Funding to support and facilitate public engagement in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
The Centre for Public Engagement Practice in Arts and Humanities is seeking Expressions of Interest from researchers who are interested in community-led projects and public engagement to participate in a pilot project for a new funding opportunity: The Community Connections Grant.
About the Grant Pilot
The grant will support community groups to develop an activity relevant and meaningful to their community with the support of an arts, humanities or social sciences researcher, who must be associated with a HEI or AHRC-recognised IRO.
The grant aims to challenge traditional models of HEI-led public engagement work by acknowledging and supporting community expertise and enabling communities to choose the right researcher for their needs.
The pilot will offer up to £5,000 to participating community groups for their activity and will run from January to May 2026. Researcher involvement will be between February and May and will total approximately 30 to 40 hours.
The learning from this pilot will be used to inform the full Community Connections grant scheme, to be launched in June 2026.
How do researchers get involved?
To gauge researcher interest in being a part of the pilot and/or the full grant scheme, the Centre has prepared an Expression of Interest form. To register your interest in being part of the pilot, please fill out the form.
Deadline for completing Expressions of Interest: 26 January, 5pm
Further information about the Community Connections Grant Pilot is available in the information pack below.