Any kind of not-for-profit organisation can apply for grants, including:

• charities, CICs, co-operatives, community benefit societies, not-for-profit limited companies

• schools, youth clubs, parish councils, resident associations

• unincorporated associations, community groups, volunteer meetings, grassroots initiatives

If you are an individual with a great idea, you could consider starting a new group, with others.

Resources and guidance are available on the NCVO website. You can also visit your local CVS (Volunteer Centre) for further advice.

Essentially, what you need to apply for funding is:

• A committee of 2 or more people

• A simple management document about your group (constitution or Articles of Association)

• A business or community bank account with two signatories

• A safeguarding policy if you are working with children or vulnerable people

• Public liability insurance if you are running events.

The short answer is yes.

However, you need to show evidence of a professional artistic practice. Arts Council funding, for example, is for practicing artists who can demonstrate at least one year of industry experience. So you cannot be a complete beginner or an artist who has nothing to show for it. You need to have a fairly current showreel, website, CV, literature, video or audio, and be able to get professional references from people you've worked with.

You will also need an engaging project that inspires a funder and is part of a long-term career development plan and/or involves other people/communities. You are less likely to get funded if you simply want to create some new work because you feel like it! A project needs to be well thought out, properly budgeted and show evidence of artistic/audience development.

I can help you develop your idea but these are some of the baselines to consider.

Yes I am a registered Access Support worker for Arts Council England. I have worked with many clients who have access issues such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, physical injury or mental health challenges.

Check on the Arts Council website if you are eligible for Access Support. If you would like to hire me as your support worker then I can point you to the relevant form and provide you with my information.

Fees will depend on the complexity of the project and the grants being applied for. I can happily give you a quote once I understand your ambitions.

Please note, I do not typically work pro bono or on commission only - this is a paid service. In some cases, I may use commission payments to share the risk with first-time applicants or for smaller organisations seeking a one-off solution.

There is no easy answer to this question.

What you are actually paying for is someone to present your work in the best possible light and give you the best possible chance of being funded. Then, ultimately, the result is out of our hands.

There are many factors as to why a funder may or may not choose to fund your bid. Although I have excellent success rates, there are no guarantees.

However, I have worked with dozens of clients who started with this question and are now successfully running projects which have achieved multi-year grants.

If you tell me about your project or creative journey, we can start an honest conversation about getting it funded.

Yes, it is possible to contract me through Access To Work.

I am available to provide training and support to clients with access needs. I have helped clients to write funding applications, launch crowdfunding campaigns and manage funded projects, throug Access To Work.

Many grants have funding rounds with deadlines while other programmes are open to applications at any time.

How long it takes to write the bid will depend on a few factors, for example how complex the application form is to complete, and how quickly the client is able to provide all the information I need.

An Awards For All application may take a couple of weeks from the original client contact. A large scale Arts Council application could take a couple of months.

Funders can then take further weeks or months to make assessments and tell you the result. They will normally advertise the timescales on their website.

Please bear in mind that you cannot back-date costs or start a project before you get the funding confirmed.

Crowdfunding is a huge opportunity to engage your audience and raise significant funds for a creative project, which is why it needs treating with respect.

It will help you SO much if you understand the principles of crowdfunding, have an effective launch strategy in place and know where to put your energy while the campaign is running.

I see many artists launch crowdfund appeals out of the blue, simply hoping for the best. They don’t realise that with mentoring, proper advice and a clear plan, they would likely attract so much more investment from their audience.

I have mentored many artists in the art of crowdfunding. I can help you plan out your campaign, get the key decisions right, edit/design your crowdfunding page, understand how to launch, and mentor you through the process.

For funding enquires, please complete this Enquiry Form.

For general enquiries, please email james@jamesfrostfundraising.com

My experience is 100% with UK funders.

However, with all grant fundraising, the principles are the same and there are a lot of overlaps, so I am open to a conversation about international fundraising efforts, if you feel I could help you.