Research Consortia

Applicants may apply for up to £40,000 per annum for 3 years. These grants are intended as seed funding for applicants to develop a larger grant proposal for a national or EU-funding body.

We welcome applications from universities based in Europe, EU and non-EU states alike, except for Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. 

The organisation’s activities must be deemed charitable under UK charity law. This includes organisations which are either not-for-profit or publicly funded, such as universities. For more information, please consult the UK’s Charity Commission website and its list of Charitable Purposes.

Consortia must be composed of at least two and preferably more, higher education or memory institutions. Applications must be submitted by the institution that is organising the consortium and where the principal investigator is affiliated. One of the partner institutions may be located outside Europe (for instance, in Israel or North America), but the applying institution must be based in Europe.

All topics within the broad field of Jewish Studies are considered eligible for the Foundation’s Jewish Studies grants. The Foundation particularly welcomes applications from those engaged in the study of contemporary Jewish life in Europe from a social science perspective and those whose proposals involve digital humanities research techniques.

In principle, projects only tangentially related to Jewish Studies are unlikely to be successful, nor will projects devoted to an individual or individuals who happen to be Jewish, but whose historical importance is not significantly contingent on that biographical fact. Secondary school education, informal education and documentary films will not be funded within the context of the Academic Jewish Studies grant programme.

For more information on Jewish Studies please read our FAQs.

In general, the costs of coordination, travel and accommodation for planning meetings, and research assistance can be funded within the context of this scheme. Other costs may also be covered but it is advised that you contact Foundation Staff regarding other, major costs for which you wish to apply.

Please note, institutional overheads will not be funded. Institutional overheads include the costs of maintaining, heating, and insuring the building in which your department is housed, as well as the taxes your university pays for that building.

If you are uncertain about the eligibility of your proposed project or project costs, please contact Dr Ruchama Johnston-Bloom
(R.Johnston-Bloom@rothschildfoundation.eu).

A fundamental component of the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe’s mission is to increase access to European Jewish heritage and culture. To that end, the Foundation encourages grantees to publish their Foundation-funded research in peer-reviewed journals with an open access option, and to make their articles freely accessible whenever possible.

Grantees may apply to the Foundation for additional funding to cover costs associated with open access publication, such as article processing charges.

Some applicants are having issues downloading the budget form within the application – please download a copy of the budget form from here.

Please make sure you have submitted the following with your application. If it is not included, your application cannot be considered.

If your application is approved, you will need to submit further supporting documentation once you receive your Grant Letter and Agreement.

• Proof of Charitable Status(Required:) This will vary from country to country and according to the type of organisation making the application. In all cases, the activities of the organisation must qualify as charitable within the United Kingdom. If your organisation is a publicly funded body, such as a university, research centre or museum, then we will accept a copy of your organisation’s statutes as proof of its charitable status.
• Certification from the tax authorities: If you require a certificate from the tax authorities in order to demonstrate charitable status in your country, please forward a copy of this certificate.
• Budget table and budget explanation for the proposed project (Required): Please use the proforma budget form provided with the application. An example of a completed budget can also be downloaded via the application form.
• CVs of key staff people working on the project (maximum 5 pages for each staff member): Only the first 5 pages of any CVs totalling more than the 5-page limit will be forwarded to the Academic Advisory Committee for assessment. Please combine all the CVs into one document before uploading it.
• Signed memorandum of understanding between consortium partners: this letter should indicate the intent of the consortium partners to participate in the proposed project. It should be signed by the relevant department heads, institute directors or faculty chairs. Please note that this does not need to be a formal, legal and binding contract.
• The most recently available audited accounts or financial statement stamped by the financial authority in your country (Required): This is a formal record of your organisation’s financial activities for either a one- or three-year period. The statement must include a summary of the income and expenditure over a given period. It should have been prepared by a chartered accountant and, if your country requires it, stamped by the relevant government department.
• Income and Expenditure: If the submitted audited accounts or financial statement are not in English, you are required to submit an English summary of the income and expenditure account and balance sheet.
• The operating budget of your organisation for the current fiscal year: Please consult your university or departmental finance department to obtain these.
• Project Update/Final Report: If you currently receive funding from the Foundation please submit a one-page Project Update of your existing grant. If you have recently finished a grant funded by the Foundation please ensure the Final Report has been submitted before the closing date for the current grant round as this will be assessed alongside your new application.

Translations: For documents not originally written in English please include an English translation. This does not need to be an official translation, but it must be clear and accurate. Documents in a language other than English that are not accompanied by an English translation will not be processed.

Financial summaries: If financial documents are very long, please provide a translation summarising the main income and expenditure included in your financial statements and organisational budget. This document should be no longer than 10 pages.

Please upload your translated/summarised document against the same upload title you use for the original document. This means you may have two documents saved under each upload title.

Applicants must supply details for two, external referees able to evaluate their proposal. Referees must not be affiliated with any of the institutions that belong to the consortia.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to send their referees the correct reference form and to ensure that references are submitted by the referee deadline. Forms are available to download under the referees section of the online application form or here.

The Foundation will confirm receipt of your references to you via email no later than 5 working days after the referee deadline. If the Foundation has not received your reference(s) you will be contacted no later than 3 working days after the referee deadline. Please do not contact the Foundation during this period regarding your references as there will be a delay in responding to your query.

Applications can only be submitted via our online application process. We do not accept applications by mail or email.

Please use the Apply Now button at the bottom of the grant category page to begin your application.

The first time you log in, you will need to create an account with an email and a password. Please keep a note of your login information as you will need it to access your application form on future visits.

Once you have set up your online account you will be taken directly to the application form.

When completing the application form, make sure to switch your web browser language settings to English if necessary.

We strongly recommend you read all of the questions before you fill in the application form.

Once you have started your application, continue editing by logging into your online account below. Do not click on the Apply Now button again as this creates duplicate application forms.

Please note: If your application form is left inactive for more than 50 minutes your changes won’t be saved. In order to keep the form ‘active’ when completing your application, you must either click ‘Next’ or ‘Save and Finish Later’, which will take you to your account dashboard.

Your application form and supporting documents must be submitted by Monday 13 January 2025. References will be due by Monday, 20 January 2025 – please ensure you provide a copy of your application form and the reference to your referee to complete.

You should expect notification via email by mid-May 2025 letting you know whether your application has been successful or unsuccessful. If your application is approved, you will receive an official award letter and agreement which you will need to e-sign and return with the necessary supporting documentation.

Please ensure you add adobesign@adobesign.com to your safe senders list to ensure you receive all our communications.

For our requirements for ensuring safeguarding, please read the relevant section on our website.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information or advice as you prepare your application.

For queries relating to this grant category please contact: Dr Ruchama Johnston-Bloom (R.Johnston-Bloom@rothschildfoundation.eu)

For any other information including technical support please contact info@rothschildfoundation.eu