Tru Vue Conservation & Exhibition Grant Scheme

Here at Icon, we know that small heritage institutions are the custodians of some of our most precious shared cultural heritage. Safeguarding the objects in these collections and keeping them on public display ensures that everyone's stories can continue to engage and inspire. 

Icon is delighted to be partnering with Tru Vue® to deliver the Tru Vue® Conservation and Exhibition Grant Scheme for another year. 

Under the scheme, small heritage institutions are able to apply for grant funding up to £3,000 to support the delivery of conservation projects that enable the safe display of an object in their collection. We are looking to support projects that do one of the following:

Conserve and protect an object or objects already on display

Or

Enable an object that is not currently on display to be conserved and made accessible to visitors in a safe way

There are two components to the scheme:

• Glazing materials supplied by Tru Vue® (value estimated up to £4,000)

• Funding to cover the materials, supplies and/or support needed to deliver the project

If you have any questions about the Tru Vue® materials or would like some advice on what the best fit would be for your project, please contact Tru Vue’s representative Andrew Haycock at [email protected].

Grantees will receive both the cash grant and the Tru Vue® materials. The Tru Vue® materials are free of charge however the cost of their transportation and fabrication are expected to be factored into the project budget along with the conservation work.

The material donation is worth up to £4000 and will be credited to the Tru Vue® distributor directly for the distributor to make the requested material available to the grantee. The distributor may charge the grantee for cut-to-size and shipping of the donated material; money from the cash award can be used towards this cost.

The cash award is up to £3000 and intended to cover the conservation process, case fabrication, and the aforementioned shipping or cut-to-size costs.

Applicants will be asked to provide a quote from a supplier in the application form, detailing the shipping, fabrication, and cut material-to-size costs involved in this project.

To see examples of previously funded projects, check out Icon's Grants Gallery and choose the Tru Vue Programme in the drop-down menu. 

Eligibility

At least five grants of up to £3,000 will be distributed to small heritage institutions with under 100,000 visitors per year.

We welcome applications from institutions across the globe (bar the United States and institutions from targeted geographic regions that are subject to the United Kingdom, United States, and/or United States economic sanctions and embargoes; check the US Sanctions here and the UK Sanctions here).

Application process and guidance

Applicants must clearly demonstrate how the funds will be used and demonstrate the impact of this funding for the organisation and its visitors.

Please download and complete the Application Form below, and send it along with any supporting documents to [email protected]

Tru Vue Conservation and Exhibition Grant Application Form

Applicants will need to provide the following: 

• An outline of the proposed project.
• How the project will address conservation or display challenges.
• How the Tru Vue® materials will be used as part of the project.
• How the institution will acquire the Tru Vue® materials for the project.
• An outline of the intended outcomes for the project.
• A proposal for how the institution will share the impact of the project.
• A project budget including the conservation work and shipping, cut-to-size and fabrication costs for the Tru Vue® materials.

Applicants are asked to include up to 4 photographs in their application – one of these should be of the object.

Please send your completed application form and up to 4 photographs to [email protected]

Applications will be reviewed by Icon with a final selection made by a panel comprised of 3 Icon members. 

Timetable

Applications open on Monday 5 August and the deadline for submissions is Monday 30 September 5pm (UK time). 

Successful projects are to be completed within 12 months of receiving grant funding. Reports should be submitted to Icon within one month of the project completion date.

For further information, contact [email protected]

Reporting

On completion of the project, successful applicants are expected to submit a short report outlining the achievements of the project and its positive outcomes. This could be a written report including a selection of photographs or a short film. A template will be provided.

Header image: Installation view of Challenging Convention at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne. Photo credit Colin Davison