28 training bursaries are available for this round. Each offering the chance to invest £4,000 for talented new entrants and early-career practitioners to train in any heritage craft.

For many, affording the costs of training (whether formal courses or on a 121 basis with a maker) is just too challenging. With apprenticeships dwindling or choosing to come into a craft later in life, we want to open opportunities to those who might otherwise be lost to the heritage crafts sector at a key moment in their early career.

• Individuals can apply for up to £4,000 towards costs of training.
• Of the 28 bursaries available, 2 will be allocated to Black and ethnically diverse trainees, 6 to British military veterans, 5 to trainees who intend to work in Scotland and Wales, and 3 to rural crafts, decorative crafts and endangered crafts. The remaining 11 will be allocated depending on individual need. You will automatically be considered for the general funding pot as well as all of the categories that apply to you.
• Any craft that has been practiced in the UK for two or more generations is eligible.
• We encourage applicants to apply for the full £4,000 to maximise the impact the bursary will have to develop their hand-skills in their chosen craft.
• It does not need to be a wonderfully crafted application. Explain the challenges to accessing training you face and how the bursary can help overcome them.
• You can apply for more than one course/training opportunity. Your training can take place from September 2024 and run over the course of a year to really demonstrate the learning and impact of your skills. For example, you might do a formal course, take the learning away and practice and then a few months later book a one-to-one session with a master to further refine your skills.

To find out more and apply, visit https://www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/opportunities/training-bursaries/.