The Karun Thakar Fund for the study of Asian and African textiles and dress is offered by Karun Thakar in collaboration with the V&A. The Fund offers scholarships and project grants to researchers and practitioners working anywhere in the world on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress.
The Fund aims to enrich the fields of Asian and African textiles and dress by supporting meaningful and innovative study and practice, foregrounding fresh perspectives and ground-breaking research in under-resourced subject areas.
The V&A holds one of the largest museum collections of Asian textiles and dress in the world, and the extensive private collections of Karun Thakar span the textiles and dress of both Asia and Africa. Using both collections as points of departure, the Fund promotes materials-based, object-led learning and advocates for new approaches to the research and interpretation of historic materials.
The Karun Thakar Fund is made possible by the contributions of its generous donors. The V&A is grateful for their support.
Scholarship awards
The Karun Thakar Fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 to university students focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Scholarship Awards are offered every other year, and multiple awards are available in each round. The next round of applications opens in Spring 2023.
Students of any degree level attending any accredited university worldwide are eligible to apply, provided they can establish their research/practice is tangibly linked to Asian or African textiles and dress. Scholarship applicants’ chosen courses need not be textile or dress-specific, however applicants must be able to demonstrate that their own research or practice within their chosen course will be Asian or African textile/dress-focused.
Scholarship Awards are intended for use towards tuition fees or maintenance costs. The amount of funding awarded is decided by the Selection Committee based on an applicant’s needs. Students may need to find additional sources of funding to meet their total study costs.
