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Key Information

Funding activity: Capital investment in transformative place-based creative and cultural initiatives.

Total fund: £30.2 million for 2022/23

Grant range: Between £2 million and £5 million.

Applicants can apply for capital (asset) activity with a limited proportion of resource activity (project activity). 

Applicants can apply for a maximum of £700,000 for supporting resource activity within their total budget.

Eligibility

Local partnerships led by a local authority, Local Enterprise Partnership, or other appropriate body. Open to any area across England outside of London. 

Places that have a strategic vision for their development and can demonstrate both cultural maturity and commitment to culture-led growth but need investment in physical and/or digital infrastructure or other assets to accelerate and maximise their impact.

For the full eligibility criteria, read the full guidance document.

Key dates

The Expression of Interest form will open on Grantium at 9am on Monday 6 June 2022. The deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest is 12pm (midday) on Friday 29 July 2022.

The full online application form will open on Grantium on 12pm (midday) Monday 19 September 2022. The deadline for submitting full applications is 12pm (midday) on Friday 18 November 2022.

Applicants will be notified of the decision outcome in March 2023.

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Aims and outcomes

The aim of the fund is to level up through investment in culture. The fund will unlock local growth and productivity, promote economic and social recovery from the impact of Covid-19, and regenerate communities through capital investment in transformative place-based creative and cultural initiatives.  

This is the third round of the fund and it will build on the success of the pilot, which was originally launched as part of the Creative Industries Sector deal in 2018. This pilot invested in five projects in Grimsby, Plymouth, the Thames Estuary, Wakefield - which saw the establishment of a state-of-the-art innovation hub - and Worcester, which benefited from the regeneration of historic railway arches. 

It will capitalise on the untapped potential for investment in creativity and culture whilst addressing the regional undersupply and demand for capital funding in creative and cultural infrastructure. 

It will support places to achieve the following outcomes:  

  • Unlock local economic growth and productivity
  • Become more attractive places in which to live, work, visit and invest
  • Strengthen local leadership, partnerships and capability 
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How to apply

How to apply

First things first: never applied to us before?

Find out about how we work >

Step 1: Read the guidance

Read the guidance in full, to make sure you are eligible before you start your application.

Step 2: Register on Grantium and familiarise yourself with it

Before you can start an application you need to create a user account and applicant profile.

Please make sure that all the information in your Grantium profile is up to date before you apply.

Our Grantium guidance can help you get to grips with using the system.

Step 3: Any questions? Check our FAQs

Read the FAQs for the programme on the next sections of this page before you get in touch.

These pages are updated regularly, with all our latest information and FAQs.

Step 4: Expression of interest

The Expression of Interest form will open on Grantium at 9am on Monday 6 June 2022. The deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest is 12pm (midday) on Friday 29 July 2022.

We are expecting high demand for this fund. Consider carefully how well your project meets the aims of the fund before submitting an Expression of Interest.

Step 5: Making an application

If you are invited to submit a full application, the full online application form will open on Grantium on 12pm (midday) Monday 19 September 2022.

The deadline for submitting full applications is 12pm (midday) on Friday 18 November 2022.

Applicants will be notified of the decision outcome in March 2023.

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FAQs

Where can I watch the Cultural Development Fund: Round Three applicant guidance webinar?

We held a webinar to answer applicants’ questions about the fund and how to apply.

If my location is not in the list of 109 Levelling Up of Culture Places„ can I still apply?

Yes – you can still apply. Your activity does not need to take place in an area of low cultural investment to be eligible for CDF funding.

When we make our decisions on applications, we look at a range of factors, alongside our assessment of your application. These factors are called ‘balancing criteria’, and help us to decide what to fund. For example, if we have two applications that are asking for a similar amount of money and the applications are of similar quality, we might look at whether either of the projects would take place in an area of low cultural investment, to see where our funding might have the most impact. It is information that helps us make a well-rounded decision.

In this round of CDF we are particularly keen to fund activity in areas of low cultural investment identified in the 109 Levelling Up of Culture Places„ but that does not necessarily mean that we would not fund a strong application that takes place in an area that is not in that list, if we felt it would make an excellent contribution to the aims and outcomes of the programme.

If your activity would take place in an area of low cultural investment, you still need to have a strong, well-prepared application.

What are the differences between this and the previous round of the Cultural Development Fund?

There are some key differences between the second and third (current) round of the Cultural Development Fund: 

  • The balancing criteria for the fund now include areas of low cultural investment (the 109 Levelling Up of Culture Places)
  • Encouraging increased skills development for children and young people is also a priority for this round of the fund.

 

Who is on the Expert Advisory Panel?

The Expert Advisory Panel will consider the Expressions of Interest and consider the assessments of applications, using a set of balancing criteria to make final recommendations to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport who will make the final decision on which applications to fund.
The Panel is chaired by Laura Dyer, our Deputy Chief Executive, Places & Engagement. It will include representatives of DCMS Arm’s Length Bodies, the Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal, and various independent members. This page will be updated with further details of panel members once confirmed.

I have previously applied to the Cultural Development Fund , can I apply again?

Yes, applicants to previous rounds of the Cultural Development Fund are eligible to apply again to this round. However, you must ensure that your planned activity reflects the most recent aims and outcomes of the fund and that any feedback you have been given on previous applications has been fully addressed. Successful applicants to previous rounds may also reapply but should bear in mind that geography is a balancing criterion for this fund and the panel may wish to ensure a good geographical spread of supported projects across all rounds of the Cultural Development Fund. 

High demand for this fund is anticipated and applicants are advised to consider carefully how well their project meets the aims of the fund before submitting an Expression of Interest.

Information previously submitted to a previous round will not be kept on record or used in assessment. 

Can other government funds e.g. Stronger Towns or the Levelling Up Fund be used as match funding for the Cultural Development Fund?

The Cultural Development Fund is designed to help unlock local growth and productivity, promote economic and social recovery, and regenerate communities through capital investment in transformative place-based creative and cultural initiatives. It is intended to contribute to the Government’s priority of levelling up through investing in the cultural potential of communities across England. It therefore complements other Government programmes that will help level up the country; match-funding and wider join-up of funding, strategies and initiatives at a local or regional level is strongly encouraged.

There is no formal requirement for match-funding from these other Government programmes, so the question of Cultural Development Fund operating as formal match-funding for the Stronger Towns Fund, the Levelling Up Fund or the Community Renewal Fund does not arise.

However, where a place is taking advantage of the opportunity of these programmes, or is looking to apply for funding from them, then applicants should demonstrate – either in EOI or in full applications – how their Cultural Development Fund proposal aligns with or complements these other opportunities.

If an application to the Cultural Development Fund is dependent upon the successful application to one of these funds – either to cover overall proposal costs, or where it might provide funding for infrastructure (e.g. transport) central to the success the Cultural Development Fund proposal – then this should be acknowledged, outlining what would happen should this other funding not be secured.  

The match-funding required for this round is a minimum of 15%. Applicants are encouraged to include some non-public funding (for example corporate sponsorship, individual giving, crowdfunding, social investment) within their match. It can be made up of a combination of public, private, social and/or in-kind funding. It would generally be expected that no less than 50% of match-funding would be cash

Will priority places for the government’s Levelling Up Fund have an influence on recommendations at Expression of Interest or full application stage?

The criteria for this fund are set out in the guidance for applicants, which details the way the Cultural Development Fund will assess the level of need in applicant places and the proposed projects. When reviewing applications, the Expert Advisory Panel will consider the range of areas by using the balancing criteria detailed in the guidance. 

Further contextual information could be used, but there is no formal role for the Levelling Up Fund priority places. 

Is the Cultural Development Fund a Covid-19 response fund?

The Cultural Development Fund is not an emergency response fund. 

The guidance for applicants refers to future rounds of the Cultural Development Fund. What does this mean? 

We know that there will be at least one further round of the Cultural Development Fund, expected to commence in 2024. 

Can I apply for both construction costs and other assets as part of the capital request?

You can apply for both construction costs and other assets. Proposals that involve a combination of construction projects and other capital asset purchases should provide options appraisals and feasibility studies for both.

I’m based in a predominately rural area, can I apply? 

All places in England (except London) are eligible to apply to the Cultural Development Fund.  There is no predetermined minimum size of population or geographical area or areas that can apply.  Places must have a strategic vision for their development and can demonstrate both cultural maturity and commitment to culture-led growth, but also that they need investment in physical and/or digital infrastructure or other assets to accelerate and maximise their impact.  

Additionally, places will be assessed on their capacity to deliver on the stated objectives and to generate relative economic growth through predominantly capital investment, and you should consider this in determining whether or not you want to apply to this fund.

Organisations and partnerships based in all areas (including rural areas) are eligible to apply, and all need to take these considerations into account.

Applicants based in urban areas should consider how they engage or include communities and people living in rural areas, the direct or indirect impacts of programmes on rural areas, and the scale of these impacts, especially in rural locations where the town or city acts as a hub for a wider geography.

Who makes the decisions on the Expression of Interest?

The Expressions of Interest process is not a grant decision-making process. 

Expressions of Interest will be reviewed by the Expert Advisory Panel. If the panel considers that your proposal could make a significant contribution to the aims and outcomes of the fund, you will be invited to submit a full application. 

If the panel decides that your proposal does not have the potential to meet the aims and outcomes of the fund you will not be invited to submit a full application. We are unable to give detailed feedback on behalf of the panel or engage in a discussion about why your proposal is not being taken forward. 

As part of the Expression of Interest process, we will use any other information we hold about you or any of the partners or consortium members listed in the application if they are in receipt of our funding. We may share your application with expert stakeholders, including other relevant sector bodies, creative industries sector expert representatives and other government departments for their review and comment to help inform the panel’s discussions. Any formal assessments of organisational risk that have been undertaken by the bodies represented on the Expert Advisory Panel may be taken into consideration. 

What do you mean by ‘resource activity’? Is that the same as revenue activity?

Yes, by both resource and revenue activity we mean the type of work that forms part of your overall project, but which is not capital-based. For example, events and activities, community cohesion work, business support, skills development, or start-up costs for the capital assets. 
You can include a maximum of £700,000 expenditure on resource/revenue activity in your application.

Can we apply to CDF Round Three to buy a building?

In principle, yes. We would expect to see detailed options appraisals and feasibility studies for the purchase, however. The application would need to evidence how the purchase is part of a wider strategy to deliver outcomes that meet the CDF Round Three criteria. In addition, the application would need to demonstrate that the asset purchase could be completed, refurbished (if required) and the benefits and outcomes delivered prior to the close of the funding period.

Can a single organisation, such as a local authority, apply on its own without partners?

No. To apply you must be a partnership for the area, led by a local authority, Local Enterprise Partnership, or other appropriate body (see the guidance for applicants for more details).

There are a lot of requirements that need to be completed before an expression of interest is submitted, and the timescale is tight. Why are these requirements in place?

For you to be able to provide us with the level of detail we need in an application, and for your capital project to be at an appropriate stage to commence should funding be offered, we do need the requirements outlined in the applicant guidance to be met.

This means that we have some assurance that your capital work will be able to progress in a timely fashion and that we have the information we need to assess risk and quality of work. It also means that by undertaking this work early on, you will know whether you are at the right point to submit an expression of interest, or whether your plans, etc, are not developed enough for an application or for a capital project to be right for you at this time. These requirements reflect our learning from the first round of CDF.

Can Arts Council funding be used as match for CDF applications?

Existing Arts Council funding can be used to match fund a DCMS funded project such as a CDF project, if the aims of the project align with the original intention of the Arts Council grant.

Please note: as the Culture Recovery Fund is designed to support organisations in severe financial difficulty caused by the pandemic, it would not align with the intention of CRF for it to be used as match funding for CDF, which is related to large-scale capital work and not emergency response.

Are you expecting proposals to focus on one major capital project, or a package of smaller capital projects?

We do not have any expectations regarding this – whether you focus on one larger project or several smaller capital projects should be driven by the needs and ambitions of your area, in relation to the criteria for this funding programme. You should also carefully consider what you will realistically have capacity to deliver within the funding period.

Please note that applications that involve a combination of construction projects and other capital asset purchases should provide options appraisals and feasibility studies for both.

Does ‘appropriate ownership’ exclude long term leases on property owned by a different organisation?

Please note that for leasehold interests we would require a registered and assignable lease of at least 20 years, without a break clause, no forfeiture on insolvency clause and a permitted user clause that is compliant with the project.

Is the value of land already secured considered cash match or in-kind?

This would be considered as support-in-kind.

If you are an organisation that operates nationally can you be part of more than one partnership?

In theory, yes, however you would need to consider your organisation’s capacity to work across multiple partnerships and projects carefully.

Can we apply for National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) funding and/or National Lottery Project Grants at the same time as applying to the Cultural Development Fund?

Applying to National Lottery Project Grants or NPO does not stop you from being able to apply for the Cultural Development Fund, or vice versa. However, you should make sure that applications do not duplicate or are not reliant on each other as:

  • NPO/Project Grants are not able to be used as match funding for Cultural Development Fund projects
  • any unsuccessful applications could pose a major risk to the delivery of other projects and there is no guarantee of success. Be sure to have fully considered this, and if you choose to proceed at risk, detail those risks (including your plans to mitigate them) in the relevant applications
  • we unable to consider two applications for the same activity, as this poses a risk of ‘double funding’ a project

 

Can my organisation submit an application/lead a partnership if it is:

  • a registered charity?

  • a Local Cultural Education Partnership?

  • a Music Education Hub?

  • a Community Interest Company?

Yes, provided the organisation meets the eligibility criteria and is capable of delivering the project successfully. 

The lead applicant must be a formally constituted organisation; this could include but is not limited to any of the above examples, local authorities, combined authorities, mayoral authorities, cultural consortia, Local Enterprise Partnerships, universities and other appropriate bodies. The lead applicant will be responsible for the delivery of the project and, if successful, will act as the accountable body for the grant. 

We welcome questions about the types of organisations that can lead a partnership and encourage you to refer to the applicant guidance or contact our customer services team at enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk with any further questions. 

What was the success rate for the previous round of CDF?

For CDF2, 72 Expressions of Interest were submitted, of those, 19 submitted full applications and 7 awards were made, with an overall success rate of 37%.

Is it possible to view offline versions of the EOI and full application questions?

Yes, offline versions of the Expression of Interest and full application forms will be available on our website when the portals open.

For capital projects, do we need to be at a specific RIBA stage when submitting an Expression of Interest?

At Expression of Interest stage, applicants are not required to have completed any RIBA work stages. However, capital projects that are following the RIBA work stages must have completed work stage 1 before submitting a full application. 

Certified Income and Expenditure statements: 

Income and Expenditure statements must be certified by an independent, qualified accountant. This will likely be a chartered accountant. If not certified by a chartered accountant, Income and Expenditure statements can be certified by those qualified through the Association of Accounting Technicians, so long as the AAT member is fully qualified (either MAAT or FMAAT) and is an AAT Tier 1 Licensed Accountant. 
Further information on the AAT website here.

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Terms & Conditions and Joint Privacy Notice

The Standard Terms and Conditions for the Cultural Development Fund 2022 are subject to change before detailed funding agreements are finalised.

Download the draft version below.

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