Trafford Inward Investment Network
Arts and Culture Event – 25th March 2014
The following gives an overview of the potential funding opportunities currently open to Arts and Culture Based Organisations.
1. Grants for the Arts, Arts Council
Grants for the Arts is a rolling programme with grants for under £15,000 and over £15,000. The grants are for individuals, organisations involved in arts related activity and other people who use the arts in their work. Individual applicants to Grants for the arts might be:
· Artists, musicians, writers, performers
· Promoters, producers
· Curators, directors
· Groups of people (one will need to take the lead and have the main responsibility for managing the application and any grant)
Types of organisations that can apply for grants to include:
· Arts organisations
· Local authority and other public organisations such as library services and museum services
· regional and national organisations
· Organisations whose normal activity is not related to the arts, including voluntary and community groups
· Groups of organisations (one will need to take the lead and have the main responsibility for managing the application and any grant)
Grants for the arts is the Arts Council’s open access funding programme, and is designed to support a wide variety of arts-related activities. Activities supported must be clearly related to the arts and must be project-based, up to a maximum of three years in length. This means that an activity must happen for a defined period of time, with a start and end date and its own objectives to be achieved in that time. Individuals or groups can apply for:
· Festivals and carnivals
· Events, productions and exhibitions
· Artistic research and development
· Making work
· Residencies
· Commissions
· Participatory projects, workshops
· Audience development
· Marketing activities
· Professional development and training
· Organisational and business development
· Other arts-related projects
For more information visit http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/grants-arts/
2. Youth Music, Funding for Youth Music Making Activities (England)
Youth Music, the UK's largest children's music charity, has announced that its grant making programme has re-opened for applications. Through its funding programme, Youth Music makes grants of up to £250,000 to support projects that provide music-making activities for children and young people, especially those young people in challenging circumstances. Youth Music will fund non profit-making organisations committed to music-making activities for children and young people up to 18 (or up to 25 if they have special educational needs, disabilities or are in detention). Youth Music aims to support music making activities principally in out of school hours such as during weekends, holidays as well as in breakfast and after schools clubs. Youth Music understands that programmes may need to begin in school hours especially if the proposal involves encouraging first time participation in music. To help with this, Youth Music will consider applications for programmes where up to 25% of the time is spent in school hours. The proposed programme should aim to encourage children and young people to eventually make music outside of school hours.
The closing date for applications is 5pm on the 3rd April 2014. For more information visit http://network.youthmusic.org.uk/funding/what-youth-music-programme
3. Garfield Weston Foundation, Arts Funding
The Foundation continues to support organisations that delight and inspire audiences across the UK, ranging from small community theatre groups to national art galleries, the Foundation has long supported the nation’s cultural life. The Foundation continues to make both Revenue and Capital grants to organisations that engage with a variety of audiences and that can demonstrate excellence and impact. To keep the process simple Garfield Weston has a one-stage application. Garfield Weston has two main streams of activity:
· Major Grants - £100,000 and above
· Regular Grants - ranging from £1,000 - £99,999
On average, approximately 1,500 charities across the UK benefit each year from grants made by the Foundation ranging from the smallest community and volunteer projects through to large national organisations. Despite the diversity of organisations and projects the Foundation funds, the common themes are charities that demonstrate quality and excellence with projects that have clear outcomes and benefits, good leadership and sensible business plans. For more information visit http://www.garfieldweston.org/
4. Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Main Fund
From supporting the preservation and use of nationally significant collections to encouraging innovative new projects, Esmée Fairbairn has a long history of funding the arts and heritage sectors.
Over the last five years, the Foundation has made £32.4 million of grants to the arts, £7.9 million of that was in 2012. The Foundation supports the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, managed by the Museums Association which is the successor to our Museum and Heritage Collections Strand that closed in 2010 and contributed £2.8 million to museums.
The Foundation is interested in:
· Sustaining the viability of the arts sector through multi-year funding, which can be for core costs, including salaries, particularly for key sector/regional organisations.
· Smaller grants to support organisations or projects which are testing out new ways of working.
· Providing funds to specialist infrastructure organisations to pass on to organisations which provide a strong match with our interests e.g. the Museums Association's Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund.
· The development of emerging artists, emerging practice and new and more sustainable business models, sometimes through funding organisations to coordinate and channel our funding.
· Arts organisations working with harder to reach groups and/or addressing difficult issues, particularly those that are developing new practice or pioneering new ways of engaging with audiences and supporting their local community.
While the Foundation responds to the needs of applicants, it is particularly interested in the long-term sustainability and renewal of the arts sector. Therefore most of the work funded is delivered through mid to long-term programmes rather than one-off pieces of work (e.g. one exhibition or theatre production). The Foundation receives a number of applications from arts festivals, but is only likely to support work which happens outside the festival (i.e. year-round programmes which have a continuing impact in areas with little alternative arts provision) or work which is very high quality and developmental for the sector as a whole. In addition, the Foundation will only fund commissioning or acquisition costs when they are part of a larger programme of work which matches their other priorities.
For more information visit http://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/what-we-fund/
5. Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arts Programme
The Arts Open Grants Scheme supports work that increases people's enjoyment, experience and involvement in the arts. All applications to the Arts Open Grants scheme must relate to this theme. The grants aim to enable organisations to experiment with and develop new ways of engaging with audiences and participants. This might mean introducing more people to traditional cultural activities or ensuring that the widest range of people have a greater opportunity to shape their own experience of the arts and culture.
Within the Arts theme the Foundation will support work for people of all ages, with an emphasis on inter-generational initiatives where young people (up to 25 years old) are one of the groups involved.
The Arts programme supports the development and dissemination of new ideas to increase people's experience, enjoyment and involvement in the arts in the UK.
The funding benefits organisations and groups through the Open Grants and Special Initiatives. The Open Grants scheme receives applications from organisations proposing innovative activities that the Foundation think will have a valuable impact for individuals and communities, organisations, and policy and practice. The Special Initiatives, including Awards for Artists and the Breakthrough Fund, seek to support individuals and organisations, and others, such as new work on Artists working in participatory settings, focus on developing a sector within the arts. The Foundation is also interested in how participation in the arts contributes to education and learning processes, and how the arts and/or education and learning affect social change.
In 2012/13, the Foundation made 48 grants through the arts Open Grants scheme - totalling £3,436,500. The average was £71,594 and grants ranged from £2,200 to £212,000.
For more information visit http://www.phf.org.uk/page.asp?id=65
6. The Elephant Trust, Grants to Help New, Innovative Visual Arts Projects
The Elephant Trust has announced that the next deadline for applications is the 14th April 2014. The Trust offers grants to artists and for new, innovative visual arts projects based in the UK. The Trust's aim is to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when confronted by lack of funds. The Trust supports projects that develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the fine arts. Priority is now being given to artists and small organisations and galleries who should submit well argued, imaginative proposals for making or producing new work or exhibitions. Arts Festivals are not supported. The Trust normally awards grants of up to £2,000, but larger grants may be considered.
For more information visit http://elephanttrust.org.uk/docs/intro.html
7. Foyle Foundation Small Grants Programme
The Foyle Foundation is inviting small local charities to apply for funding through its Small Grants programme. Through the Small Grants programme grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 are available to smaller charities in the UK, especially those working at grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities. Applicants will need to demonstrate that the grant will make a significant difference to their work. Applications can be made at any time.
For more information visit http://www.foylefoundation.org.uk/small-grants-scheme/
8. Funding for Communities to Organise Music Events
Community groups and schools that wish to organise a music event as part of the annual "Our Big Gig" can receive a grant of up to £400 towards their event, marketing materials (posters, banner and t-shirt). "Our Big Gig" will be taking place throughout parks and town centres in the UK from the 11th - 13th July 2014.
This annual event aims to bring communities together to celebrate their local musical talents and encourage people who are new to music making to have a go. Superact is looking for 150 local Community Event Organisers across the UK to be part of the Our Big Gig in 2014. In addition to the £400, community groups will also receive:
· PR support
· Training opportunities
· Ability to promote and list their events on Our Big Gig website.
The closing date for applications is the 31st March 2014. For more information visit http://www.superact.org.uk/ourbiggig/index.php
9. Wellcome Trust, Arts Awards
The Wellcome Trust is inviting organisations and individuals to apply for funding through its Arts Awards. The Arts Awards support projects that engage the public with biomedical science through the arts including:
· Dance
· Drama
· Performance arts
· Visual arts
· Music
· Film
· Craft
· Photography
· Creative writing
· Digital media
Applications are invited for projects of up to £30,000 through their small grants programme, and for projects above £30,000 through their large grant programme. The aim of the awards is to support arts projects that reach new audiences which may not traditionally be interested in science and provide new ways of thinking about the social, cultural and ethical issues around contemporary science. The scheme is open to a wide range of people including, among others, artists, scientists, curators, filmmakers, writers, producers, directors, academics, science communicators, teachers, arts workers and education officers. The next application deadline for small projects is the 27th June 2014. For more information visit
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Funding-schemes/Arts-Awards/index.htm
10. Idlewild Trust
The Idlewild Trust has announced that the next closing date for applications to its grant making programme is the 24th September 2014. The Idlewild Trust is a grant making trust that supports registered charities concerned with the encouragement of the performing and fine arts and crafts, the advancement of education within the arts and the preservation for the benefit of the public of lands, buildings and other objects of beauty or historic interest in the United Kingdom. For more information visit http://www.idlewildtrust.org.uk/
11. Women Make Music Grant Scheme
The Performing Right Society (PRS) has announced that its Women Make Music grant scheme is now open for applications. Through the programme, financial support of up to £5000 is available to women musicians; and new music in any genre is welcome, from classical, jazz and experimental, to urban, electronica and pop. Through the scheme support is available to individuals and organisations/ groups; including solo performers; solo songwriters or composers; promoters or event producers; bands/ensembles/orchestras; local authorities and schools; etc. The next application deadline is the 28th April 2014. For more information visit http://www.prsformusicfoundation.com/Funding/Women-Make-Music
12. The Fidelio Trust Grants Programme
The Fidelio Trust offers grants of up to £5,000 in support of the Arts, in particular the dramatic and operatic arts, music, speech and dance. The Trustees aim to help individuals and groups such as Colleges, Arts Festivals and other arts organisations who would not be able to carry out a project or activity without financial support. Funding is available for:
· Tuition or coaching
· To participate in external competitions
· To be supported for a specially arranged performance
· To receive support for a special publication, musical composition or work of art.
The next deadline for applications is the 1st June 2014. For more information visit http://www.fideliocharitabletrust.org.uk/index.php
13. Music Grants for Older People (England & Wales), Concertina
The registered charity, Concertina which makes grants to charitable bodies which provide musical entertainment and related activities for the elderly has announced that the next deadline for applications is the 30th April 2014.
The charity is particular keen to support smaller organisations which might otherwise find it difficult to gain funding. Since its inception in 2004, Concertina has made grants to a wide range of charitable organisations nationwide in England and Wales. These include funds to many care homes for the elderly to provide musical entertainment for their residents.