Small grants, generally for under £5,000, are available to UK registered charities and charitable organisations for projects which advance the creative arts in the United Kingdom, particularly those which support artists at the start of their professional career. Individuals are also regularly awarded a grant.
Grants are available to support individual works, activities, performances or prizes in the fields of (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
- Architecture.
- Dance.
- Drama.
- Music.
- Painting.
- Poetry
- Sculpture.
The Trust states on its website that it receives between 300 and 400 applications of some kind each year. 6 out of 10 fail immediately because the applicant has not provided sufficient information for the Trustees to make an informed decision, or because the proposal is outside the limited scope of the Trust’s work. Half of the complete applications also fail, often because they are neither well considered nor clearly expressed. The remaining 20%, equating to some 60-80 applications per year, are considered in detail by the Trustees.
Trustees meet three times a year to consider applications, in Spring, Summer and Autumn. The deadline for the receipt of applications is approximately three weeks before each meeting, although this is never advertised in order to encourage applicants to forward plan.
Under normal circumstances a minimum of 6 months can elapse before the Trust makes a decision and has sufficient funds in its budget. In most financial years (1st April - 31st March), almost all current year funds are committed by the Summer meeting. Applicants are therefore advised to think at least 6 months ahead when applying. In general, applications received after the end of June are unlikely to be funded within the Trust’s current financial year.
Applications should be received by Monday 30 June 2025 to be considered in the 2025/26 financial year.