The bursaries for leatherworking are sponsored by the Leathersellers’ Foundation and the British Leather Industry Development Trust and are part of a suite of grants, awards and bursaries.

Many people are dissuaded from training in heritage crafts because of the cost, and therefore the make-up of the sector is not truly representative of the mix of backgrounds that make up the UK as a whole. This bursary has been set up to help cover or subsidise the cost of training for someone who would otherwise be prevented from pursuing this career path as a result of the cost.

Bursaries are for:

  • new entrants who have demonstrated a commitment to starting a new craft career and need to acquire the necessary hand skills
  • early-career practitioners who have not yet attained the hand skills required to achieve commercial success; or
  • early or mid-career craftspeople who need to acquire distinctly different hand skills to develop new ways of achieving commercial success.

A bursary can cover or contribute towards the costs of:

  • apprenticeship-style training with a craftsperson/people
  • attending a specialist training course (accredited or non-accredited)
  • undertaking a self-directed programme of training with one or more craftspeople
  • the cost of specialist tools or materials, books or study materials, or supporting travel and accommodation (no more than 30% of total budget).

The bursary cannot be used for general living expenses, research, promotional activities or anything else.

Leatherworking crafts are those that feature leather as a primary material. They can include but are not limited to saddlery, shoemaking, harness making, tanning, fashion, accessory making, and so on.

Successful applicants will be supported by the Heritage Crafts team to develop an action plan. The organisation will work with them to monitor progress and support them to achieve their aims

To apply, head to Assessment, shortlisting and final selection will be carried out by the Heritage Crafts judging team, and interviews will be carried out by Zoom. Applications are open until 5pm on Friday 7 March 2025.

Heritage Crafts works in partnership with government and key agencies. It provides a focus for craftspeople, groups, societies and guilds, as well as individuals who care about the loss of traditional crafts skills.