Do you need funding
for your creative practice or arts organisation?
How I Help Artists
Funding Applications
I help artists of all ages, disciplines and genres to apply for funding to support their career. Successful arts-related bids include those to Arts Council England, Help Musicians, Youth Music and National Lottery.
Arts Council applications are notoriously complicated to complete and there is no doubt you will up your chances by working with a fundraiser that understands the terminology, assessment criteria and overarching strategy of the funder.
The main Arts Council funds are Developing Your Creative Practice (up to £12K) and Project Grants (up to £30K).
For most arts funding, you need to be a practicing artist with at least one year experience of engaging with audiences and evidence of professional work.
Image: Olivia Fern (Arts Council Project Grant - £16,000)
Arts Council: Access Support
The Access Support scheme will pay for someone to help you write an Arts Council funding application, because you have additional needs. You do not need a medical or official diagnosis, you just need to explain your condition. You can get help applying for Arts Council funding if you have:
Any kind of neurodiversity, mental health history or chronic illness
Trouble using screens or filling in forms
English as your second language
I am a registered Access Support worker and the Arts Council will pay me directly to help you make your grant application, check it over and give you the support you need. Many artists I’ve worked with in this way, have gone on to receive grants.
Image: Rosina Buck (Developing Your Creative Practice - £12,600)
Setting Up An Arts Organisation
Many artists have no idea how much funding could be available to them if they form a CIC or simple community group with one or two others. I have worked with community choirs, samba bands, theatre groups, singing collectives, youth music projects and other community arts initiatives, helping them to:
Set up as simple organisations with bank accounts and constitutions.
Raise start up funding from the National Lottery, Community Foundations or local trusts.
Apply year on year for repeat funding to develop their services.
The funding model allows artists to be fully paid for their time while running creative activities in local neighbourhoods or leading community arts projects.
Image: Shumba Arts (Multi-year Lottery Funding - £50,000+)
Crowdfunding Campaigns
I guide creative people who are launching a crowdfund for an artistic project. Bringing someone onto your team who really understands the crowdfunding landscape will typically pay for itself (and more) in the long run. I can help you:
Understand the different crowdfunding platforms and how they work.
Talk through your ideas, hone your message and know what to say in a video.
Decide on dates, targets and timescales, and plan an effective launch strategy.
Design your crowdfunding page, with a range of rewards to maximise donations.
Keep motivated, with regular mentoring through the process.
Note: I don’t manage the actual campaign, I act as a guide. Most artists I work with, reach and exceed their targets.
Image: Rob Carney (Indiegogo Campaign - £11,800, target reached)
I raise money for all kinds of Artistic Practice
Theatre, Dance and Circus
Bubbles La Fae is a performance artist that specialises in bubbleology. Despite being a niche area of artistic practice, I successfully helped her secure £12,000 of funding from the Arts Council. Funding allowed the artist to buy specialised new equipment, learn new dance forms to interact with her circus practice and create a groundbreaking, cross-disciplinary, cabaret-style show. The funding has put her at the forefront of this emerging artistic discipline and helped her become more self-sufficient as an artist.
Case Study: Bubbles La Fae
Music and Songwriting
Briony Greenhill is one of the leading teachers of collaborative vocal improvisation (CVI) in the UK. Despite an incredible depth of training, arts leadership and performance experience, she had never been funded by the Arts Council, having multiple applications rejected. l helped Briony define a new project for DYCP, incorporating study of voice, piano and score arrangements, leading to composition of a new body of work. The application was funded first time and Briony received £10,000 for a period of skills development.
Case Study: Briony Greenhill
Creative Writing and Poetry
Rosina Buck received an Access Support grant from Arts Council England. This paid for my support to help Rosina make a funding application because she has dyslexia. With my support, Rosina applied successfully for a £12,000 Developing Your Creative Practice grant to develop a new spoken word and poetry practice. Through courses, mentoring and solo writing retreats, the project will give more Rosina grounding in the technique, form and oration of poetry, and lead to her first collection of published work.
Case Study: Rosina Buck
– Briony Greenhill, Performer and Teacher
"I'm pleased to announce that, after about 5 years of applying and being rejected, I have finally been given a grant by Arts Council England. With many thanks to James Frost who helped with the application and finally managed to express what I do in a way that works for ACE."
Artist Checks
Who can apply for grants?
Most kind of artists can apply for Arts Council funding, including:
Those working in disciplines such as combined arts, dance, literature, music, theatre and visual arts (film is covered by BFI funding).
Those seeking to develop their practice through periods of study, research, innovation or collaboration.
Those seeking to engage audiences, communities and partners with new work.
Artists with neurodiversity, mental health history, chronic illness or disability can be paired with an Access Support Worker to help them complete the application forms.
What you may need:
A reference from an industry colleague or someone who has worked with you professionally.
Links to showcase your work (could be a showreel, video, audio, literature, website or CV) - you need to show a portfolio of at least one year’s experience.
A budget and timeline for your project.
A list of venues, partner organisations and contacts, if you are working in local communities.
You may also require public liability insurance if you are running events yourself.
A UK bank account in the artist’s name.
Requirements for other arts funders may vary.
Artists and Arts Organisations I’ve Worked With…
Briony Greenhill | Caspar Walsh (Rite To Freedom) | Olivia Fern | Kate Valentine (Singing Mamas) | Liz Ikamba | Fran André (Jubilation Choirs) | Anna Ling | Pip Jones (Skylarker) | Bubbles La Fae | Su Hall (Baka Beyond) | Nick Hall (Music In Devon Intiative) | Lost In Translation Circus | Jenny Wroe (Drum Nation) | Puppet Tree | Hayley Matthews (Ensemble) | Clip | Allan Kerr and Denise Rowe (Shumba Arts) | Charlotte Mabon | Anna Fiorentini (Fiorentini Foundation) | Rob Carney | Agata Krajewska (Theatre Of Awakening) | Esteemed Creatives | Amy Jenkins (Just Sing) | Rosina Buck | Sarah Mooney | | Bella Lilley | Ruana Xerri-West (Signs and Sounds) … and many more.
Interested in
working with me?
Complete a short enquiry form to tell me about your project. We can then arrange an introductory call to see I can support you.