Support the Penny Francis Memorial Award
Help us continue Penny Francis’s legacy in puppetry.
Penny Francis (1931–2023) was a tireless advocate, teacher and researcher of puppetry. She inspired generations of puppeteers and theatre-makers in the UK and around the world.
To honour her life and contribution, British UNIMA is launching the Penny Francis Memorial Award — providing annual grants to UK-based puppeteers to develop their work internationally.
Each year, British UNIMA will award up to £1000 to one or more recipients for development activity to support activities such as:
✦ travel and collaboration
✦ rehearsal or research visits
✦ cultural exchange and professional development
The criteria for the applications, which will be launched in spring 2026, are that the award will be given to puppeteers or puppetry enthusiasts based in the UK for work which includes an international aspect. The work can be for making new work, developing international relationships with puppeteers overseas, attending overseas events, visiting archives, libraries and museums, participating in international training, etc.
Our goal is to raise £5,000 by January 2026 to fund the next round of awards.
How Your Support Helps
All membership fees (£23/year) go towards:
Paying our guest speakers and contributors
Maintaining our website and The Puppet Notebook
Supporting our outreach and puppetry network
This means that every donation you give via PayPal goes directly to the Penny Francis Memorial Award — helping us grow the fund and support more artists.
💝 Donate
If you’d like to help us reach our £5,000 target, please click below:
Every contribution makes a difference — and if you’re in the UK, you can add Gift Aid to make your donation go 25% further.
Other Ways to Support
If you’ve already donated or prefer to help in other ways:
Sign up to Give as you Live — shop online and raise funds for us at no extra cost.
Share this post to help spread the word to other puppetry lovers.
Upgrade to A BrUNIMA Friend
What’s Next
We’ll update this page with fundraising milestones and stories from the puppeteers who benefit from your support.
Award winners will be announced in the April 2026 issue of The Puppet Notebook.
Thank you for helping us keep Penny’s light shining in the world of puppetry.
💬 Questions?
Contact us at news@unima.org.uk