APPLY NOW: Find the grant application form & funding details here

Write a Winning Grant Application.

Since launching on 16th June 2025, this year’s funding round has already seen a surge in application downloads, marking an exciting start to the eighth year of our grant initiative!

Since its inception, the grant has supported over 120 heritage organisations and awarded more than £150,000 to preserve culturally significant collections. Through a combination of full grants and our ever-popular match funding pot, the programme continues to help bring vital archives into the digital space, where access, discovery, and engagement can truly thrive.

Each year, we’re inspired by the stories behind the applications and excited to see even more collections safeguarded for future generations.

Our 2024 main grant winners were The Royal College of Surgeons of England, Museum of Scottish Railways, and St Andrews Botanic Garden Trust - three brilliant projects that captured the attention of our judges.

So, what made their applications stand out?

6 Recommendations For a Winning Application:

All three of last year’s winners submitted applications that left a strong impression.

They showed absolute clarity and confidence in the value of their archives – and that really mattered. When you believe in the importance of your collection, it comes across. Our judges could clearly see that each applicant understood the significance of their materials and the difference digitisation would make, not just for their organisation but for the wider community too.

Here are six key takeaways from their submissions:

1. Show confidence in your archive.

Applicants who clearly understood the value of their collection were better able to explain its significance and communicate why it deserved support. If you believe in what you’re working with, others are more likely to believe in it too.

2. Tell the full story.

The strongest applications painted a full picture. They didn’t just explain the archive – they highlighted previous successes, demonstrated existing support, and showed how digitisation would build on this foundation to support future outreach and engagement.

3. Speak with authority and enthusiasm.

Winning organisations demonstrated deep knowledge of their collections. They were persuasive and passionate, making their submissions compelling to read and easy for judges to get behind.

4. Be clear about significance.

If your archive has national or global relevance, say so. Explain why and who it matters to. If your collection has a smaller, more specialised focus, that’s fine too – just make sure you illustrate its value within that specific context.

5. Highlight any risk.

If materials are at risk – due to age, fragility, or environmental concerns – include this in your application. Digitisation is often about preservation first and foremost, so be specific about the urgency and what’s at stake.

6. Think beyond the immediate project.

Strong applications considered the bigger picture. How might this project unlock further work or wider access across your archive? We love seeing plans that demonstrate long-term thinking and make a case for funding as a catalyst for broader impact. 

What Does a Winning Application Actually Look Like?

We thought it might be helpful to not just talk about what a successful application looks like, but actually see one in black and white. A couple of our previously successful organisations have very kindly agreed to let us share their winning application forms with you, for the purposes of opening up the process and making it even more accessible.

Click the links below to see how they won over our judges and successfully gained funding from previous TWA Digitisation Grants:

- Sample Application: Royal College of Surgeons of England (2024 winner) 

- Sample Application: Brass Bands England (2023 winner) 

Learn About Last Years Winners:

The Royal College of Surgeons of England – This project brought a wide audience into contact with three important historical records: the diary of a gravedigger who sold bodies to anatomists, the patient records of 18th-century female patients, and a petition calling for the admission of women to the RCS.

It engaged new audiences and uncovered hidden aspects of women’s history in society, using compelling evidence to draw parallels with the present day. It was a well-conceived project that highlighted significant and historically valuable material.

Museum of Scottish Railways – This project revealed the hidden history of women and family life within railway culture, opening access to the material for the wider community. Previous digitisation efforts had largely focused on professional operations and the men who ran them, often overlooking the social networks that supported railway life.

This project gave the public access to a unique, previously unseen family archive that showcased the vibrant diversity of railway communities across Scotland. Documenting homes on the rails, it offered rich detail to engage the general public and proved key to understanding the social role of women on Scotland’s railways in the mid-20th century.

St Andrews Botanic Garden Trust – This project digitised a collection of documents recording the distribution of plant species in the Fife area from the late 1800s to the present day. The documents held additional value as they remained housed alongside the specimens they referenced. The Trust involved local people, students, and volunteers to carry out repeat plant surveys in the areas detailed in the reports, helping to track changes in species distribution — a vital effort in light of the increasing impact of climate change.

This written collection served as an important record of species status and distribution over more than a century. Given the shifts in climate and habitat during that period, the archive provided highly valuable biological data and insights that were made accessible to the public.

It's Not Too Late To Apply - Applications Close 25th July!

Watch our video featuring TownsWeb CEO, Paul Sugden, for all the details of this years grant: 

You can also read top tips from this years three judges, right here.

For further details on who is eligible and how to apply, visit our TWA Digitisation Grant page.

Request your application form here and be sure to contact us for any digitisation grant-related queries and questions. All completed applications should be submitted by 25th July 2025 at 11.59pm (BST). The winners will be announced on 28th August at the ARA Annual Conference. 

Best of luck, from all at TownsWeb Archiving!