Outreach Funding

About the award

Eligibility: All QRA members

Amount: Up to £1000, although larger requests will be considered

Application Deadlines: 1st September 2023 (We aim to notify applicants if they have been successful or not within a month of the deadline)

Guidance

The QRA encourages its members and others to promote and foster engagement between Quaternary Science and a wide and diverse audience. In support, we offer an annual Outreach fund from which grants will be awarded. Awards are normally made of up to £1000, although larger requests will be considered – please see our list of previously funded projects for more details.

If you have any questions or are unsure whether your project qualifies for funding, please contact the Outreach Officer (outreach@qra.org.uk).

Awards are open to individuals and organisations to organise public engagement events as well as develop and disseminate outreach materials on a Quaternary theme that:

Involve an aspect of Quaternary Science and fulfil one of the following criteria:

• Increase public understanding of, and engagement with, Quaternary Science
• Stimulate discussion about Quaternary Science and its implications for past, present and future society
• Inspire and enthuse people of all ages about the Quaternary, especially those not previously aware of or interested in the subject.
• Have clear aims and objectives with the potential to make an impact on the target audience. Projects that demonstrate imaginative ways of engaging new audiences are encouraged;
• If applicable, consider a long term plan for the ‘project product’
• Have a structure in place to evaluate and review the success and impact of the project;
• Have a structure in place for disseminating the outcomes of the project as widely as possible.

Also, please note that:

• Repeat requests for sponsorship will be considered but there is no guarantee that repeat requests will be funded;
• Retrospective applications will not normally be considered;
• We are happy to co-sponsor/be one of many funders;
• Applicants do not have to be QRA members;
• We will not normally fund outreach projects associated with Research Council projects as it is expected these projects would normally include outreach funding.

Where the funding request concerns a website, please ensure that you also consider the following:

• Do you have a plan for keeping the website sustainable and updated in the future, taking into account people moving into different roles, funding of hosting etc in the long term?
• Does the proposed website overlap with existing, established outreach media on the web? Where relevant, has contact been made with the webmasters of these existing websites to explore collaborations?
• Have links been made with the target audience? Has the target audience been involved in discussion on website design/content from the beginning? Does the project plan include evaluation exercises with the target audience to obtain feedback to improve the website?
• Has any thought/planning put in to how the website will be promoted within the target audience? Will the number of visitors to the site be recorded as a measure of interest?
• Applicants must normally apply before the relevant deadline which is at least 2 months in advance of the project start date, although exceptions may be made depending on circumstances.

If successful, award holders will be expected to:-

• Use the QRA logo on all materials, and acknowledge the QRA at all events. A high res version of the QRA logo is available from the QRA Outreach Officer.
• Discuss their event with the QRA Outreach Officer, so that we can help with advertising using Quaternary Newsletter, the QRA Website and the QRA membership email alert facility.
• Produce a short report on the outcomes of the funding, as well as some documentary evidence (e.g. photos of events, leaflets published) of the ‘product’ funded; please refer to QRA Outreach Award Final Report document for guidance. This must be submitted to the QRA Outreach Officer within 2 months of the project end.
• Produce a short article reviewing the project for publication in Quaternary Newsletter. This must be submitted to the Quaternary Newsletter Editor within 3 months of the project end.
• Produce a statement of accounts showing how the QRA funding was spent. This must be submitted to the QRA Treasurer within 3 months of the project end.