Funding
What you can apply for
Grants for the arts eligibility criteria
There is a high demand for our grants and we cannot fund all the eligible applications we receive. To manage the increased demand and make sure we distribute funds evenly, applications received after 20 May 2008 must meet the following criteria.- For national activities, we will enforce more rigorously current guidance that sets a ceiling of £200,000.
- For grants to organisations we will enforce more rigorously current guidance that sets a ceiling of £100,000.
- For all grants, the minimum application is £1,000.
We strongly recommend that you get advice from us if these criteria affect your activity. You can contact us via the enquiry form, and find further contact details on the contact us page.
What you can apply for
The information included on these pages is a summary of the eligibility
requirements in the guidance notes for Grants for the arts.
Grants for the arts aims to be
flexible and to encourage new ideas. We support activities that engage
people in England or that help artists and arts organisations in
England to 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.)
See below for more information about national activities.
You can apply for grants for time-limited arts-related activities, such as:
- Projects and events
- Commissions and productions
- Research and development
- Activities for people to take part in
- Audience development
- Marketing activities
- Education activities
- Buying assets such as equipment, instruments and vehicles
- Doing feasibility studies or developing designs for buildings for arts use (See the guidance notes for more information.)
- Buying, refurbishing and improving buildings for arts use (See the guidance notes for more information.)
- Public art
- Professional development and training, including travel grants
- Bursaries
- Fellowships
- Organisational development to improve long-term stability
- Residencies
- Touring
We can also fund national activities. For example:
- national touring projects
- important large-scale national arts events such as conferences
- activities taking place in more than one region, including festivals, audience development activities, training projects and residencies
- presentations or exhibitions of work by international artists and arts organisations
- activities that are the result of joint working between artists and arts organisations from across England
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. Contact our enquiry team who can put you in touch with the right person in your regional office.
An application to Grants for the arts must include a number of items to be eligible to be assessed, including a written proposal and a filled-in application form. The guidance notes have full details about what you must include to make an eligible application. You can download the How to apply booklet or get them as part of the application pack through our enquiry team.
How to apply for a grant
| Check if you are eligible |
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| Get an application pack |
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| Plan your time |
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| Find additional income |
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| Send your application |
Related information
For general enquiries, phone:
0845 300 6200
textphone:
020 7973 6564
Fill in our enquiry form