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Funding Resources
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Grant funding for Artists (UK)

 

Axisweb Hardship Fund

  • In light of the uncertainty artists face due to the coronavirus pandemic, Axisweb have introduced a fund to help their members facing significant financial hardship and who are unable to work, disabled, a carer, on low income or freelance.As a small independent charity that does not receive public funding, they have initially made available a total fund of £5,000.

  • Each week for five weeks we will distribute 10 x £100 awards.

  • To apply you must be an Axisweb member.

  • https://www.axisweb.org/support/hardship-fund/

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BBC Arts Culture in Quarantine Fund

Website: https://www.thespace.org/commissioning

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act, BBC Arts, Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales and Creative Scotland have launched a new Culture in Quarantine commissioning round to celebrate the work of disabled, D/deaf and neurodiverse artists. Ten established disabled artists will be commissioned from across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to create new video or audio works to be published on BBC platforms in 2021. They want to hear from the full diversity of exceptional and established disabled artists, working in any discipline across the four nations. Proposals should be for video or audio content. There is no specific editorial brief: projects can – but do not have to – creatively respond to the disabled experience of living through the pandemic. The amount requested from the fund can be from £3,000 to £8,000 (ex. VAT). They can 100% fund projects or part-fund them.

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Black Artists Grant

  • Ongoing

  • £500

  • The Black Artists Grant is given out monthly to three black artists in the UK. The BAG is no-strings attached financial support to help the selected artist in whatever they want – be that make new work, buy equipment or materials, travel, research, visit exhibitions or conferences, or to even just cover some life expenses. 

  • https://creativedebuts.co.uk/bag

     

The Brian Mercer Trust

  • The Trust helps to fund art in the North West of England. We aim to encourage and support thedevelopment of emerging artistic talent (working broadly in the field of visual arts).

  • Applications for funding should be received approximately 4 weeks before a Trustees’ meeting.

  • www.brianmercertrust.org

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Developing Your Creative Practice

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Eaton Fund

  • Ongoing

  • £300 Max

  • The Eaton Fund has been a charitable trust since 1954, providing financial assistance for artists, nurses and women in need.

  • http://www.eaton-fund.co.uk

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Elephant Trust Grants

  • Trustees meet four times a year to consider applications, as advertised on website.

  • Grants of up to £2,000 but with the addition of the Shelagh Wakely Bequest some larger grants of up to £5,000 may be awarded.

  • Awards are available to UK artists for new, innovative visual projects. Small organisations and galleries are also eligible.

  • Aims to make it possible for artists to undertake and complete projects when confronted by lack of funds.

  • Open application by post. Requires projected budget, visual material and CV.

  • http://www.elephanttrust.org.uk/docs/intro.html

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The John Ellerman Foundation

  • Ongoing

  • Aims to advance the wellbeing of people, society and the natural world by focusing on arts, environment and social action. Part of our Arts funding is aimed at creators in the performing arts. We focus on the creation of high quality new work by organisations that collaborate with, commission or otherwise support artists to create or re-imagine work. 

  • ellerman.org.uk

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Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants

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Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant

  • Ongoing

  • Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grants enable visual artists to create new work, buy materials and pay for studio rent, as well as their personal expenses.

  • pkf.org/our-grants

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Smallwood Trust-Womens Resiliance Fund

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The Leverhulme Trust Arts Training Bursaries

  • 14 schemes available at various times of the year.

  • The aim of these awards is to provide training opportunities across the whole range of artistic disciplines in the fine and performing arts. Arts Scholarships may be in the form of (a) Bursaries to enable individuals to develop their talent and/or (b) Innovative teaching awards to provide new and original training opportunities for the students concerned.

  • Individual scholars or students may not apply directly to the Trust

  • https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/schemes-at-a-glance

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The Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme

Website: https://jerwoodarts.org/projects/weston-jerwood-creative-bursaries-2020-22/.

The Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme will support 50 salaried jobs in arts and cultural organisations across the UK, for individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds. The programme is dedicated to supporting outstanding early-career artists, curators, producers and creatives to thrive, and working in partnership with leading arts and cultural organisations to take an inclusive, intersectional approach to recruitment, artist development and organisational change. The first job opportunities will open for applications on Tuesday 20 October. The rest of the job opportunities will be added between October 2020 and March 2021

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Unlimited

  • Open 1st October 2020

  • Deadline 27th October 2020

  • Unlimited supports creative projects by disabled artists and companies in artforms including performance, literature, painting, sculpture, public artworks, photography, digital artworks, installations, films and more. Professional disabled artists and companies that support disabled-led work across all artforms and who are based in England and Wales are encouraged to apply. Work can relate to any subject or theme.

  • Main Commission Awards can help to create and share a new piece of work, and to tour or showcase it in some way. Research and Development Awards can help to explore the initial stages of a new project. This funding is for R&D only, but we expect the results of R&Ds to be shared or showcased in some form as part of each project.

  • Emerging Artist Awards are for disabled artists, who have yet to receive a major exhibition or showcasing opportunity. This funding is to make a small piece of work, and to share it with an audience or with participants in some way. 

  • weareunlimited.org.uk/apply-tounlimited 

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Grants for charities, organisations and groups (UK)

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Arts Fund Respond and Reimagine Grants 

  • Deadline 12 October

  • Grants of £10,000- £50,000

  • To help museums, galleries and other cultural organisations respond to Covid19 related problems. We offer support to help organisations get creative with ideas to help them adapt to adapt for the longerterm future. We are unable to support theatre, music, dance or other art forms.

  • www.artfund.org/supportingmuseums/programmes/respondand-reimagine-grants

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Arts Council of England

  • Ongoing

  • Grants range from £1,000-100,000. 

  • Grants for the Arts 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.

  • http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/grants-for-the-arts

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Cheshire East Council Covid19 Community Response & Recovery Fund

  • Deadline 4th Dec 2020

  • Grants of up to £5000

  • Not-for-profit organisations can apply for projects and services for both response and recovery-type applications. Response-type applications include additional staffing, DBS checks, volunteer expenses, meal delivery and foodbank services, and personal protective equipment. Recovery-type applications include boosting employment, mental health support, hardship funds, financial advice, helping connectivity and building community resilience. We would also consider bereavement support, domestic abuse support and IT solutions for service delivery. 

  • www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_ and_democracy/connectedcommunities/community_funds_a nd_grants/covid-19-communityresponse-and-recovery-grant.aspx 

 

 

 

Equilibrium Community Support Scheme

  • Next deadline 6 Dec

  • Grant of up to £500

  • Equilibrium Community Support Scheme operates in Greater Manchester, Cheshire East and Chester and District. Applications are reviewed quarterly, with one winner from each of the three locations being chosen each quarter. Any notfor-profit organisation that makes a positive difference to the community is encouraged to apply.

  • equilibrium.co.uk/charity/communi ty-support-scheme

     

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

  • Ongoing

  • Range from £5,000 - £1.5m 

  • The foundation is one of the largest independent foundations that provide grants in the UK. Approximately 75 per cent of its Arts & Heritage grants budget go to the arts and 25 per cent to heritage projects.

  • https://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk

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Golsoncott Foundation

  • January, April, July and October in advance of the February, May, August and November meetings

  • Up to £3000

  • "to promote, maintain, improve and advance the education of the public in the arts generally and, in particular, the fine arts and music".

  • http://www.golsoncott.org.uk

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Idlewild Trust

  • The next Open Round for our Arts and Conservation Funds will be in 2021.

  • Up to £5,000

  • UK registered charities with programmes that encourage and nurture the talent of young professional musicians, dancers, actors, writers and artists in the performing, fine and applied arts aged 18 and over. 

  • https://www.idlewildtrust.org.uk/apply-grant

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The Baring Foundation

  • Open for applications

  • Grant Amounts Variable.

  • "Promoting the role of creativity in the lives of people with mental health problems"

  • https://baringfoundation.org.uk/

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The Belgae Trust

 

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The Clore Duffield Foundation

  • Ongoing Support for the cultural sector, and in particular to cultural learning and to museum, gallery, heritage and performing arts learning spaces.

  • Grants range from £10,000 to in excess of £1m

  • Please note that organisations must be registered charities to be eligible for the Main Grants Programme, with the exception of local authority cultural organisations. 

  • https://www.cloreduffield.org.uk/main-grants

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The Foyle Foundation

  • Currently Open

  • Variable 

  • The Foyle Foundation is an independent grantmaking trust that distributes grants to UK charities. The Foundation does not support applications from individuals. The Foundation seeks applications that make a strong artistic case for support in either the performing or visual arts.  Our Arts programme aims to help sustain the arts and to support projects that help to deliver your artistic vision.

  • http://www.foylefoundation.org.uk

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The Garfield Weston Foundation 

  • Up to £100,000

  • Regular Grant programme awards grants to UK registered charities, CIOs, schools, faith-based organisations that are either exempt under the Charity Commission guidelines or are registered charities, housing associations or museums and galleries with activity in the following areas of Welfare, Youth, Community Arts, Faith, Environment, Education, Health and Museums and Heritage.

  • https://garfieldweston.org/apply-to-us/grant-guidelines

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The National Lottery Community Fund / Awards for All

  • Ongoing

  • Range from £300-£10,000

  • Provides funding for charities, voluntary organisations, and projects that improve the health, education and environment of communities

  • https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/ 

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The Paul Hamlyn Foundation

  • Ongoing

  • Variable

  • 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.

  • https://www.phf.org.uk

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THE SKINNERS’ COMPANY THE LADY NEVILLE CHARITY

  • Different times of the year

  • Up to £1000

  • The Skinners’ Company The Lady Neville Charity provides grants that make a clear and significant contribution to grass-roots not-for-profit organisations working in designated priority areas.

  • http://www.theskinnerscompany.org.uk

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Tesco’s Bags of Help

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The Woodward Charitable Trust

  • February/March and October.

  • Around £3,000

  • The Woodward Charitable Trust award grants towards the core costs for small charities, CIOs and CICs.

  • http://woodwardcharitabletrust.org.uk

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Prizes, awards and bursaries

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CuratorSpace Bursary

 

A_N Bursary

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Jerwood Drawing Prize

  • Annual.

  • First prize of £8,000, second prize of £5,000 and two student awards of £2,000 each. Between 60–70 artists are also selected for an exhibition.

  • Open to all artists resident or domiciled within the UK.

  • The country’s leading award in drawing, and the largest and longest running annual open exhibition dedicated to drawing in the UK.

  • http://www.jerwoodvisualarts.org

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Jerwood Bursary

  • Up to 1,250

  • Jerwood Bursaries provide funding to help you explore and develop your practice by enabling you to gain new skills and knowledge. We want you to have the opportunity to pursue your interests independently and on your own terms.

  • https://jerwoodarts.org/opportunities/jerwood-bursaries

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The Arts Foundation Futures Awards

  • Annual.

  • Up to six £10,000 awards, each for a practitioner of a different art form. Categories rotate each year. In 2016, the categories are Arts in the Urban Space, Children’s Theatre, Producers of Live Music, Jewellery Design, Literary Translation and Materials Innovation.

  • Eligibility limited to artists living and working in the UK. The award is given to emerging artists who have achieved some professional standing. Selection based on both talent and need.

  • Aims to provide artists with stability to explore new forms at a critical stage and to facilitate cross-artform networking.

  • Shortlist for prizes drawn up by nomination. ‘The Foundation uses leading practitioners and experienced professionals whose key positions enable them to identify the most talented and deserving artists.’

  • www.artsfoundation.co.uk

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Turner Prize

  • Annual.

  • £25,000 for the winner and £5,000 for each of the other nominees. Shortlisted artists present works in a show normally held at Tate Britain before the winner is chosen.

  • British artists under 50.

  • High-profile prize to celebrate new developments in contemporary art.

  • Nominations are invited each year and are judged by a rotating independent jury. Members of the jury in 2014 were: Stefan Kalmar, Helen Legg, Sarah McCrory, Dirk Snauwaert and Penelope Curtis.

  • http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/turnerprize/abouttheturnerprize.shtm

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