Research grants & By-Fellowships
We have openings for 3 Archives By-Fellowships each year, with related funding available from 3 grant funds – The Correlli and Ruth Barnett Fund, The Churchill Fellowship Annual Grant and The John Antcliffe Memorial By-Fellowship Fund. Funding is also available for other work undertaken on the papers of Sir Winston Churchill and other related collections of the Churchill era from the Jennie Churchill Fund and the Colin Bell Award.
By-Fellowships
Archives By-Fellowships are open to researchers engaged in academic projects at a post doctoral level or at a more senior level.
Applications are made to the Archives Committee which then makes recommendations to the Fellowship Electors of Churchill College. Applications will be judged on the quality and promise of the research project.
Applicants must submit a summary of their research project, along with a full CV and publication list. They will be required to nominate two referees, and to have those referees forward references to the Director of the Churchill Archives Centre.
The By-Fellows are awarded on the recommendation of the College Archives Committee. The deadline for applications for the next academic year is 31 December this year.
- The election of an Archives By-Fellow shall be for the minimum of one full term (eight weeks), and a maximum of one year.
- The Archives By-Fellow’s research must demand extensive use of papers in the Churchill Archives Centre.
- They may be invited to give at least one talk within College, and to contribute to Archives Centre events.
- The By-Fellow may be offered accommodation in rooms in College or in a flat in the College grounds on payment of such charges as the College may decide. They will be expected to reside in Cambridge for a substantial part of the tenure of the By-Fellowship, and to take part in the social activities of the College.
- The Archives By-Fellow will be entitled to make use of all college facilities available to Fellows, and will have membership of the Senior Combination Room during their time in the College.
- The College cannot offer a stipend or free accommodation but will consider all applicants for the Correlli and Ruth Barnett fund and, where eligible, for the Churchill Fellowship Annual Grant and John Antcliffe Memorial By-Fellowship funding. The award of a grant is not guaranteed and the College is very willing to support applications to other funding bodies.
For more information please contact the Director of the Archives Centre at director.archives@chu.cam.ac.uk.
Past By-Fellowship reports can be found by searching this site for ‘By-Fellowship report’, where they will appear in our news archives.
John Antcliffe Archives By-Fellowship
With the very generous assistance of the John Antcliffe Fund, applications are invited for a sponsored Archives By-Fellowship.
The project supported should be concerned with the political, economic or social history of the ‘Thatcher era’ (approximately the period 1975-1997). The Archives By-Fellow’s research must make extensive use of papers in the Churchill Archives Centre, including the Thatcher papers and related collections. The grant is currently £4,500.
For more information please contact the Director of the Archives Centre at director.archives@chu.cam.ac.uk.
John Antcliffe
John Antcliffe speaking with Margaret Thatcher and William Hague
John Antcliffe (1961-2010) won a history exhibition to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Conservative politics were a passion of his from a very young age. He served as Chairman of the University Conservative Association in 1981 and stood at the Greenwich by-election in 1987. He pursued a successful City career at NM Rothschild, and was centrally involved in the privatisations of the 1980s. He remained active in political life. In particular, he had the utmost respect for Margaret Thatcher: she marked her high regard for John by attending his memorial service. He also took a close interest in political history. Shortly before his death, he republished the Times Guide to the House of Commons of 1910, with an introduction in which he told the story of the 1910 election.
Churchill Fellowship Annual Grant
Churchill College and Archives Centre are delighted to announce that there is now an annual grant available from the Churchill Fellowship to help fund a UK citizen for one term as an Archives By-Fellow. Applicants should indicate if they wish to be considered for this grant. The Churchill College Archives Committee will make recommendations to the Fellowship regarding the award of this grant. The grant is currently £4,500, from which Churchill College will deduct the relevant accommodation and catering costs.
For further details, or to discuss an application, please contact:
The Director,
Churchill Archives Centre,
Churchill College,
Storey’s Way,
Cambridge, CB3 0DS.
E-mail: director.archives@chu.cam.ac.uk
The Correlli and Ruth Barnett Fund at Churchill College
This fund is created in the memory of the renowned historian and former Keeper of the Churchill Archives Centre, Correlli Barnett CBE (1927-2022), and his loyal wife Ruth.
It exists to fund Archives By-Fellowships and studentships for those researching in the Churchill Archives Centre. Funding is normally for one term and will be allocated at the discretion of the Churchill Archives Committee, who expect to make at least one grant per year. Priority will be given to those researchers who would not otherwise be able to afford to take up an offered By-Fellowship or studentship. The initial level of the grant for funding one full term will be £4,500.
Those applying to the College for Archive By-Fellowships will automatically be considered for the Correlli and Ruth Barnett fund. Applications for By-Fellowships in any given academic year, must normally be submitted by 31 December of the previous year (eg: applications for the academic year 2025-26 are due by 31 December 2024).
Correlli Barnett, known as ‘Bill’, was the Keeper of the Churchill Archives Centre from 1977 until 1995. His leadership and energy transformed the institution, securing the Churchill papers in perpetuity, acquiring the Thatcher collection, and laying the firm foundations for future growth. Bill was an innovator who knew that the success of the Centre depended on its ability to attract the widest range of high-quality researchers and he was the originator of the College’s Archives by-Fellowship scheme.
Archives by-Fellowships enable those from outside Cambridge to come and live in the College community and access the archives for a temporary period.
Correlli and Ruth Barnett
The Jennie Churchill Fund
Created through the generosity of Mr Laurence Geller CBE and the International Churchill Society, and with the patronage of Jennie Churchill, great-granddaughter of Sir Winston, this fund exists to support any archival, educational or research work undertaken on the papers of Sir Winston Churchill and other related collections of the Churchill era.
Speaking on the new Fund, Jennie Churchill commented:
“I am deeply honoured to have my name associated with this new fund and look forward to hearing about the many exciting projects that it will make possible. I know it will mean that we can do more in terms of actively encouraging and supporting projects based on the Churchill collection, and I am thrilled that the College is today announcing several new initiatives to kick start this process.”
Are you a researcher from outside of Cambridge wanting to use the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College, but in need of financial support to meet travel and accommodation costs?
If so, please write to the Director of the Archives Centre outlining the nature of your project and how it relates to the life and legacy of Winston Churchill. You can only apply once, and you can only request the assistance of up to £500.
Are you a researcher from outside of Cambridge needing support to purchase an individual subscription to the Churchill Archive Online, the digital edition of the Churchill Papers collection?
If so, please write to the Director outlining the nature of your project and how it will be enhanced by access to this online resource. You can only apply once, and preference will be given to researchers who are unable to travel to Cambridge, where the collection can be viewed for free at the Churchill Archives Centre.
Are you a Churchill College student requiring support to travel or attend an event related to modern history, politics or international relations, or a student from outside of Cambridge wanting to attend such an event within Churchill College?
If so, you can apply for a grant of up to £250. Please write to the Director outlining the nature of your project.
Are you a school with a Churchill related project derived from the Churchill Archive for Schools?
If so, please write to the Director explaining how the proposal will enhance your teaching. You can only apply once, and you can only request the assistance of up to £250.
Applications
- Grants are made at the discretion of the Director of the Archives Centre.
- Up to £5,000 will be awarded in any given year.
- Grants will be announced on 1 July and 1 January. Submissions for 1 July must be received by 31 May. Submissions for 1 January must be received by 31 October.
- Submissions can be made by email or in writing.
Email: director.archives@chu.cam.ac.uk
By mail, please address your application to:
The Jennie Churchill Fund
The Director, the Churchill Archives Centre
Churchill College
Storey’s Way
Cambridge, CB3 0DS
UK
All submissions should include contact details, a brief introduction of the individual or institution, and a brief summary of the project. The Director reserves the right to ask for further information.
The Colin Bell Award
The Colin Bell Award is an annual Award of £500 to support any archival, educational or research work undertaken on the papers of Sir Winston Churchill, the Second World War and other related collections within the Churchill Archives Centre (‘CAC’).
The Fund honours Colin Bell DFC (born 5 March 1921), who served in Bomber Command in East Anglia (RAF Downham Market and RAF Wyton) as a ‘Pathfinder’ pilot of a Mosquito Aircraft during the Second World War. He regularly visited the historic Eagle hostelry in Bene’t Street in Cambridge where his 608 squadron features on the ceiling of the RAF Bar.
Any person, whether undergraduate, postgraduate or independent researcher, who is deemed to be proposing, worthwhile research will be eligible to apply. Applicants will not be limited to Cambridge University nor the UK.
Colin Bell with Development Director, Fran Malarée, at Churchill College
How to apply
In order to apply applicants need to submit the following information:
- a) A summary of their proposed research.b) Current academic CV
- c) Details of when and how the researcher will use the Archive and for how long.d) Plans for research outcomes: This might take the form of publication, exhibition, and online resource or other means of disseminating the results of the research enquiry.The deadline for applications is 31 December each year and the successful applicant would be expected to undertake the research within the following calendar year.
Applications should be sent to Allen Packwood, Director of the Archives Centre, at director.archives@chu.cam.ac.uk.
Applications will be considered by a sub group of the College Archives Committee and the decision of this group will be final.
Outcomes
Award recipients will be encouraged to give a presentation at the Archives Centre based on their research and are asked to submit a copy of any published work arising directly from the research to the Archives Centre.
Recipients will be given the opportunity to meet Mr Colin Bell and will receive a signed certificate confirming the award.
