All communities living in the UK have been affected
by the First World War in some way, either by the events
that took place, or by the changes it brought about.
(HLF Application guidance)

Are you thinking of ways to mark the Centenary of the First World War? Do you want to run a community collection, or engage your community in activities with a First Word War connection? Then you may be interested in the new funding scheme launched by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

We want to fund projects which enable communities to understand more about the heritage of the First World War and benefit a wide range of people.
(HLF Application guidance)

The First World War: then and now scheme makes available grants of £3,000-10,000 to communities that wish to mark the Centenary of the First World War. The scheme is open to groups and organisations such as clubs or interest groups, charities or trusts, local authorities, public sector organisations, schools and colleges, and others. Applications can be made at any time from 2013 to 2018 and are assessed in eight weeks.

Funding is offered for projects that explore the heritage of the First World War and make a difference to people, heritage and communities in the UK. This can be done in different ways, for example by organising community activities; collecting and sharing stories and memorabilia; creating exhibitions or websites; finding, developing or producing local interest material, theatre performances or works of art; preserving war memorials, or whatever works best for the community group in question.

The scheme is open to not-for-profit organisations and partnerships led by not-for profit organisations. More information about the scheme and how to apply can be found at the HLF website.

If you are planning a project and want to include community collections or aspects of digital technologies for knowledge exchange and public engagement, RunCoCo can offer guidance, support, or collaboration. As part of the Education Enhancement team (University of Oxford) we offer expert services in following fields:

• Digital Experience Research and Evaluation
• Running Community Collections and Crowdsourcing
• Social media (for teaching, learning and outreach)

Contact us at runcoco@oucs.ox.ac.uk