The British Academy
The national academy for the humanities and social sciences. Best known for its Small Research Grants, Postdoctoral Fellowships and Global Professorships, and a rare source of modest, flexible funding for individual scholars.
- Kind of funder
- National academy or learned society
- Where it funds
- UK-wide
- Indicative award size
- £5k – £750k
- Approx. annual research spend
- £50m
- Who can apply
- Universities, Research institutes, Individual researchers
- Career stages
- Postdoctoral, Early career, Established researcher
Small Research Grants up to around £10k; Global Professorships fund a full post.
Research areas
Named schemes (2)
BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants ↗
Up to around £10k for humanities and social science research costs — travel, archives, fieldwork, research assistance. One of the most accessible awards in UK academia.
Rolling / recurringCheck funder site for current round£500 – £10k per awardchecked 2026-05-01British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship ↗
Three years of funding for outstanding early-career humanities and social science researchers to complete a major piece of publishable work and establish themselves.
Rolling / recurringCheck funder site for current round£250k – £350k per awardchecked 2026-05-01