With apologies for cross-posting

PRISM is the Fund for the Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material.  It provides financial support for the acquisition and/or conservation of any object or group of objects illustrating the history of any branch of science, industry or technology - including natural history. The Fund is administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and is allocated £250,000 per year. The fund is open to applications from accredited museums in England and Wales, but also considers applications from other charitable or public bodies engaged in the preservation of eligible material. This includes specialist libraries, public repositories, and archives/libraries formally linked to local authorities or eligible bodies such as universities and religious organisations, as well as stand-alone charitable trusts.

The Fund is currently suffering a lack of applications. In 2007/08 only £173,458 was allocated.  There are fears that unless more museums apply, in a difficult financial climate the funding may be reduced or disappear entirely.

PRISM is a rare and valuable source of funding for museums and other organisations that care for natural history collections - if we don't use it, it will almost certainly be lost. To find out more about the Fund, including downloadable application forms, visit the MLA website at www.mla.gov.uk/what/support/grants/PRISM

 

Simon Chaplin | Director of Museums and Special Collections
The Royal College of Surgeons of England | 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields | London WC2A 3PE
t: 020 7869 6570 | f: 020 7869 6564 | e: [log in to unmask] | w: http://www.rcseng.ac.uk

 

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