National Archives – Seed Corn Grants

The Seed Corn Grants scheme is part of the new ‘Spaces, Places and Belonging’ Community Hub to be launched in early 2026. This is a new national programme led by The National Archives in partnership with Leeds Museums & Galleries, the National Library of Wales, and the Community Archives & Heritage Group. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – UKRI, the Hub will support inclusive, community-led research across the UK’s galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) and heritage sectors.

In addition to the Seed Corn Grants, there will be Skills Bursaries and National Archives – Project Grants , reported on separately.

Alongside £550,000 in funding, there will be a programme of training, digital skills development, and network-building. The Hub will also create a permanent digital platform to share resources, learning, and best practice, ensuring that community engagement becomes a lasting part of the national collection. Designed to empower underrepresented communities and build confidence across the sector, the Hub will be a collaborative, flexible, and sustainable space for innovation and inclusion.


Eligible applicants include community groups and GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) and other heritage organisations working with communities across the UK.

There is particular interest in applications from smaller and grassroots groups.

To be eligible, applicants need to:

  • Be involved with, or linked to, the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) and/or wider Heritage sector.
  • Be based in the UK (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales).
  • Have a UK bank account.

Applicants should not have received a Community Hub Seed Corn grant before. Previously unsuccessful applicants can apply again with the agreement of the Community Hub team.

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VAC Membership

What's included?

You will receive a VAC Member welcome pack with useful information on getting the most out of your membership and a few extra treats!

Every member of VAC will be invited to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has voting rights for resolutions and proposals either in person or by proxy.

When you sign up to be a VAC Member, you will be assigned a Go-To Contact from the VAC team.

They will be your main point of contact for your membership, helping to answer questions and signposting you to the right place within VAC and/or our partnerships.

We want the VAC membership offer to be responsive to the needs of our members.  Member check ins keep us up to date on your organisation’s news and developments but also on any challenges or support gaps that may be affecting the VCSE sector. 

The information we receive during our member check ins will highlight trends and challenges that we can then explore support and solutions for via our membership offer and partnerships with local providers and authorities.

To support VAC members to feel connected and informed, we have created a unique Member Area on the VAC Website.

The online dashboard will keep you and your colleagues up to date on the latest member opportunities, training and news.

The Member Area also has a forum function, allowing VAC Member organisations to interact and support each other.

A quarterly newsletter to keep our members up to date on not only VAC Membership updates and opportunities but also specifically created content on topics of interest to the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. 

The Bimonthly Member Network is for VAC Members to connect with other VAC Members!

A perfect opportunity to support one another, find out about other local services and explore new collaborative opportunities and partnerships with fellow VAC members.

20% Discount on VAC Room Hire – We offer a range of flexible rooms for hire located in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Our rooms include a fully equipped, large training room with SMART board and flipchart facilities seating up to 25 theatre style, two smaller meeting rooms seating up to 12 and a small office with computer facilities suitable for one-to-one meetings or rent-a-desk.

Competitive rate on ID Badge Printing – Competitively priced to accommodate for smaller orders, our in-house ID Badge service supports both design and printing.

Based on feedback and insight we gain from our members, our training and events offer will complement local infrastructure support training programmes.

All sessions are cost effective and VCSE sector driven.