"The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences.
Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the  humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally,  and to champion their role and value.

It receives an annual grant from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). In 2011-12 it had a gross income of £29,783,255, including £27,001,000 from BIS. £26,297,126 was distributed during the year in  research grants, awards and charitable activities.^[1]

The British Academy was established in 1902 and received its Royal Charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 900 leading scholars spanning all disciplines across the humanities and
social sciences. The Academy is a self-governing and independent registered charity, based at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace in London.

It is not to be confused with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts or the Royal Academy."

"The British Academy is the UK’s national body which champions
and supports the humanities and social sciences. It is an independent,
self-governing fellowship of scholars, elected for their distinction in
research and publication.

Our purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences,
throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.

As a Fellowship composed of over 900 distinguished scholars, we take a lead in representing the humanities and social sciences, facilitating international collaboration, providing an independent and authoritative source of advice, and contributing to public policy and debate.

As a learned society, we seek to foster and promote the full range of work that makes up the
humanities and social sciences, including inter- and multi-disciplinary work.

As a funding body, in receipt of Government grant-in-aid, we support excellent ideas, individuals and intellectual resources in the humanities and social sciences. We enable UK researchers to work with scholars and resources in other countries, sustain a British research presence in various parts of the world and help to attract overseas scholars to the UK.

As a national forum for the humanities and social sciences, we support a range of  activities and publications (print and electronic), which aim to stimulate curiosity, to inspire and develop future generations of scholars, and to encourage appreciation of the social, economic and cultural value of these disciplines."

A version of the history of the British Academy can be read on their website here.

Their official reporting to the government in PDF files since 2005 can be found here.

Every year the British Academy offers several research grants for arts and humanities scholars from postdoctoral stage onwards.

This project focuses on the data made public on their web site about the allocation of their Postdoctoral Fellowships.