Chairman's Letter

We have devised six categories to help when submitting a grant application, with the wishes of our founder very much in mind, namely an encouragement of the public appreciation of visual art, particularly sculpture. Our aim is to promote sculpture, in exhibitions, collections and for research. Research into sculpture is important to us, as it was implicit in the founding of the Henry Moore Institute, and it runs through our thinking when allocating grants. 

We recognise that, for applicants requiring funding for research into sculpture, especially historic sculpture, funding opportunities may be scarce. There are overlaps between our categories, as a good sculpture exhibition is usually well researched, and is often accompanied by a publication. 

The evolving nature of sculpture is central to our thinking, as it was to Henry Moore.  We aim to be as inclusive as possible to all forms of sculpture and the ways in which it can be exhibited. We hope to keep up to the minute, and financially to support leading organisations - both here and abroad - and help them shape the evolution of sculpture, with new commissions, either temporary or permanent. Therefore, we are greatly encouraged by the dialogue between sculptors from abroad who are showing in the UK, and vice versa, and wish to reflect this in our grants. 

Beyond commissioning and exhibiting sculpture, there is its preservation and display. This valuable work is central to museum practice and is often overlooked in funding. Well conserved, well displayed sculpture is essential for museums.  There is also the development of permanent collections through acquisitions. We have not always supported acquisitions in the past but we do so now in the hope that we will be able to make a meaningful difference to museum collections of important sculpture throughout the country. We also aim to help fund publications on sculptural matters, which would otherwise struggle to be published.

A small amount of money is awarded for Artists' Residencies and Fellowships. This is the only way in which we directly help artists, although each application requires the support of a host institution. Again, this comes from the experience of Henry Moore who benefitted from the financial assistance given to him when he was awarded a scholarship to travel to Italy in 1924. He recognised the invaluable support a small grant can make to the ability to gain new experiences and opportunities. We think this remains true today.

Our grants have a wide scope, both in historical terms and in the breadth of their remit, but we believe that this scope is viable and sustainable.

Greville Worthington (Chair of Grants)