When seeking funding you can apply to several associations and councils for help with funding, such as regional arts associations, the Arts Council, your local council and from business sponsership. Each have their own criteria for deciding on who qualifies for funding. Some online sites have guidance documents where you can check your eligability.
The following link outlines what you need to do to apply for funding with the Arts Council:
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/apply-for-funding/
How to apply guidance document.
Thank you for your interest in Grants for the arts,
our funding scheme for arts activities that ‘engage’ people in England and help
artists and arts organisations to carry out their work.
‘ Engage people’ means people being stimulated or
inspired by, and getting actively involved with, the arts.
This could include attending an arts event, taking
part in an arts activity, or creating a work of art. This booklet should give
you all the information you need to know to apply, so please read it carefully before
you fill in the application form. We also encourage you to
read the information on our website (www.artscouncil.org.uk).
We can help you apply if you are disabled, deaf or
have learning difficulties. For example, we can provide:
·
someone to take notes if you are dyslexic;
·
a one-to-one meeting where you will have the
support of a British sign language (BSL) interpreter; and
·
personal assistants for people with learning
difficulties or people who use mental heath services.
To make sure we can support deaf and disabled artists
in a meaningful and accessible way, we will agree the help we can provide on a
flexible and individual basis. Please contact our enquiries team and they will
put you in touch with a relevant person who can agree the necessary arrangements.
Five
steps to apply for Grants for the arts
1. Read this
booklet carefully.
It gives you information on how to apply for a grant,
and answers some common questions.
2. Write a
proposal.
You need to write a proposal about the activity you want us to support. This is
a very important part of your application. The ‘Your proposal’ section of this
booklet (see page 26) gives detailed instructions that you should follow
carefully.
3. Fill in the
application form.
This gives us information about you, what you are
applying for and your budget. The form also gives us information we may use to
report to the Government or to monitor the different backgrounds of people who
receive grants.
Under the Public Sector Equalities Duty we must
research and monitor the different backgrounds of people who receive our
grants.
You can apply online on our website (www.artscouncil.org.uk).
We encourage you to apply online as it is quicker and easier for you and allows
us to reduce our administration costs, which means more money can be spent on
funding arts activities.
4. Include any
relevant extra information.
Depending on the type of activity you want us to support,
you may also need to include extra information. This booklet explains what we
need.
We will consider your application to be complete when
you send it to us, and we will assess your application based on the form and
your proposal. We may ask you to send us more information if we want to check
something in your application.
If your application is for touring activity we will
consider an updated tour schedule while we are assessing your application. We
will not consider any other additional information we have not requested. We
consult other organisations, including local authorities, about most
applications. We use these comments and the knowledge of our staff to help
assess applications.
5. Make your
application online at: www.artscouncil.org.uk
If you cannot apply online, send it to us at:
Arts Council England
Grants for the arts
PO Box 4353
Manchester M61 0DQ.
Grants for the arts is a continuous programme but we
aim to make regular improvements. This means that we may introduce new
materials from time to time. Before sending us your application, please check
you have the latest version. You can do this by visiting our website at www.artscouncil.org.uk
or by phoning our enquiries team on 0845 300 6200.
When
you will know
We need six working weeks to process applications for
£10,000 or less, and 12 working weeks for applications for more than £10,000.
How
to contact us
For general information about Grants for the arts you
can contact us as follows.
·
Phone: 0845 300 6200
·
Email: enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
·
Textphone: 020 7973 6564
·
Website: www.artscouncil.org.uk (for the answers
to some common questions)
Our enquiries team provides general information
about:
·
our work;
·
how we assess applications;
·
how long it takes us to reach a decision;
·
eligibility;
·
things we do not fund; and
·
information sheets that support our programme.
Before you begin
·
Please read this booklet carefully
before you work on your proposal or fill in the form. It will tell you who can
apply (page 10), what you can apply for (page 13) and what your application
must include (page 17).
·
If you have any questions that
this pack and the information sheets on our website do not answer, or if you
need advice on your application or the activity you are applying for, we
strongly advise you to contact us before you apply. Please read the application
materials and be ready to describe your activity to us. This will help us give
you good advice and will save time.
·
We want to make our funding go
further and we expect you to make the most of any other sources of income
available to you.
Making your application eligible to be assessed
We cannot
assess applications that are not eligible. You can do the following things to
help avoid this.
·
Allow
enough time for us to reach our decision and for you to start planning and
preparing
·
to
start your activity. We need six working weeks after receiving a complete application
to process applications for £10,000 or less, and 12 working weeks for
applications over £10,000.
·
Fill in
all parts of the application form that apply to you and the activity you are
applying for. There are some parts that all applicants must fill in. These are
clearly marked with this tick symbol ü.
·
Fill in
the budget section of the form, giving us as much information as possible so we
can see how you have reached your figures.
·
Make
sure your budget balances. In section D of the application form, the total income
should be the same as the total spending. We have produced an information sheet
called ‘Example budgets’. This is available from our website or by phoning our
enquiries team on 0845 300 6200.
·
Include
your proposal and follow the five headings we give, numbering each heading. See
the ‘Your proposal’ section of this booklet (page 26).
·
Send in
a CV (curriculum vitae) if you are applying as an individual.
·
Enclose
everything we ask for – see the checklist in section G of the application form.
And finally
There is a
high demand for our grants and we can fund about 45% of all the eligible applications
we receive. As a result, you should think about what you would do if we cannot fund
your activity.
We wish
you success with your application.
Getting advice
Our website
(www.artscouncil.org.uk) gives the answers to some common questions. We also
publish information sheets that offer guidance on particular aspects of
applying for Grants for the arts. They also help you plan your activity. Below
is a list of titles available.
·
‘Public
engagement’
·
‘Buying
and operating vehicles’
·
‘The
moving image’
·
‘Example
budgets’
·
‘Musical
instruments and second-hand equipment’
·
‘How to
pay artists’
·
‘International
activity’
·
‘Using
self-evaluation’
·
‘Repeat
activities, ongoing
·
overheads
and salaries’
·
‘Audience
development and marketing’
·
‘Other
sources of funding’ (This is included in this pack.)
·
‘How we
assess artistic quality’
·
‘How we
treat your application under the Freedom of Information Act’ (This is included in
this booklet on page 40.)
·
‘Understanding
how we assess your application’
·
‘Capital
applications – building projects and equipment purchases’
You can also
get copies by sending an email to enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk or by phoning
0845 300 6200. We may introduce new information sheets, so please check our
website before you apply.
Our
enquiries team can provide general information about making an application and
can help with most enquiries. If you need advice about your application or the
activity you are applying for, our enquiries team can make arrangements for you
to speak with an appropriate officer. You can contact us in the following ways.
·
Phone:
0845 300 6200
·
Email:
enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
·
Textphone:
020 7973 6564
Before
contacting us, please read the application materials and be ready to clearly
describe your activity to us. This will help us give you good advice and will
save time.
We work with
local authorities and consult them about most applications as part of the assessment
process. We will also let them know the outcome of your application. You should
discuss your activity with any relevant local authority (or authorities) before
applying to us. You should do so if your activity will particularly benefit or
engage the people living in a local area (or areas), or if a local authority is
also providing funding.
Other income for your activity
We want to
make our funding go further, and we expect you to make the most of any other
sources of income available to you. We expect at least 10% of the total cost of
your activity to come from other sources of income. On average, those who have
been successful in getting funding raised 65% of their income from other
sources.
This can
include:
·
income
earned from your activity;
·
funding
from public organisations such as local authorities;
·
grants
from trusts and foundations; and
·
a
contribution from you or your organisation.
For some
types of organisation (such as local authorities and other public
organisations) applying to Grants for the arts we expect to see a higher level
of income coming from other sources.
In very
special circumstances we can provide a grant for the total cost of your
activity. These circumstances could include situations where there is little
chance of raising money from other sources. If you apply to us for the total
cost of your activity, your proposal must tell us what your special
circumstances are, and what you have done to try to raise money from other
sources. Otherwise, your application may not be eligible to be assessed.
We also have
an information sheet on other sources of funding, which is included in this
pack. We update this sheet regularly so please make sure you have the most
up-to-date version. You can find all the information sheets on our website. You
can also get copies from our enquiries team (see ‘How to contact us’ on page
3).
National Lottery funding opportunities
Grants for
the arts is funded by the National Lottery. We also provide funding for another
Lottery programme, Youth Music. For general enquiries about National Lottery funding,
visit www.lotteryfunding. org.uk or phone the National Lottery funding helpline
on 0845 275 0000.
What to do if you cannot accept National Lottery funding for religious
reasons
The funding
we can provide from other sources is very limited, but we can arrange other
funding if you cannot accept National Lottery funding for religious reasons. You
should apply using our normal application materials and include a letter
telling us why you cannot accept National Lottery funding. We will assess your
application in the same way that we assess all applications. If we decide to
offer you a grant, it will not come from our budget from the National Lottery.
Welcome 1
Five steps to apply for Grants for the arts
1
When you will know 3
How to contact us 3
Before you begin 3
Making your application eligible to be assessed
3
Getting advice 5
Other income for your activity 6
National
Lottery funding opportunities
6
What to do
if you cannot accept lottery funding for religious reasons
6
Eligibility 9
Who can apply 9
Grants to
individuals 9
Grants to
organisations 9
Applications
we ask for 10
Who cannot apply 10
What you can
apply for 11
What you
cannot apply for 12
The number
of applications you can make 13
When you can
apply 13
What your
application must include 14
Sending
us your application 15
What
happens to your application 17
What happens
next 17
How we
assess your application 18
How we make
a decision 19
When we will
reach a decision 19
What happens
if you are offered a grant 19
What happens
if your application is unsuccessful 20
Complaints
procedure 20
Your
proposal 21
You and your
work 22
How the
public engage with your work 22
Making it
happen 23
Finance 23
Evaluation 24
Extra
information to include 24
Filling
in your budget 25
Income for
your activity 25
Earned
income 25
Local
authority funding 26
Other public
funding 26
Private
income 26
Support in
kind 26
Amount you
would like from us 27
Spending
(expenditure) for your activity 27
Value of
support in kind 27
Artistic
spending 27
Access 28
Organisational
and professional development 28
Marketing
and developing audiences 28
Overheads 28
Assets –
equipment, instruments and vehicles 29
Assets –
buildings to be used for the arts 29
Other
spending 29
Balanced
budget 29
How we
treat your application under the Freedom of Information Act 30
Who can apply
Our grants
are for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in
their work. They are for activities carried out over a set period and which:
·
engage
people in England in arts activities; and
·
help
artists and arts organisations in England carry out their work.
Your
activity must take place mainly in England. There are some exceptions to this
when artists or arts organisations from England are involved in activities in
other countries. (Please see our information sheet ‘International activity’ for
more information.)
Grants to individuals
Grants for
the arts for individuals are available to:
·
artists;
·
performers;
·
writers;
·
promoters;
·
presenters;
·
curators;
·
producers;
·
groups
of people (one will need to take the lead and have the main responsibility for managing
the application and any grant); and
·
other
people working in the arts.
Grants for
individuals range from £1,000 to £30,000, and can cover activities lasting up
to three years. We can award larger grants for more major projects. We do not
give grants of less than £1,000.
Grants to organisations
Grants for
the arts for organisations are available to:
·
arts
organisations;
·
local
authority and other public organisations;
·
partnerships;
·
regional
and national organisations;
·
organisations
whose normal activity is not related to the arts, including voluntary and community
groups; and
·
groups
of organisations (one will need to take the lead and have the main
responsibility for managing the application and any grant).
By
‘organisation’ we mean a single group of people working towards a shared or
common goal. This can take many forms (for example a limited company, a charity
or an unincorporated group). If you are applying as an organisation, you should
have a bank account with two people who can sign in the organisation’s name.
Grants to
organisations range from £1,000 to £100,000, and can cover activities lasting
up to three years.
In special
circumstances we can assess applications for grants over £100,000 for more
major projects. You can apply only if you receive a letter from us agreeing to
this beforehand. You must send this written agreement with your application. We
can only assess your application if you include this letter. We do not give grants
under £1,000.
If your
organisation has a regular funding agreement with us, you can only apply if
your regional office agrees to this beforehand in writing. You must send this
written agreement with your application. We expect most organisations with regular
funding from us to have an adequate allowance for staff training and
development in their budgets. Individuals working for organisations with
regular funding from us may apply for training, professional development and
travel grants only in certain circumstances and if the money is not available
through their employers.
Applications we ask for
We may
occasionally ask for specific applications to help us achieve our mission and
priorities. This may be different from region to region depending on the local
priorities.
For more
details about our mission and priorities, please see our website (www.artscouncil.org.uk).
Who cannot apply
The
following individuals or organisations cannot apply to Grants for the arts. If
you fall into one of these categories, your application will not be eligible to
be assessed.
·
Organisations
that can share out profits to members or shareholders, unless the activity you
are applying for is a self-contained arts project and has a clear benefit to
the public.
·
Students,
for activities related to their course of study or their tuition fees. (By
‘student’ we mean a person following a course of study in a school, a college
or a university.)
·
Organisations
that receive regular funding from us and do not have written agreement to apply.
·
Individual
educational establishments where the activity does not provide benefits to the
wider community or artists.
·
Individuals
or organisations based (living) outside of the European Union.
·
Trustees
of Arts Council England.
What you can apply for
The
types of activity we fund
We have
designed Grants for the arts to encourage you to develop your ideas, linked to
your artistic needs and future plans. It aims to be flexible and to encourage
new ideas.
You can
apply for grants for arts-related activities running for a limited time, such
as the following.
·
Projects
and events.
·
Commissions
and productions.
·
Research
and development.
·
Activities
for people to take part in.
·
Audience
development. (These are activities aimed specifically at meeting the needs of
audiences and helping arts organisations to develop long-term relationships
with audiences – for example, activities that increase the number of people
attending or taking part in the arts.)
·
Marketing
activities. (These could be, for example, activities that improve understanding
of who takes part in or attends arts events, or activities that increase the
number and range of people taking part in the arts.)
·
Education
activities.
·
Buying
assets such as equipment, instruments and vehicles.
·
Professional
development and training, including travel grants over £1,000.
·
Bursaries.
·
Fellowships.
·
Organisational
development to improve the long-term stability of arts organisations.
·
Residencies.
·
Touring.
(These could be where the same artistic programme or event is taking place in
two or more places. Touring activity might involve performances or exhibitions,
artistic residencies, artistic work involving people from particular
communities, or possibly all of these things.)
You can
apply for all scales of touring projects that engage people in quality arts
activities, spanning any number of Arts Council regions. You can apply to
create and tour new work. You can also apply to tour work which has already
been presented to the public. In these cases we would expect to see that it was
engaging new audiences, or that the work has developed since the first time it
was presented, or both.
National activities
We can also
fund national activities. Grants range from £1,000 to £200,000. Examples of
national activities might include the following.
·
National
touring projects (where the same work is presented in three or more Arts
Council England regions, or is presented in two Arts Council England regions
and at least one other place outside of England).
·
Activities
that are of ‘national significance’, which means they must meet at least one of
the requirements listed below.
−
The
activity must show that it significantly develops an artform or a sector, or
that it develops the arts in underdeveloped areas (or both).
−
The
activity must be able to engage, stimulate and influence audiences outside your
region. Examples include activity that:
−
is of a
high quality and is relevant throughout England;
−
shows
creativity that can influence activities beyond the artist’s own work; or
−
demonstrates
an appropriate and effective way of involving as many people as possible
throughout England. In the case of festivals, carnivals and so on, we would
expect to see evidence that the activity was measurably increasing the
involvement of people outside the region.
Applying for more than one type of activity
In all
cases, your application can cover more than one type of activity. For example,
you could apply for touring costs, a new van and professional development work
in one application. We can advise you on how to do this and whether this is
appropriate for you (see ‘How to contact us’ on page 3).
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
The London
2012 Cultural Olympiad started in the autumn of 2008 and will run to the close
of the 2012 Games and beyond. During that period, culture, sport and education will
be celebrated across the UK. The Cultural Olympiad will represent the very best
of British talent, celebrating imagination and creativity, innovation and
excellence.
We are
working with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic
Games (LOCOG) to deliver several aspects of the Cultural Olympiad. This includes
developing major projects such as ‘Artists taking the lead’ and ‘Unlimited’,
and providing opportunities for the wider arts sector.
The Cultural Olympiad
If your
project supports the values and vision of the Cultural Olympiad, you may want
to apply for the London 2012 Inspire programme, which officially recognises
outstanding, non-commercial projects and events inspired by the Games. To find out
more you should contact your regional Creative Programmer. Their details and
more information on the
Inspire
programme are on the website at www.london2012.com/culture.
What you cannot apply for
You cannot
apply for the following activities.
·
Activities
that are not related to the arts.
·
Film or
video production and cinema exhibition, unless it is in support of artists’
work in the moving image. Please see our information sheet ‘The moving image’
for more details about what we do and do not fund relating to ‘moving images’ (for
example, films).
·
Training
or education activities, or activities where members of the public take part,
where the main or only artform being used is film or video, unless it is to
support artists’ work in the moving image.
·
Buying
assets for film or video, unless they are to support artists’ work in the
moving image.
·
Activities
that provide no potential benefit to the public, either in the short term or long
term.
·
Activities,
including buying goods or services, which take place or start before we would
be able to decide about your application.
·
Activities,
equipment or events that double up (duplicate) what already exists.
·
Costs
that are already covered by other funding.
·
General
running costs and overheads that are already paid for by other income,
including your own funds.
·
Ongoing
overheads relating to equipment or buildings, such as insurance and maintenance
costs.
·
Fundraising
events, such as charity galas, that do not benefit the arts.
·
Second-hand
equipment (apart from certain musical instruments and specialist equipment). Please
see our ‘Musical instruments and second-hand equipment‘ information sheet for
more information.
·
Activities
or events mainly taking place outside England (there are some exceptions to
·
this –
for example, grants for international travel or training, and international
exchanges – but these activities must benefit individuals and artists living in,
and organisations based in, England). Please see our ‘International activity’ information
sheet for more information.
·
Activities
that do not benefit or engage people in England or that do not help artists and
arts organisations in England to carry out their work.
·
Buying
equipment and instruments which would not be used for the benefit of the public,
either immediately or in the long term, or where the applicant does not have an
artistic track record.
·
Self-promotional
activities which do not provide public benefit, either immediately or in the long
term, or where the applicant does not have an artistic track record.
·
Activities
in a formal educational setting for educational purposes necessary by law.
The number of applications you can make
Only in
exceptional circumstances would we accept a second application from someone
while we are still assessing the first one. If you want to make a second
application you must speak to the person assessing your first application. To do
this, contact our enquiries team
(see ‘ How
to contact us’ on page 3). We will confirm in writing whether you can apply and
you must include the letter from them with your second application.
If you have
had a grant from us before, you must meet all of the conditions in your grant
offer and you must send us all the information we need for that grant before
you apply again. We cannot assess an application if you still need to meet conditions
from a previous grant. If you have not been successful with an application, we
cannot assess another application for the same activity unless you have dealt
with the reasons for us not providing funding.
When you can apply
Grants for
the arts is a continuous programme, so you can apply at any time. There are no
deadlines but we aim to make regular improvements. This means we may introduce
new
materials
from time to time.
You can
apply online on our website (www.artscouncil.org.uk) or, if you cannot apply
online, by using this application pack. Allow enough time for us to make a
decision and for you to plan and prepare to start your activity. We strongly
recommend that you plan for your activity to start no earlier than seven days
after the date you can expect us to make a decision (see ‘When you will know’
on page 3).
What your application must include
To be
assessed, your application to Grants for the arts must include a number of
items, including a proposal and filled-in application form. You must apply
online or use the application form we provide in this pack. To be assessed, your
application must include the following.
·
A
signed and dated application form with all the questions marked with this tick
symbol and any other questions relevant to you filled in.
·
A
filled-in budget in section D of the application form (you may also include a
more detailed budget on a separate sheet if necessary). You must show a balanced
budget (that is, your income and spending, including how much you are asking
for from us, must be the same).
·
A
filled-in tour schedule (if you are applying for touring activity) on page 14
of the application form.
·
A
proposal, following the headings we ask for in this booklet (you must use these
headings, or your application will not be assessed).
·
A CV if
you are applying as an individual.
·
If you
receive regular funding from us, written confirmation that we agree with you
making the application.
·
If you
are applying for a building project, a copy of written confirmation from us
that we agree with you making an application.
·
If we
are already assessing an application from you, written confirmation that we
agree with you making another application.
·
If you
are an organisation applying for a grant over £100,000 or if you are applying for
over £200,000 for a national activity, a copy of written confirmation from us
that we agree with you making an application.
If your
application does not contain the information we need in the format we ask for
it to be in, it will not be assessed. Also, we will not be able to process your
application if it does not contain enough information to assess it, or if you have
not met all the conditions from a previous grant.
This booklet
should help you provide all the information we need to assess your application.
To assess
your application we need to know about your work and future potential. There
are a number of ways we can find this out, including:
·
using
the information you give us in your application;
·
seeing
or experiencing your work at the time it is produced; and
·
seeing
evidence of your work, if you asked us for advice before applying.
We hope you
understand that it is not always possible to see or experience your work
first-hand. As a result, you may want to include some supporting evidence with
your application. If the assessor does not know your work they may ask to see
some examples while assessing your application. Please do not send original
pieces of work, as we will not return them to you.
You should
send your supporting evidence in a digital format of up to 10MB. If you cannot
do this (for example, if you are sending a publication) it must fit into an A4-sized
envelope.
Some
examples of what you could send us include:
·
an
evaluation of your work;
·
other
people’s views on the quality of your work (for example audiences, people taking
part, readers, critics or other artists);
·
links
to other sources of information about your work, such as a website;
·
a small
sample of images of your previous work or of work in progress;
·
evidence
of who takes part in and attends your activities and how you reach them;
·
and other
evidence of your past work.
Make sure
you have signed the declaration at the end of the application form, and use the
checklist on page 41 of the form to make sure you have sent everything we ask
for. If we need more information, we will contact you and ask for it. We cannot
accept faxed or emailed applications, or applications on disk.
Please send
written applications to:
Arts Council
England
Grants for
the arts
PO Box 4353
Manchester
M61 0DQ.
We can help
you apply if you are disabled, deaf or have learning difficulties. For example,
we can provide:
·
someone
to take notes if you are dyslexic;
·
a
one-to-one meeting where you will have the support of a British sign language
(BSL) interpreter; and
·
personal
assistants for people with learning difficulties or people who use mental heath
services.
To make sure
we can support deaf and disabled artists in a meaningful and accessible way, we
will agree the help we can provide on a flexible and individual basis. Please
contact our enquiries team and they will put you in touch with a relevant person
who can agree the necessary arrangements.
Keep a copy
of this booklet and of your application for your own records.
Tell us
immediately if anything changes while we are assessing your application.
When we get
your application we first check whether it is eligible. We will then assess
your application and decide whether to award a grant.
·
If your
application is not eligible to be assessed, we will tell you the reason for
this.
·
If your
application is eligible to be assessed, we will send you a letter to confirm
that we have received your application. We will ask local authorities and other
relevant organisations for information.
·
We may
ask you for any other information we need to assess your application.
·
We
consider your application against an overview of other activities we have
funded.
·
We make
a decision on your application. If your application is not successful, we will
write to you and give you the main reasons for our decision. If your application
is successful, we will write to you to offer you a grant.
·
Everyone
who receives a grant must accept our standard conditions. These conditions are given
on our website at www. artscouncil.org.uk/grantconditions or you can contact
the enquiries team and ask to receive a copy (see ‘How to contact us’ on page
3).
·
We may
add special conditions to our offer of a grant, such as providing us with confirmation
of a tour schedule. This is perfectly normal and most grants will have some extra
conditions attached.
What happens next?
We may
contact you by phone, email or letter, so please make sure your contact details
are correct and that we can contact you easily. If you are applying as an
organisation, please make sure that the person you give as the main contact is
easy to contact and has full understanding of the application.
You will
receive a letter acknowledging your application within five working days of us
receiving it. If you have applied online or given us an email address we will
send this letter only by email. Contact us if you have not heard from us within
10 working days after you send the application.
The letter
will give you a reference number. We will use this number whenever we contact
you about your application. Please quote your reference number if you need to
contact us during the assessment process.
We may
contact you for more information during the assessment. This might include
asking for a copy of your business plan, examples of your work, your most
recent accounts or quotes for goods or services. Please do not take this as an
indication of the outcome of your application. We will usually give you two
weeks to provide any extra information. If you take longer than this, or miss
any other deadline we give you, the decision on your application could be
delayed. Please tell your Arts Council contact if you think you need more time
to provide the extra information.
How we assess your application
We have
designed our application process in a way that allows us to make fair and
unbiased decisions. We are also committed to being open and honest with you
about how we assess your application.
We consider
your application to be complete when you send it to us. We will assess your
application using the information in your proposal, application form and any
other information we ask you to send.
We will also
use the knowledge of our staff and comments from others. This includes local
authorities, who we consult about most applications.
One of the
important things we consider is how closely your activity meets our assessment
criteria. Our assessors use their expertise and judgement to come to a ‘word
score’ for each eligible application against four assessment criteria, which
are as follows.
1. The
quality of the activity, or its ongoing effect on artistic practice (or both)
and the quality of experience for audiences and those taking part.
2. How the
activity increases opportunities for the public to engage in arts activities.
3. How the
activity will be managed and its ongoing effect.
4. How
realistic the activity is financially, and its future effect.
The word
scores we use are as follows.
·
Met –
outstanding
The application meets the criteria and shows outstanding qualities.
Score = 4.
·
Met –
strong
The application meets the criteria and shows strong qualities.
Score = 3.
·
Met
The application meets the criteria.
Score = 2.
·
Potential
The application does not meet the criteria but shows potential to do so.
Score = 1.
·
Not met
The application does not meet the criteria.
Score = 0.
Our assessor
will recommend that we fund any application that is judged as met, met –
strong, or met – outstanding against all the assessment criteria.
If your
application is assessed as having potential or as not meeting any one of the
four assessment criteria, our assessor will not recommend it for a grant. There
is a high demand for our grants, and we cannot fund all of the applications
that meet our criteria. We have to make difficult choices about which
applications to support. As well as the four assessment criteria, we look at
four other areas to help us decide whether or not to offer a grant. These areas
help us to take an overview of how we can balance the need to increase arts
activity with how we can make our funding available to different individuals
and types of organisations.
You can find
out more about how we assess your application in the information sheet
‘Understanding how we assess your application’ which you can get from our
website
(www.artscouncil.org.uk).
How we make a decision
We have a
budget for Grants for the arts, which we manage carefully and flexibly so that
we have money available throughout the year. As far as possible, we try to make
sure that no-one is disadvantaged by the time of year that they apply.
We want to
fund a balanced range of activities. We do this by considering how well applications
have met the assessment criteria and an overview of the range of work we fund.
We also review a range of reports on our spending so far and future demand.
This influences the choice we make.
When we will reach a decision
If you
provide all the information we have asked for, we will reach a decision within:
·
six
working weeks (for applications for £10,000 or less); or
·
12
working weeks (for applications for over £10,000).
We will let
you know as soon as possible if your application is not eligible.
Applications
for buildings to be used for the arts (including refurbishing, improving and
buying buildings) often need specialist and more detailed assessment, so we may
not
be able to
reach a decision within the times we have given.
What happens if you are offered a grant
You will
receive an offer pack explaining any special conditions and how we will pay the
grant. We will normally pay the money in stages.
Everyone who
receives a grant from us must accept our standard conditions for grants. We
will send you a copy of these when we make you an offer.
We will also
explain how you should acknowledge funding from us and from the National
Lottery. It is important that you acknowledge our funding. We want the public to
know that your work has been supported with funding from the National Lottery.
If you do not acknowledge our funding, it may affect any future applications you
make.
If you receive
a grant offer but no longer want to accept it, please let us know in writing.
You must
accept the offer within one month. This means signing the offer letter and
returning it to us. We also need you to send us your bank details. We will make
all payments straight into your bank account when you have met any conditions
associated with payment. If you applied as a group of people or as a group of
organisations, we will make payments to the person or organisation taking the
lead in making the application. The person or organisation who is taking the lead
will be responsible for the grant. You must also continue to meet our standard
conditions of grant. It may take up to 15 working days to process payments.
What happens if your application is unsuccessful
We will
write to you explaining the main reasons why your application was unsuccessful
and telling you who to contact for more detailed feedback.
You can
apply again at any time. Before you do so, we strongly recommend that you get
advice and more detailed feedback on why your application was unsuccessful. We
will not be able to assess repeat applications that have not dealt with the
reasons why they were not successful the first time.
If your
application was not successful we will keep your information on file for two
years. After this period it will be destroyed.
Complaints procedure
If you are
not happy with the decision-making process, please contact us and we will
discuss it further.
If you are
still not happy, you can ask us for a copy of the complaints procedure. Details
are in ‘Making a complaint’, which you can get from www.artscouncil.org.uk or by
contacting our enquiries team (see ‘How to contact us’ on page 3).
Your proposal
Our
experience with Grants for the arts has shown that people who apply prefer to
include a proposal on what they want to do rather than answer a lot of detailed
questions. So we are asking you to include a proposal about the activity that
you want us to support. This is a very important part of the application process.
We will use your proposal and the application form to assess your application.
The amount
of information you need to provide in your proposal depends on how complicated
your activity is and how much money you are applying for. Your proposal (not including
headings and any extra information) must be no more than:
·
2,000
words for applications over £1,000 and up to £10,000; or
·
8,000
words for applications over £10,000.
The five
headings on pages 27 to 30 tell you the information we need. Please use the
headings in the order they appear when producing your proposal, and number each
heading. If you do not follow this guidance, we will not assess your
application.
Not all
details under each heading will be relevant to every application. If
appropriate, you can emphasise some points more than others, and add further
points of your own.
We do not
need as much information in your proposal if your application is for £10,000 or
less, so please only answer the basic prompts we provide.
We will need
extra information for some types of specialist activities, as described in the
section ‘Extra information to include’ (see page 30).
If you are
applying as an individual, you must also include a CV with your application.
This will help us learn more about what you have done in the past. If you are
applying as an organisation, please include a CV for each main person involved
in the activity, or more information about them.
1 You and your work
For all
applications, you must tell us the following.
·
What
you want to do.
·
The
names, skills and experience of the artists and other main people involved.
·
The
aims of the activity and how you will achieve them.
·
How
this activity fits in with your current work and its future development.
·
How the
activity is likely to affect the people who experience it, or how it will
affect the arts more widely.
·
If your
activity is touring, why the work is going to be presented at the venues you have
listed and your relationship with the promoters you give in your tour schedule.
·
If your
application is for developing an organisation, a description of what you are
planning to improve in your organisation and why. Give a clear outline of the
work including details of any plan or consultancy brief.
For
applications over £10,000, please also tell us the following.
·
How you
will involve other artists or people with other skills.
·
How the
activity will develop your skills or those of the artists taking part.
·
How you
will explore new ideas and concepts in this activity.
·
How the
activity relates to best practice in this area.
·
If your
activity is touring, details of any plans for maintaining long-term links between
the touring work and artists, and any of the proposed venues and promoters.
·
If you
have identified that this activity supports the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad,
how this fits with its themes and values (see www.london2012.com).
2 How the public engage with your work
For all
applications, you must tell us the following.
·
Details
about the people the activity will reach (for example, the audiences or people
taking part), stating whether these people would not normally engage with the
arts (see our information sheet ‘Public engagement’).
·
Details
of how you will reach people and details of your press and marketing
activities.
·
If
there is no immediate chance of engaging people (for example, some research and
development activities), details of how you think you could engage the public
in the future.
·
If your
activity is for developing new audiences and marketing give details of the
target audience you want to reach and why they are important to you.
For
applications over £10,000, please also tell us the following.
·
Details
of how you have involved the public and partners (for example, local
authorities) in planning your activity and how you will make the most of those partnerships
to extend the reach of the activity.
·
How you
have considered access, equality and diversity (relating to both the artists
and audiences).
·
Details
of any innovative (new) approaches to engaging the public in this activity.
·
If your
activity is for developing new audiences and marketing, describe how the
activity will:
−
increase
the number and range of people attending or taking part;
−
meet
the needs of audiences; and
− help you to develop your relationship with
them. (For more information, see our ‘Audience development and marketing’
information sheet.)
3 Making it happen
For all
applications you must tell us the following.
·
How far
you have got with your planning.
·
How you
will manage the main stages of your activity, and what each stage contains.
·
Your
past experience of successfully managing a similar activity.
·
If your
application is for developing an organisation describe how you currently manage
your work, and include your business plan (if you have one).
For
applications over £10,000, please also tell us the following.
·
The
involvement of, and support from, any partners, including others providing
funding.
·
What
risks you have identified to successfully completing the project, and how you
will manage them.
·
What
are the long-term implications of the activity on you or your organisation, and
how this activity fits into your business plan.
·
If you
are applying as an organisation tell us how your management committee or Board
are involved in the activity at an appropriate level.
4 Finance
The budget
section of the application form gives us most of the information we need to
carry out our financial assessment. For all applications, you must tell us the
following.
·
How you
have worked out the figures in your budget.
·
Your
approach to raising as much money as you can from other sources, what other sources
of funding you have applied for, and the progress of any other applications you
have made for funding.
·
Any
effect the activity will have on your long-term financial position.
·
How you
will manage the budget and your cash flow. (This will help you to monitor how
well your income covers your spending.)
·
What
your special circumstances are if you are applying to us for the total cost of
your activity.
·
If you
are applying to develop an organisation please tell us your current financial position
and give us your latest audited accounts and management accounts (if you
produce them).
5 Evaluation
Please tell
us how you plan to monitor the progress of your activity and to evaluate your
achievements from the start and throughout the activity.
Evaluation
is a structured way of thinking about what has happened. See our ‘Self
evaluation’ information sheet for a basic introduction to evaluating arts
projects.
Evaluation
can help you to:
·
make
decisions during your activity;
·
shape
future activities;
·
improve
your work; and
·
show
what happened as a result of your activity.
For
applications over £10,000 please also tell us the following.
·
How you
will share the results of the evaluation with others (including things you have
learned from the activity and good practice).
·
How you
will evaluate the effect the activity has on the people and communities taking
part.
If we give
you a grant, we will ask you to evaluate your work and fill in an activity
report form at the end of your activity. Your evaluation will help you with
this.
Extra information to include
We need
extra information for certain activities (see below).
Applications
for buying equipment, instruments and vehicles
If your
application involves buying equipment, instruments and vehicles, you should get
quotes from more than one business or supplier. You do not have to send quotes
with your application, but we may ask for them at a later stage, so please keep
them in a safe place.
You must:
·
explain
how the equipment, instrument or vehicle is appropriate for your needs;
·
explain
how you will achieve good value for money, including what process you followed
to choose a business or supplier;
·
describe
how your future running costs for any maintenance, insurance and replacement will
be met.
Applications
for buildings to be used for the arts, including refurbishment, improving and
buying buildings
You must ask
for our agreement in writing before you apply for a building project. If we
agree, we will tell you what information you need to provide with your proposal
and application. Send an email to the enquiries team at enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
or phone them on 0845 300 6200. They will put you in touch with an appropriate
person in your regional office.
Before you
fill in the budget in the application form you should read this booklet
carefully. You must fill in the budget section, otherwise we will not assess
your application. The budget should be for the total cost of the activity. We
also have an information sheet called ‘Example budgets’ that gives examples of
budgets.
If there is
not enough room in the budget section of the form, please fill it in as a
summary and provide the details on a separate sheet (or sheets) using the same
headings.
This may be
necessary for applications:
·
for
activities lasting a number of years;
·
for
national activities including national touring;
·
for a
building project; or where there are several items of equipment.
You are
responsible for getting your own financial and legal advice. This includes
getting appropriate financial advice on your tax position as a result of
receiving funding from us. This is a complicated area and you will need to
speak to your own tax office if you have any questions about this. For
information about taxes, contact HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) through their website
(www.hmrc.gov.uk).
Income for your activity
You should
break down the income for your activity under the headings provided in the
application form. Where relevant, tick one of the boxes to show whether you are
expecting this income or whether it has been confirmed. We want our money to go
further and you should make the most of any other sources of funding available
to you. We expect at least 10% of the total cost of the activity to come from
other sources. On average, those who were successful in getting funding
received about 65% of their income from other sources.
Earned income
Include any
income you earn from this activity (for example, from ticket sales, workshop
fees or selling publications). You should be realistic about the level of
income you are likely to earn for your activity. For touring activities, please
provide details of your confirmed income from guaranteed fees from venues, your
estimated income, or both. Please provide a breakdown to show us how you have
reached your figures following the example below.
If VAT is
charged on ticket sales or admission prices, do not include it in your earned
income figures. For information about VAT and other taxes, contact HM Revenue
& Customs (HMRC) through their website (www.hmrc.gov.uk).
Example: Earned income
|
Expected
|
Confirmed
|
Income
|
Four performances at a venue with 600
seats and a 70% full audience (420 people) is 4 x 420 tickets at £6 = £10,080
|
x
|
|
£10,080
|
Local authority funding
Include all
grants from local authorities. Please give us the name of each local authority
and the amount.
Other public funding
Include
grants from any other public organisation (for example, the regional
development agency or the British Council). Please give us the name of each
organisation and the amount.
Private income
Include any
income from private sources (for example, from you or your organisation, or
donations or grants from trusts and foundations). If you are an individual and
you are providing some income towards the activity, please include it in this section.
Please give us the details and the amounts.
Support in kind
Contributions
of help other than cash (‘support in kind’) can be a valuable part of your
activity. You can include support in kind from volunteers who will give their
time for free or any other goods and services that you would otherwise have to
pay for (such as equipment, space, and services). Please include details of who
is giving the support in kind, what it is
and an
estimate of its value following the example below.
It is
important that the figure you give in your income for support in kind matches
the figure in your spending. You will use the subtotal from this section for
the ‘Value of support in kind’ in the spending section of the application form.
Example: Support in kind
|
Expected
|
Confirmed
|
Income
|
Sometown Town Council, free use of room
for eight days valued at £100 a day
|
|
x
|
£800
|
Amount you would like from us
Include the
amount you are asking us for in this section of your budget. Remember, we expect
you to find at least 10% of the total cost of your activity from other sources
of income. In very special circumstances we will provide a grant for the total
cost of your activity. These circumstances could include situations where there
is little chance of raising money from other sources. If you apply to us for
the total cost of your activity, you must tell us in your proposal what your
special circumstances are, otherwise your application may not be eligible to be
assessed.
Spending (expenditure) on your activity
Give details
of all the items you will be paying for as part of your activity, under the
headings given in the application form. Use the form to provide a breakdown
showing us how you have reached your figures.
If you are
registered for VAT, your figures should not include VAT that you can claim
back. If you are not registered for VAT, your costs should include VAT. Grants
we make are ‘outside the scope’ of VAT (this means that they are not a business
activity) and must be listed in your accounts as a grant and not, for example,
as a fee. You should get financial advice from your own accountant or the relevant
tax office. For information about VAT and other taxes, contact HM Revenue &
Customs (HMRC) through their website (www.hmrc.gov.uk).
Value of support in kind
Use the
‘Support in kind’ subtotal from the income section of your budget (subtotal 5
on page 23 of the application form).
Artistic spending
We are
committed to making sure that artists are paid appropriately for activities we
support. The amount is likely to depend on a number of things, including the
experience and skills of the artist, the type of work and the length of the
contract. There are recognised codes of practice set by relevant lead organisations.
Our ‘How to pay artists’ information sheet is available on our website (www.artscouncil.org.uk).
AN: The Artists Information Company also provides useful information on paying
visual artists (visit www.a-n.co.uk).
Show the
fees and wages of, for example, actors, musicians, dancers, visual artists,
stage designers, directors, producers, composers, writers, choreographers,
stage managers, lighting designers, curators and workshop leaders. Where
relevant, you should also include pension contributions.
If you are
employing people to take part in your activity, you may need to budget for
paying an employer’s National Insurance contribution for each person. You may
also have to provide paid holiday leave.
Show the
costs of projects, events, commissions, research and development, preparation, productions
and residencies, including any materials or equipment you hire to carry out
these things. You can include the cost of evaluation. Evaluation is explained in
the ‘Your proposal’ section (see page 30) of this booklet.
For touring
activities, please list fees and wages as well as other costs. These may
include costs for creating and preparing the tour, and costs that are the
direct result of touring (for example, travel, transport and accommodation).
Access
We are committed
to making sure that everyone has access to the work we fund. As a result, we
encourage you to include the costs of making your activity accessible as part
of your artistic spending. Access costs include, for example, costs of signed performances
and materials in other formats such as in Braille or on CD.
If you are
disabled or deaf there may be extra costs that relate to you and that you will
have to pay to manage your activity. Please show these costs separately in the
‘additional access or support costs’ section of your budget. These costs will
be taken into account and taken away from the overall cost of the activity when
deciding whether we can make a decision on your application in six or 12 weeks.
(For example, if your activity costs £9,500, but you have to pay £600 for a
sign language interpreter to help you to manage the project, giving a total of £10,100,
we would still agree to make a decision on this application in six working
weeks.)
Organisational and professional development
Show the costs
of any activity aimed at developing your organisation, including business
planning, artistic development, feasibility studies (studies to test the
potential of a business plan), support from consultants and dealing with debts.
Show the
costs of training, travel or other professional development such as bursaries
and fellowships.
Marketing and developing audiences
Include
marketing and audience development costs that are a direct result of your
activity (for example, design and print costs, direct mailing, website design, photography,
research, and fees to people supporting press, audience development and
marketing activity).
Overheads
There are
some overheads or running costs that we do not fund – see the ‘What you cannot
apply for’ section of this booklet (page 15).
You can
apply for extra time-limited overhead costs that are directly related to the
activity you are asking us to support – for example, payments to staff, phone
bills, postage and insurance. You can apply for a contribution to your ongoing
overheads if these are not covered by other funding. The amount you apply for
must relate directly to the amount of time spent on the activity you are asking
us to support, so please explain how you have worked this out.
ACEVO
(Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) has produced a practical
guide and interactive CD-ROM called ‘Full cost recovery: a guide and toolkit on
cost allocation – version 2’. You can use this to work out the full cost of a
project or an activity including extra and ongoing overheads. It is available
from www.acevo.org.uk or by phoning 0845 345 8481.
Assets – equipment, instruments and vehicles
Include the
costs of buying assets including equipment, instruments and vehicles. You
should get competitive quotes from more than one business or supplier. While we
do not ask you to send quotes with your application, we may ask for them at a
later stage so please keep them in a safe place.
Assets – buildings to be used for the arts
Include the
costs of refurbishing arts buildings, improving access, buying property and
leasing a building. In general we would not expect to fund many feasibility
studies (studies to test the potential of a building plan) and early
development of designs. Please see our information sheet ‘Capital applications
– building projects and equipment purchases’ for more information.
Remember,
you must ask for our agreement in writing before you apply for a grant for
buildings to be used for the arts otherwise we will not be able to assess your application.
Our enquiries team will put you in touch with the relevant regional office.
The amount
of budget information and detail we need is likely to be different for each
building project. Use the application form as a summary and include any extra detailed
budget information we have asked you to provide.
Other spending
Include any
other spending for your activity that is not included elsewhere. This can
include an amount for unexpected costs (contingency spending).
Balanced budget
Your total
income (C on page 23 of the application form) and your total spending (F on
page 27 of the application form) must be the same. If they are not, we will not
be able to assess your application. So please check that your figures match.
You may want to get someone else to check your figures for you.
We are
committed to being as open as possible. This includes being clear to you about
how we assess and make decisions on Grants for the arts. If you apply to us for
a grant, we are happy to give you copies of the information we hold about you,
including our assessment of your application.
We are also
listed as a public authority under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. By law,
we may have to provide your application documents and information about our
assessment to any member of the public who asks for them under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
However, we
will not release those parts of the documents covered by one or more of the
exemptions under the Act. Visit the website at www.foi.gov.uk for information
on the exemptions and freedom of information generally.
This section
describes how we generally plan to treat your application documents and assessment
information if someone asks to see them under the Freedom of Information Act
2000. However, it does not cover all cases as we have to consider each request
for information individually, based on the situation at the time.
We think
that the public has a right to know how we spend public funds and how we make
our funding decisions. However, we do not release any information about applications
during the assessment as this may interfere with the process. After we have
assessed your application, we may release your application documents and
information about our assessment if a member of the public asks for them. Here
are details of what information we would not release.
If your
application is not successful, we would not release the following.
·
Your
name, home address, email address, phone, textphone and fax numbers, and any details
of your background (if you have provided details).
·
Any
information you said was confidential when you applied to us for funding. This
can include your written proposal, financial information such as your budget or
business plans, and any other important or sensitive information.
If your application is successful and we are
asked for information before the date your activity ends (as shown in your
application), we would not release the following information.
·
If you
are an individual – your home address, email address, phone, textphone and fax numbers,
and any details of your background (if you have given details).
·
Any
information you said was confidential (in section G of the application form).
This can include your written proposal, financial information such as your
budget or business plans, and any other important or sensitive information.
If your
application is successful and we are asked for information after the date your
activity has ended (as shown in your application), we would not release the
following information.
·
If you
are an individual – your home address, email address, phone, textphone and fax numbers,
and any details of your background (if you have given details).
Under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000, if we are asked for information after your
activity has ended, we will generally release your proposal and budget together
with all other information in your application documents. We will only not do
this if in section G of the application form you provided good reasons for the
information remaining confidential after the end date.
N
Arts Council
England
Grants for
the arts
PO Box 4353
Manchester
M61 0DQ
Website:
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Phone: 0845
300 6200
Email:
enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
Textphone:
020 7973 6564
You can
download this application pack from our website.
You can also get it in Braille, in large print, on audio CD
and in a British Sign Language (BSL) DVD.
Please contact us if you need any of these.
© Arts
Council England, 2010
Useful information other sources of funding
Arts
Council England is the national development agency for the arts. Our grants
provide funding for arts organisations and people who use the arts in their
work. Visit our website at www.artscouncil.org.uk or phone 0845 300 6200 for
more information.
This booklet lists some of the main sources of funding for the arts in
the UK, particularly for those activities that we cannot provide grants for, such
as those relating to films. You can also get information on funding opportunities
from public libraries.
As information can change, contact the organisations direct and check
their details before applying for funding.
Unfortunately, we cannot tell you about the criteria for any of the
organisations listed here, or recommend which organisations to approach. We
cannot be held responsible for information that changes after we have printed this
booklet.
Useful organisations
03
Arts councils 04
National Lottery distributors 05
Trusts and foundations 07
Funding for education and training 09
Business funding
11
Overseas funding
12
Film funding 14
Fundraising resources
15
Organisations 15
Directories and databases 18
Useful websites 19
In this section you will find details of organisations that offer
information on funding. It includes contact details for other National Lottery
distributors, as well as those organisations that provide information about
funding for specific activities like education or training. This is not
intended to be a complete list but to give you an idea of the range of
different funding options available in the UK.
As well as the organisations listed here, there are local and regional agencies
which may also provide some funding for arts-related projects, for example your
local authority (council) and regional development agency. You should be able
to find their contact details at a public library or in your local phone book.
It is important that your funding application meets the eligibility requirements
and priorities of the organisation concerned. You should also look carefully at
their assessment criteria. Please check with these organisations for full
details before sending your application.
Arts councils
Arts
Council of Northern Ireland
MacNeice House
77 Malone Road
Belfast BT9 6AQ
Phone: 028 9038 5200
Email: info@artscouncil-ni.org
Website: www.artscouncil-ni.org
Arts
Council of Wales
9 Museum Place
Cardiff CF10 3NX
Phone: 029 2037 6500
Textphone: 029 2039 0027
Website: www.artswales.org.uk
Three regional offices covering North Wales, Mid and West Wales, and
South Wales.
Scottish
Arts Council
12 Manor Place
Edinburgh EH3 7DD
Phone: 0845 603 6000
Textphone: 18001 0131 226 6051
Email: help.desk@scottisharts.org.uk
Website: www.scottisharts.org.uk
Arts
Council Ireland
70 Merion Square
Dublin 2
Ireland
Phone: +353 01618 0200
Website: www.artscouncil.ie
International
Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies
PO Box 788
Strawberry Hills
2012 NSW
Australia
Email: info@ifacca.org
Website: www.ifacca.org
IFACCA is a network of arts councils and cultural agencies that share
knowledge and create understanding to promote the arts and cultural activities.
National Lottery distributors
Awards
for All
Phone: 0845 600 2040
Textphone: 0845 755 6656
Email: general.enquiries@
awardsforall.org.uk
Website: www.awardsforall.org.uk
Awards for All is a grants scheme for local communities. There are different
schemes for each of the four countries of the UK.
The
Big Lottery Fund
1 Plough Place
London EC4A 1DE
Phone: 0845 410 2030
Textphone: 0845 039 0204
Email: general.enquiries@
biglotteryfund.org.uk
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
The Big Lottery Fund provides funding for charities, voluntary
organisations, and projects that improve the health, education and environment
of communities.
Heritage
Lottery Fund
7 Holborn Place
London SW1W 8NR
Phone: 020 7591 6000
Textphone: 020 7591 6255
Email: enquire@hlf.org.uk
Website: www.hlf.org.uk
The Heritage Lottery Fund helps communities to celebrate, look after and
learn more about our heritage.
Lottery
funding
Phone: 0845 275 0000
Textphone: 0845 275 0022
Website: www.lotteryfunding.org.uk
This is a joint website run by all those who provide funding from the National
Lottery. This site allows you to search for information on funding.
NESTA
(National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts)
1 Plough Place
London EC4A 1DE
Phone: 020 7438 2500
Website: www.nesta.org.uk
NESTA runs various funding schemes to encourage UK talent and innovation
in science, technology and art industries.
Sport
England
3rd Floor, Victoria House
Bloomsbury Square
London WC1B 4SE
Phone: 0845 850 8508
Email: info@sportengland.org
Website: www.sportengland.org
Sport England fund opportunities for people to start in, stay in and succeed
in sport.
The
UK Film Council
10 Little Portland Street
London W1W 7JG
Phone: 020 7861 7861
Helpline: 020 7861 7924
Email: info@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
Website: www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
The UK Film Council is the Government-backed agency for film in the UK.
It aims to promote a successful film industry and enjoyment and understanding
of cinema throughout the UK. The UK Film Council provides funding for film
production and training.
UK
Sport
40 Bernard Street
London WC1N 1ST
Phone: 020 7211 5100
Email: info@uksport.gov.uk
Website: www.uksport.gov.uk
UK Sport works with sports councils and other agencies to support sport in
the UK for world-class success.
Youth
Music
1 America Street
London SE1 0NE
Phone: 020 7902 1060
Email: info@youthmusic.org.uk
Website: www.youthmusic.org.uk
Youth Music is a UK-wide charity that targets young people living in areas
of social and economic need. The charity funds music activities run by
not-for-profit organisations for people aged up to 18.
Trusts and foundations
Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation
98 Portland Place
London W1B 1ET
Phone: 020 7636 5313
Email: info@gulbenkian.org.uk
Website: www.gulbenkian.org.uk
The foundation supports original projects, particularly those which take
place outside London. Their arts funding programme is mainly for professional
arts organisations or professional artists working in partnerships or groups.
Its purpose is to support the development of new art in any artform. It does
not cover activities which are linked to mainstream education. The foundation
welcomes applications from British-based organisations involving work with
international artists.
Esmée
Fairbairn Foundation
11 Park Place
London SW1A 1LP
Phone: 020 7297 4700
Email: info@esmeefairbairn.org.uk
Website: www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk
The foundation is one of the largest independent foundations that
provide grants in the UK. Approximately 75% of its Arts & Heritage grants
budget go to the arts and 25% to heritage projects.
The
Peter De Haan Charitable Trust
1 China Wharf
29 Mill Street
London SE1 2BQ
Website: www.pdhct.org.uk
Grants are awarded to organisations that provide opportunities to take part
in the arts in educational and community settings, especially for people or
groups with limited access to the arts.
The
Baring Foundation
60 London Wall
London EC2M 5TQ
Phone: 020 7767 1348
Email: baring.foundation@uk.ing.com
Website: www.baringfoundation.org.uk
The Baring Foundation was set up in 1969 to give money to charities and
voluntary organisations set up for charitable purposes. They have specific
grants programmes concerned with strengthening the voluntary sector, the arts
and international development.
The
Clore Duffield Foundation
Studio 3
Chelsea Manor Studios
Flood Street
London SW3 5SR
Phone: 020 7351 6061
Email: info@cloreduffield.org.uk
Website: www.cloreduffield.org.uk
The foundation concentrates its support on education, the arts, museum
and gallery education, health, social care and disability, placing a particular
emphasis on supporting children, young people and more vulnerable people such as
people with learning disabilities.
The
Foyle Foundation
Rugby Chambers
2 Rugby Street
London WC1N 3QU
Phone: 020 7430 9119
Email: info@foylefoundation.org.uk
Website: www.foylefoundation.org.uk
The foundation is an independent trust that gives grants to UK charities
whose main work is in the areas of learning, arts and health. Its priorities are
to help make the arts more accessible by developing new audiences, supporting
tours, festivals and arts education projects, encouraging new work, and
supporting young and emerging artists.
The
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
18 Queen Anne’s Gate
London SW1H 9AA
Phone: 020 7227 3500
Email: information@phf.org.uk
Website: www.phf.org.uk
The arts programme encourages new ways for people in the UK to enjoy, experience
and be involved in the arts. Funding benefits organisations and groups through
the grants scheme and special projects.
Funding for education and training
As well as the information below, you can also get an information sheet,
‘Education grants
to individuals’, on our website at www.artscouncil. org.uk/information or by
phoning
0845 300 6200. If you are a student looking for a grant, you should first contact
your local authority.
Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET
Phone: 020 7215 5555
Website: www.dius.gov.uk/higher_ education/students
BIS provides information on which student loans, bursaries and other
help you may be entitled to get. You can apply online at www.direct.gov.uk,
which also includes full information on repaying student loans.
The
Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS)
501–505 Kingsland Road
London E8 4AU
Phone: 020 7254 6251
(2–4pm on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Thursdays)
Email: egas.enquiry@fwa.org.uk
Website: www.egas-online.org.uk
This service provides advice and information on sources of funding available
for higher and further education and training. It gives priority to
disadvantaged students.
Support
for Learning
Website: www.support4learning.org.uk/money
The Support for Learning website provides information on various forms
of financial help and advice available to students.
The
Directory of Social Change (DSC)
24 Stephenson Way
London NW1 2DP
Phone: 0845 077 7707
Email: publications@dsc.org.uk
Website: www.dsc.org.uk
Includes a link to funding resource websites. The DSC publishes several funding
guides and handbooks.
BT
Community Connections
PO Box 4500
London W1A 7LF
Phone: 020 7299 4163
Email: info@btcommunityconnections.com
Website: www.btcommunityconnections.com
This organisation gives community and voluntary organisations the opportunity
to apply for a computer and a contribution towards a year’s broadband internet
access through BT Total Broadband.
UK
Council of International Student Affairs
9–17 St Albans Place
London N1 0NX
Phone: 020 7288 4330
Website: www.ukcisa.org.uk
UKCISA provides help and advice to those wanting to study overseas.
Business funding
Business
Link
Phone: 0845 600 9006
Textphone: 0845 606 2666
Website: www.businesslink.gov.uk
Business Link is a national service giving advice to businesses. It has several
offices around the country. The website contains information and links to local
agencies.
The
Prince’s Trust
18 Park Square East
London NW1 4LH
Phone: 0800 842 842
Textphone: 020 7543 1374
Email: webinfops@princes-trust.org.uk
Website: www.princes-trust.org.uk
The Prince’s Trust provides training, financial help, grants and other
support for people aged 14 to 30.
Career
Development Loans
Website: www.direct.gov.uk/cdl
Career Development Loans gives people help to fund vocational education
or learning through a loan. The service is run by three national banks on
behalf of the Government.
Overseas funding
The following organisations can provide information and advice on funding
for activities taking place outside of England or for overseas artists looking
to bring their work to the UK. There are also some useful links listed in the
final section of this guide.
EUCLID
85–89 Duke Street
Liverpool L1 5AP and
12 Charlotte Street
Manchester M1 4FL
Phone: 0700 038 2543
Email: info@euclid.info
Website: www.euclid.info
EUCLID provides information, research and consultancy services. EUCLID
also provides support and help for those applying to the European Union’s
funding scheme for arts and culture, as well as guidance on other EU funding opportunities.
The website contains free, downloadable information on sources of funding from
the European Union.
Visiting
Arts
4.01 and 4.02 Enterprise House
1–2 Hatfields
London SE1 9PG
Phone: 020 7960 9631
Email: information@visitingarts.org.uk
Website: www.visitingarts.org.uk
Visiting Arts is a national agency for promoting the flow of
international arts into the UK and developing related cultural links. The
agency runs a number of schemes for international artists visiting the UK. Funding
is aimed at UK-based promoters and venues who invite overseas artists and art
projects.
International
Intelligence on Culture
The Colombo Centre
34–68 Colombo Street
London SE1 8DP
Phone: 020 7401 9022
Email: roadfisher@intelculture.org
Website: www.intelculture.org
International Intelligence on Culture is an independent organisation
specialising in consultancy, research, project management, training and
advisory services relating to international projects.
UKCOSA
Website: www.ukcosa.org.uk
UKCOSA’s website gives help and advice to prospective students from overseas.
The site includes details of charitable trusts which give support to
international students, as well as links to other useful sites.
European
Cultural Foundation
Email: eurocult@eurocult.org
Website: www.eurocult.org
The European Cultural Foundation supports people expressing their culture.
Film funding
Britfilms
Film and Literature Department
British Council
10 Spring Gardens
London SW1A 2BN
Phone: 020 7389 3051
Email: film.department@
britishcouncil.org
Website: www.britfilms.com
Britfilms’ website, produced by the British Council, contains
information on funding, training, careers and law for film-makers, as well as a
wide range of useful links.
First
Light
Studio 28
Fazeley Studios
191 Fazeley Street
Birmingham B5 5SE
Phone: 0121 224 7511
Email: info@firstlightonline.co.uk
Website: www.firstlightonline.co.uk
First Light funds and enables young people (5–19) to realise their potential
through digital film and media projects.
Skillset
Focus Point
21 Caledonian Road
London N1 9GB
Phone: 020 7713 9800
Website: www.skillset.org
Skillset supports skills and training for people and businesses to make
sure the UK audio visual industries maintain their world-class position. They
offer careers advice and guidance.
The
UK Film Council
10 Little Portland Street
London W1W 7JG
Phone: 020 7861 7861
Email: info@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
Website: www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
The UK Film Council is the Government-backed agency for film in the UK.
It aims to promote a successful film industry and enjoyment and understanding
of cinema throughout the UK. The UK Film Council provides funding for film
production and training.
This section includes details of organisations, directories and websites
that you may find useful in your search for funding. Some of the organisations
listed can provide advice and information on funding opportunities, and others
offer support for professional fundraisers.
Organisations
British
Council
Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth Street
Manchester M1 6BB
Phone: 0161 957 7755
Email: general.enquiries@britishcouncil.org
Website: www.britishcouncil.org
The British Council offers funding for transporting artists’ work to international
exhibitions. It also works with organisations to help them manage events and
enter into funding agreements for projects that will contribute to developing
cultural relations between the UK and the rest of the world.
Crafts
Council
44a Pentonville Road
London N1 9BY
Phone: 020 7278 7700
Email: makerdev@craftscouncil.org.uk
Website: www.craftscouncil.org.uk
The Craft Council’s ‘Maker Development’ scheme can help crafts artists
with business start-ups, creative growth or to develop a practice.
Ideas
Tap
Website: www.ideastap.com
Ideas Tap is a membership site, creative network, online resource and
funding body for emerging arts talent. It is run by the Peter De Haan Charitable
Trust.
Mediabox
Email: info@media-box.co.uk
Website: www.media-box.co.uk
Mediabox provide funding for large- and small-scale projects for disadvantaged
young people. They accept applications for amounts from £500 to £40,000.
National
Rural Touring Forum (NRTF)
Highfield, The Square
Yapham, York YO42 1PJ
Phone: 0175 930 3624
Email: admin@nrtf.org.uk
Website: www.nrtf.org.uk
NRTF is an organisation that represents a number of touring schemes and
rural arts development agencies across England and Wales.
Creativity,
Culture and Education (CCE)
Great North House
Sandyford Road
Newcastle NE1 8ND
Phone: 0844 811 2145
Email: enquiries@cceengland.org.uk
Website: www.creativitycultureeducation.org
CCE is a national organisation that creates and transforms cultural and creative
programmes to help children and young people across England to reach their full
potential.
Association
of Charitable Foundations (ACF)
Central House
14 Upper Woburn Place
London WC1H 0AE
Phone: 020 7255 4499
Email: acf@acf.org.uk
Website: www.acf.org.uk
ACF is the leading association for charities in the UK who provide
grants. ACF also provides a list of trusts and charities. The website contains
extra advice on applying for grants.
Institute
of Fundraising
Park Place
12 Lawn Lane
London SW8 1UD
Phone: 020 7840 1000
Website: www.institute-offundraising.org.uk
The Institute of Fundraising is the professional body that represents fundraisers
in the UK. Their mission is to help fundraisers provide excellent fundraising.
Arts
& Business
Nutmeg House
60 Gainsford Street
Butler’s Wharf
London SE1 2NY
Phone: 020 7378 8143
Email: head.office@AandB.org.uk
Website: www.aandb.org.uk
Through 12 regional offices, A&B helps businesses and arts organisations
to come together to create partnerships to benefit themselves and the
community. A&B publishes books and directories on sponsorship in the arts.
National
Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)
The Tower
2 Furnival Square
Sheffield S1 4QL
Phone: 0114 278 6636
Textphone: 0114 278 7025
Website: www.navca.org.uk
NAVCA is the national voice of local voluntary and community groups in England.
Its 360 members work with 140,000 local community groups and voluntary
organisations which provide services, improve neighbourhoods, increase volunteering
and tackle discrimination.
Directories and databases
The
Directory of Social Change (DSC)
24 Stephenson Way
London NW1 2DP
Phone: 0845 077 7707
Email: enquiries@dsc.org.uk
Website: www.dsc.org.uk
The DSC provides information and training to voluntary organisations. They
publish several funding guides and handbooks, including ‘The Arts Funding
Guide’ and ‘The Complete Fundraising Handbook’, as well as regional guides.
FunderFinder
65 Raglan Road
Leeds LS2 9DZ
Phone: 0113 243 3008
Website: www.funderfinder.org.uk
FunderFinder is a small UK charity producing software and other resources,
mainly for those looking for grants. Some of the services are free, some are
not, though many people use the software at no cost in a library or resource
agency.
Useful websites
www.fundersonline.org
This website is an initiative of the European Foundation Centre (EFC), which
promotes the work of foundations and those who provide funding for businesses
in Europe (corporate funders). The Information and Communications programme of
the EFC also provides a public information service on foundations and corporate
funders active in Europe.
www.fundraising.co.uk
Fundraising.co.uk is a website for those who raise funds and don’t work
for a profit.
www.j4b.co.uk
This website offers comprehensive information, updated daily, on government
grants for both businesses and voluntary groups. It also holds information on
publicly funded organisations that provide help and advice.
www.charitiesdirect.com
A database of UK charities.
www.culturefund.eu
A website provided by EUCLID as the UK cultural contact point for the EU
Culture Programme 2007–2013. It gives examples of projects and activities
funded by the programme.
Arts Council
England
Grants for
the arts
PO Box 4353
Manchester
M61 0DQ
Website:
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Phone: 0845
300 6200
Email:
enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
Textphone:
020 7973 6564
You can
download this application pack from our website.
You can also get it in Braille, in large print, on audio CD
and in a British Sign Language (BSL) DVD.
Please contact us if you need any of these.
© Arts
Council England, 2010