and grants to those studying and researching at the Centre for English Local History (now the Centre for Regional and Local History). The Friends currently offer the following grants:

Postgraduate awards
Small Grants to cover research and training costs

As a small charity, our funds are limited, but we can be flexible in our assistance. We award small grants towards the cost of research-related travel, archival photography licences, subscriptions, and research-related training courses. Applications for small grants can be made at any time.

We invite applications from MA (Local History Pathway) and PhD candidates associated with the Centre for Regional and Local History. We also welcome applications from other University of Leicester postgraduate History students and PhD candidates whose research aligns with the Centre’s strategic purpose, which is to teach and research history at the highest academic level through the lens of local studies using the Leicester approach. Please see the Centre’s website for further clarification.

Small Grant Application Form for Postgraduate Research 

Undergraduate awards – the Phythian-Adams Award
NEW FOR 2025

Named in honour of Professor Charles Phythian-Adams, former Director of the Centre for English Local History, the Friends provide up to 10 grants of £100 for undergraduate students entering their final year who are currently planning their dissertation research projects. The funding is intended to help cover the costs of research trips to local archives offices within the UK for research on any topic related to regional or local history, or the history of the family. The expectation is that this research would be undertaken over the coming summer vacation period leading into the final year. These grants are available to University of Leicester BA History or BA joint honours students.

Students should write a brief (500-word max.) statement outlining their proposed research topic, archives they plan to visit and collections they intend to use, and a rough timeline for undertaking these activities. These should then be sent to their prospective supervisor. Prospective supervisors will then send these on to the Director of the Centre for Regional and Local History (Angela Muir). If more than 10 eligible applications are received, the Director of CRLH and a committee from the Friends will select those that best align with the Friends’ aims.

Deadline for application: 1 May 2025, 5pm.
Please email Dr Angela Muir with any queries am1074@le.ac.uk