Arts Council England wants more people to experience and be inspired by the arts, irrespective of where they live or their social, educational or financial circumstances.
Aims and objectives
The Creative people and places fund will focus our investment in parts of the country where people’s involvement in the arts is significantly below the national average, with the aim of increasing the likelihood of participation.
We will invest in a small number of places of greatest need to establish action research projects called Creative people and places. This investment will encourage long-term collaborations between local communities and arts organisations, museums, libraries and local authorities. It aims to empower them to experiment with radically different approaches and develop inspiring, sustainable arts programmes that will engage audiences in those communities.
Excellence will be central to the activity we support and although funding can only be guaranteed for three years, we would like to see applications which carry a 10-year vision for these communities.
A total of £37 million will be available to establish around 15 Creative people and places projects between autumn 2012 and autumn 2015. We anticipate that the majority of proposals will be for between £500,000 and £3 million over three years.
Applications
The Creative people and places fund is now open for applications until 13 April 2012 and a second round of applications will take place in autumn 2012.
All applicants must register their intention to apply with their regional Arts Council office by 23 March 2012. We will not need a full proposal at this stage.
Visit the How to apply page for information on how to apply for funding.
We will also be adding frequently asked questions about the fund, so keep checking this page for regular updates.
What we aim to achieve
Through our Creative people and places projects we will demonstrate the power of the arts to enrich the lives of individuals and make a positive difference to communities. The outcomes we are looking for include:
- an increase in the numbers and range of people in those areas regularly getting involved in, and being inspired by, the arts
- a demonstrable increase in a high quality arts offer in places of least engagement
- sustainable projects and programmes that will help the arts and cultural sector to continue to extend and strengthen the reach of existing arts provision, and increase engagement
- a clear, common understanding of which approaches are the most successful
What is the register of interest for?
We are asking all organisations interested in making a proposal to Creative people and places to register their intention to apply on or before 23 March 2012. Find out more and download the current registers of interest.
