Grants FAQ
Q. I have already undertaken some research on a project for which I've incurred expenses. Am I able to apply for a grant and use it for reimbursement?
A. No. Grant monies may only be expended in the financial year for which they are awarded. Grants can therefore also not be used to retrospectively cover costs for research.
Q. When will I find out if my application has been successful?
A. AHU endeavours to notify both successful and unsuccessful applicants of the outcome of the grant assessment as expediently as possible. Once the assessment process has been completed, and the Minister has ratified the recommendations of the assessment panel, applicants will be notified by mail. This generally occurs in June of each year.
Q. Do you think my project is worthy of funding?
A. This is a question that the Army History Unit cannot answer. In general, any project that aims to further the study of the field has merit. The funding available however, is limited and this is a competitive grants scheme. Accordingly, to maintain fairness and equity, the Army History Unit cannot discuss the actual content of research grant proposals nor give advice as to whether potential applicants should submit an application for funding or not.
Potential applicants who have doubts as to whether their project is worthy of a grant should read all the information available on this website and examine the list of projects that have previously been supported through this scheme.
Q. How does the grant assessment process work?
A. There are multiple steps to the grants assessment process. A team of independent historians, academics, and authors are assembled and split into teams of two. These teams are then randomly allocated a selection of applications to assess. Once this has occurred, a full meeting of the assessment panel is convened where each application is discussed in detail. Based on this, a consensus is reached and a list of recommended projects for support is presented to the Army History Advisory Committee (AHAC). This committee will then determine whether the recommendations of the assessment panel should be supported. If so, the recommendations are then sent to the Minister for Defence who has the final authority for approving the funding of the recommended grants.
Q. Can I include supplementary material along with my application?
A. Including vast amounts of supplementary material makes marking applications cumbersome for the assessment panel. For this reason, you may include supplementary material along with your application - however, the Army History Unit asks that this be kept to a bare minimum and is only included if thought to be absolutely necessary.
Q. What if my project is a personal history or publication of diary/memoirs?
A. Over the course of the 17 years or so that the Grants scheme has been in operation, it is very rare for memoirs or diaries to be supported by the Assessment Panel. The exceptions are the biographies of high ranking officers which are sometimes supported, as the position of these officers would afford them unique insights and larger overall perspectives of the Army and its operations.
With a limited budget, the Assessment Panel seeks to support projects that are deemed 'value for money.' For example, it is generally recognised that research of a unit history would provide the Army with greater value than monies spent on focusing on an individual perspective. This does not in any way, shape or form lessen the service and achievements of the individual soldier, it is merely a reflection of the desire of the Assessment Panel to gain the greatest possible outcome from a limited pool of funding.