Opportunities Fund

IIC has radically revised its Opportunities Fund, expanding the funding available and opening it up to ALL members within two strands to respond to the challenges of our time - offering practical as well as moral support to our members and helping germinate the new approaches that we will need, as conservation professionals and as members of society, in the years ahead.

Any IIC member can apply to the Opportunities Fund,  this includes members who are displaced or seeking refuge from conflict and disaster.

Potential applicants can join IIC to become eligible for the grant.  We aim to open two rounds per year.

We recognise that much of the burden of historical under-resourcing as well as challenges from climate change, Covid-19, conflict and disaster will also fall especially hard in those countries designated as Band 2,3 and 4  by UNESCO below. We will therefore aim to award some 75% of the fund in these countries. Funding awards cannot be made to any individual, entity or organisation located in either a UN or UK economically sanctioned country.

Funded example: Tools to work remotely in Brazil during the pandemic: an Opportunities Fund story

We are offering funding for up to 30 current IIC Student, Early Career and Individual members per year, to support continued learning, research and professional development during these challenging times. Further information on what is covered by the grant is included below.

Applications will open: 1 February 2024

Applications will close: 10 March 2024

Special Note:

Nominations from members, who are applying for funding to cover their membership fees for 2023–24 can also apply through the Opportunities Fund. Requests must be emailed to the IIC Office iic@iiconservation.org. 

Providing support for projects and initiatives that promote sustainability, resilience, or adaptation. This strand will be open to collaborative projects involving members, which are led by current Fellows or Institutional members. We expect to fund 3 – 5 projects per year. In this strand, we welcome applications that meet immediate practical need, as well as more experimental work.

Applications will open: 1 February 2024

Applications will close: 10 March 2024

Special Note:

Nominations from members, including institutional members, who are applying for funding to cover their membership fees for 2023–24 can also apply through the Opportunities Fund. Requests must be emailed to the IIC Office iic@iiconservation.org. 

To get these changes started, we have expanded the Opportunities Fund with support from IIC’s own reserves. We also hope that those members who are able to do so will contribute through our World Member donation scheme, just as numerous members have contributed to the Opportunities Fund over the last few years. Over time we also hope to attract trusts and funders who share our values to contribute to this work, and eventually build a substantial sum to support members and encourage sustainability, resilience and adaptation within our sector.

Many members have already been in touch to express their willingness to donate to the Opportunities Fund to help those, including students and early career professionals, during this time of crisis. Such additional donations would allow us to offer a further grants across the year. To that end, we encourage members to contribute at the same time as renewing their membership and become Bronze, Silver, Gold or World Member donors, by logging in and clicking the link below.

You can make a donation here or by contacting the IIC office

IIC Needs-Based and Learning-Focused Bursary

Students, Early Career and Individual Members

To apply for an IIC Bursary, submit your CV and a brief description of your need, including any financial hardship (maximum 250 words), and how you plan to spend the funds in 2023 (max. 250 words). Up to £250 is available as a grant in this round. Please also supply your membership status with IIC, funds will be administered to IIC members only. Funding awards cannot be made to any individual, entity or organisation located in either a UN or UK economically sanctioned country.

What can be covered by the bursary

Specifically, funds can support scholarship including co-funding research fellowships, placements or internships hosted with universities, museums, libraries, archives, galleries and learning institutions; digital access costs (such as data costs, purchase of headsets); professional development and skill building (such as direct costs for training courses and attendance to conferences and seminars); research and publication-related costs such as photography and reproduction fees. Those eligible to apply include:

• Members who have experienced displacement, furlough, redundancies or layoffs, decreased working hours or teaching time, or lost institutional support
• Members who have not received Opportunties Funding within the last three years
• Those who have increased financial burdens due to telecommuting and remote instruction, including unforeseen (and otherwise unfunded) technology costs
• Independent freelance conservators whose projects have been recently curtailed or cancelled
• Students pursuing master’s or doctoral research or early career scholars (within 5 years of receiving their graduate degree) who have experienced loss or reduction of research support, including internships, as well as external and internal grants.

IIC Seed Funding Grants

Fellows and Institutions

Please submit a brief description of the project you are seeking seed funding for (maximum 500 words) and how you plan to spend the funds in 2023 (max. 250 words). We also require a signed letter of support from one senior professional conservator or a head of department (or equivalent) who should be named, with their affiliations and full contact details. 

Up to £750 is available. Applications should be submitted by the stated deadline to iic@iiconservation.org . 

Please also supply your membership status with IIC, funds will be administered to IIC members only.

 The Opportunities Fund Committee will aim to review applications within 4-6 weeks of the closing date in order to notify applicants as soon as possible. We are aiming to administer bursaries and seed funding grants as quickly as possible after the stated deadline. Please be mindful of these timescales should you be applying for grants to cover course or workshop costs that have a specific deadline.