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Many projects and activities of the International Dunhuang Programme are made possible by the generous support of trusts, foundations and individual donors. Their support contributes to the conservation, digitisation and documentation of collection items, and to activities aimed at making these important materials more widely accessible and known to the public. 

If you are interested in providing support to the International Dunhuang Programme you can contact [email protected] and your enquiry will be directed appropriately.

There are several ways you can contribute to the IDP:

Fund a project

The IDP Partners run a variety of Projects focused on all aspects of the collections, from conservation and digitisation to public outreach and research. Projects range between short cataloguing improvements to multi-year cross-departmental sponsorships and are critical to the IDP’s mission of advancing the learning and access achieved through the online platform. Previous Projects have included the Lotus Sutra Project, which conserved and digitised nearly 800 manuscripts in the British Library’s collection, and the Tibetan Manuscript Digitisation Project, which digitised around 300 manuscripts.

If you are interested in funding a Project of any size at the British Library, please contact [email protected]

The British Library’s Sponsor a Sutra programme is currently accepting donations to assist with digitisation work. Just as donors in the past paid a scribe to copy Buddhist texts in memory of loved ones or to distribute merit, the IDP’s Sponsor a Sutra Scheme enables anyone today to support the digitization of a sutra in the British Library’s collection and add your dedicatory message. This will be added below the image on the database, just as donor names and messages previously appeared at the end of manuscripts and at the bottom of paintings. Sponsors can select material based on a range of factors, including price, subject matter, or staff need.

For a list of objects ready to be digitised and further information on the Sponsor a Sutra programme, please reach out to [email protected]

Donations

We accept direct donations to assist with conservation, digitisation and administrative work. Your generosity is deeply appreciated.

At the British Library some of our most recent supporters include:

Bei Shan Tang Foundation

Dunhuang Foundation

Sino-British Fellowship Trust

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