GLASS SOCIETY GRANTS POLICY

Grants will only be made to support the Society’s charitable and educational purposes. They will be made through grants, donations, bursaries, and awards (hereafter called ‘grants’).

To support these purposes, grants are directed towards:

• Publicity, to widen knowledge and appreciation of glass. This could be achieved by supporting:
  1. Significant exhibitions of glass at important centres and museums of glass.
  2. Talks and lectures hosted by the Society or our main partners.
  3. Websites, either our own or other websites concerned with glass.
  4. Social media such as online discussion and advice groups.
• The development of glass makers and decorators, and enhancement of their knowledge or skills, e.g. by sponsoring competitions and exhibitions, supporting residencies or sponsoring master classes.

• Research, to extend our knowledge of the history, manufacture, and use of glass. This could cover, for example:
  1. Fundamental research, e.g., into the dating of glass or its conservation by scientific techniques.
  2. Unearthing and publicising information not in the public domain, e.g. from archives and collections.

Other purposes may be considered by The Glass Society Trustees on application.

GRANTS IN DETAIL

1. Grants may be made to individuals, groups, or categories of individuals, other charitable or educational organisations (including museums), or to commercial organisations. Beneficiaries need not be members of the Society.
2. Grants may be made by the Society alone or in conjunction with another body or organisation (such as a museum or educational establishment).
3. They may be made at the initiative of the Society or in response to advertisementsnby the Society. Advertisements will indicate the criteria to be satisfied and the time limit (if any) for application.
4. They may be for a specific amount or for expenditure to be incurred for the agreed purposes, limited to a specific amount.
5. In considering any grants, the Society will take into account any other grants available, applied for, or received.
6. Applicants for grants must complete an application form and meet the general conditions laid down by the Society. The policy and application form will be on the Glass Society website.
7. Successful candidates may be required to publicise or acknowledge receipt of the support, and may be requested or required to provide a report or article for publication by the Society.

ADMINISTRATION OF GRANTS

1. The Trustees of the Society will decide whether to make any grants.
2. A sub-committee may be established to evaluate any proposal in terms of the criteria to be satisfied, the amount and nature of the grant, and how and by whom it should be administered. Recommendations by the sub-committee will be tabled at full meetings of the Committee.
3. All grants will be subject to appropriate audit procedures. Where the grant is to cover expenses to be incurred, an advance payment may be made at the discretion of the Trustees. All expenses will be supported by receipts, vouchers, or other evidence.
4. In most cases, the process of determining the nature and amount of the award will be interactive between the applicant and the Society. The Society will be the final arbiter.
5. Where the amount of money involved is less than £1,000 or where support is needed to fund an immediate unanticipated requirement (e.g. an auction), a grant may be granted at the discretion of the Treasurer and two other Trustees.
6. Grants may be one-off payments or repeated at intervals throughout the lifetime of the project (e.g. research may be carried out over a number of visits or years).
7. Where expenditure has reached the set amount, but further relevant expenditure is required for the purposes for which the grant was made, an additional grant may be made on further application, at the discretion of the Trustees being satisfied that such further grant is appropriate.
8. The level of grants will reflect the financial position of the Society by reference to its identified charitable funds, its reserves and the ongoing financial health of the Society.
9. The Society’s preference would be to make smaller grants, for instance in the range of £2,000–£5,000, rather than much larger, less frequent grants.