Kathy Callow Legacy Fund: 2026 Grant
About the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund
The South West Federation of Museums & Art Galleries is the proud custodian of the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund, which we administer in line with the wishes of Kathy Callow (1949-89). We make a single annual grant of £1,000 to a small, Accredited museum in SW England towards the costs of care, conservation and display of social history collections. This may include conservation, exhibitions, improving stored collections or public engagement.
We welcome applications for projects including one or more of the following:
- the conservation of social history objects;
- the display of social history objects which may require specific conditions;
- collections care generally for social history objects;
‘Social history’ may without limitation include occupational dress, campaigning banners, technology in use in everyday life, and the history of waterways and seafaring.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a grant, organisations must meet the following criteria:
- Be a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales
- Be an Accredited museum
- Be located in the southwest of England, including the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire / Solent / Isle of Wight, Somerset or Wiltshire.
- Have an annual income of less than £600,000 in the last set of published accounts.
The project applied for should:
- Focus on objects that are of importance/relevance to the social history collections
- Result in a long-term asset for the institution
- Be for public benefit and arrangements for access should be in place
We are happy to contribute towards a larger project, but we will take into account the difference our grant can make.
2026 Timetable
Grant round open: 29 June 2026
Grant round application deadline: 5pm Monday 28th September 2026
Grant round award announcement: Monday 26th October 2026
Submission of report June 2027
If you wish to apply for funding, please download and read the guidance notes and application form.
Kathy Callow Application Guidance (PDF)
SWFed Kathy Callow Application Form (PDF)
SWFed Kathy Callow Application Form (Word Document)
Completed applications should be sent to info@swfed.org.uk with the subject line Kathy Callow Legacy Fund, before 5pm on Monday 28th September 2026
About Kathy Callow
Kathy Callow (née Beeham) was an active and long-standing member (latterly a Fellow) of the Museums Association. After qualifying in conservation at Leicester University, she devoted her working life to the many causes of small, local museums, starting in Enfield then Godalming, and finishing as Curator of the Priests’ House Museum in Wimborne (now the East Dorset Museum). In between, in 1975 she set up Gosport Museum and in 1989 the Museum of the History of Water Supply in the Pumping Station at Sutton Poyntz above Weymouth. Unusually practically resourceful, able to restore the early fibre-glass yacht Nohoh, and to install central heating virtually single-handedly, she was blessed with an insatiable curiosity. She also lived bravely with cancer for 6 years without this being known to most of those around her.
2025 Grant
The fund attracted a number of strong applications, reflecting the enthusiasm and quality of work taking place across the region.
Applications were carefully assessed by a selection panel against clear criteria, including eligibility, alignment with the fund’s purpose, public benefit, strategic fit, project planning, and funding.
Following this process, the panel awarded the grant to Tavistock Museum for their project A Stitch in Time.
“This engaging project will celebrate previously undisplayed historic clothing and objects that tell the story of Tavistock’s boom period during the mid-19th to early 20th centuries — a time shaped by the prosperity of the region’s copper mining industry. The grant will support vital conservation work, including the treatment of a historic book and a pair of silk shoes, as well as improvements to environmental conditions to support long-term collections care.”
Tavistock Museum presented a well-planned and carefully costed proposal that extended beyond core conservation work to include additional object repairs, new display resources, protective measures, and the development of a children’s trail to enhance learning and engagement with the exhibition.
The panel commented:
“Your proposal stood out for its clear impact and relevance to your museum’s mission, demonstrating how the grant will significantly support the care, conservation, and display of your collection. The objects chosen are engaging and locally significant, offering rich opportunities for interpretation across multiple themes. We were also impressed by the strategic approach to using this funding as a catalyst for future fundraising, alongside strong alignment with wider museum objectives such as community engagement and education.”
Contact
If you have any questions about the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund, the application form or the grant making process, you can contact info@swfed.org.uk