Supporting education and training in heritage conservation

The Anna Plowden Trust (Registered Charity No. 1072236) was set up in 1998 in memory of Anna Plowden CBE a leading conservator of her generation.  The Trust began its work in 1998. Since then it has distributed over £1m in grants in support of conservation training, CPD and the conservation sector.  

We have:

• awarded over 425 Plowden Scholarships to assist students to train as conservators by contributing towards their tuition fees;
• supported, through our scholarships, all of the major conservation training courses in the UK;
• made over 400 grants to working conservators to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) in the UK and overseas. Some of this has been in support of conservation teaching staff, thereby multiplying the impact of the training received;
• helped raise awareness of conservation by giving grants to publicise successful conservation projects and by supporting the Demos report 'It's a Material World';
• funded a one year internship at the Victoria and Albert Museum
• awarded five prizes for Research and Innovation in Conservation (as part of the Icon Conservation Awards Scheme) the most recent being in 2015.
• provided financial help to support the convergence of the UK professional conservation bodies into Icon

Our Annual Report and Accounts for the last few years can be downloaded below: