Funding for arts projects is incredibly hard to come by, and available funders are hugely competitive. Beyond the usual suspects, this working-document inventories smaller, lesser known funds for arts projects.
Abderrahim Crickmay Charitable Settlement
Up to £10,000 towards revenue, capital or project costs for individuals and organisations associated to the world of dance.
Alice’s WonderDance
Exists to carry forward the vibrant, joyful legacy of Alice Aguiar; a fearless, expressive, and generous dancer who moved through life with rhythm, light, and compassion. The grant fund ( up to £2K) is available for both community organisations and young people to remove barriers so that every child can access dance, explore their passion, and grow through movement in a safe, empowering space.
Ampersands Foundation
Funding for a wide range of visual arts projects – including but not limited to exhibitions, artist commissions, public collection enhancement, collection care, artists’ residencies and educational projects
Art Cry
Micro-grants to support artistic interventions in public space which responds to social/political events.
Bagri Foundation
Grants of up to £150K are available for UK not-for-profit organisations that promote the sharing of traditional or contemporary Asian culture.
Brian Mercer Trust
They allocate 10% of their funding to encourage and support the development of emerging artistic talent (working broadly in the field of visual arts) within the North West of the UK.
Charlotte Aitken Trust
The Charlotte Aitken Trust is dedicated to the support of literature, writing and reading. It is funded by the estate of the celebrated literary agent Gillon Aitken (1938-2016).
Creative Debuts
Each month, a £500 grant is awarded to a UK-based Black artist as no-strings-attached financial support.
Creativity Pioneers Fund
Provides selected organisations with an unearmarked grant of 5,000 euros to help cover general operational costs and any critical costs to successfully developing activities.
DBACE
£60,000 prize fund for creative entrepreneurs who are driven by a mission to build and sustain social value through their enterprise.
DIDYMUS
Focus is on widening access to and participation in the arts, by making grants to small UK registered charities with an annual income of under £1 million in Greater London and Yorkshire. A small number of grants of up to £10,000 for up to 3 years are available for projects which make the arts accessible, inclusive, exciting, and enriching, with a specific emphasis on increasing quality opportunities for those who are less likely to engage with the arts, or face barriers in doing so.
Eranda Rothschild
Supports the education and outreach work of arts charities but prioritises work which is well known to the Foundation.
Fentons Arts Trust
Up to £6,000 for artists at the beginning of their careers.
Fidelio Charitable Trust
Up to £5,000 for individuals and groups who would not be able to carry out a project or activity without financial support, particularly those who are at an early stage in their careers.
Grand Plan
Offers grants of £1,000 to people of colour, aged over 18, living in the UK, looking to make a leap with their creative practice.
Up to £5,000 for artists (Scotland only) and £15,000 for creative communities (organisations, festivals, fairs and community groups focusing on culture and creative arts in their local area) and creative education projects (people, schools, and arts and culture organisations creating opportunities for young people (0-29) to engage with creativity).
Organisations working in Birmingham can apply for a grant or commission of up to £10,000.
John Lyons Charity
Up to £5,000 for schools and arts organisations in London, to deliver high-quality arts activities aligned with the national curriculum.
£50,000 – £75,000 for health and wellbeing programmes in museums.
Film TV Charity
Grants of up to £10,000 for mid-to-senior Black and Global Majority individuals working behind the scenes in film, TV, and cinema – and of up to £25,000, available for Black and Global Majority-led production companies and industry organisations.
Gisela Graham Foundation
Funding for smaller charities concerned with the propagation of the creative and performing arts, in particular, training and equipping young performers and artists.
Grand Plan
£1,000 grants to people of colour based in the UK who want to bring a new creative project to life. Support creativity in all its forms, including: poetry, paintings, fashion, zines, music, food, flowers, photographs, workshops, and events.
Lochlands Trust
Grants, generally for under £5,000. are available to UK registered charities for general charitable purposes, with a preference for charities working in the areas of culture, the environment and medical charities, including hospices. The Trust has some preference for supporting charities in East Sussex, where it is based.
Maria Bjornson Memorial Fund
The Maria Bjornson Fund supports artistic enterprises, arts-related activities and individual artists.
MGC Futures Bursaries
£5,000 to support for theatre makers with creative projects and training at a pivotal point in their professional development.
Music Therapy Charity
Small and medium grants for music therapists across the UK, including research students, to support research projects related to music therapy.
PRS Foundation
The Open Fund for Music Creators supports the development of outstanding music creators of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career with grants of up to £5000.
Scops Art Trust
Multi-year grants of up to £30,000 per annum available for music projects, including music performances at local arts festivals, instrumental and choral music groups and adult and children’s music education projects.
Schroder Charity Trust
Grants of up to £5,000 towards core and project costs to charities registered in the UK for work under the Trust’s priorities – including Arts, Culture and Heritage.
Shears Foundation
Grants of £5,500 from charitable organisations in the Tyne & Wear and Northumberland regions who are working in one of the Foundation’s priority areas – including the development of culture and the arts.
Span Trust
Grants between £5,000 and £20,000 that will alleviate poverty, disability, age or ill health, and advance urban regeneration – including advance and support for the fine arts.
Speaking Volumes
Funding for small arts organisations that are diverse-led and/or working with underrepresented voices to develop and deliver a discrete project with an international partner. £7,000.
The Arts Society
up to £3,000 for projects across all aspects of the arts and heritage. Particularly encourage applications for projects that provide access to the arts to those who would not normally have access to them.
The Elephant Trust
Up to £5,000 for fine arts and small organisations and galleries producing new work or exhibitions.
Up to £10,000 for arts, higher education, conservation and the environment charities.
Up to £4,000 to support artists’ professional development and the development, production and/or performance of new works in music, theatre, dance and performance across all genres.
Funding for emerging and established artists to create new work, acquire supplies, rent studio space, prepare for exhibitions, attend a residency and offset living expenses. Also invite only grants to non-profit arts organisations.
Supports visual arts projects, theatres and theatre productions, and dance, ballet and opera. Capital grants, or revenue grants of £1,000.
Offers financial support ( $1,000 USD (£737)) to emerging speculative fiction writers aged 50 and over worldwide who are at the beginning of their professional writing career.
UK emerging and mid-career artists and theatre-making companies to undertake early-stage research and development through collaborative retreats, enabling experimentation, reflection and inclusive practice without heavy reporting requirements. The fund is open nationally to artists and companies working in collaborative theatre practice, provides revenue funding, and offers grants of up to £5,000.
Wingate Foundation
Support for charities to develop performing arts work which cannot be funded from the usual sources, as well as for training and professional development for creative talent or the technical professions.
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