Funding opportunities
Looking for funding for to help your organisation grow? Here's where we'll round up the latest grants, commissions and other funding opportunities for arts, culture and heritage.
Reading Borough Council Small Grants Fund
Reading Borough Council has opened the application for Small Grants Fund 2024/25. £150,000 is available to encourage grassroots and innovative community action. The criteria are focused on enabling communities to apply for funding to support activities that are right for their community, and support the key elements of our Tackling Inequality Strategy:
- Enable everyone within the borough to share in Reading’s success
- Drive attainment in skills, education and training and access to quality employment and participation in volunteering
- Support people in the town where you think the need is greatest
- Support residents and groups of residents who you see as experiencing disadvantage
- Provide additionality by complementing existing strategies, work, and partnerships aimed at making Reading a more equal place to live
Individual organisations can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to deliver activities in communities which focus on driving attainment in skills, education and training for future employment, particularly in parts of the town where need is greatest and where residents may experience disadvantages.
The grants are available for grassroots voluntary sector organisations who have received less than £20,000 in support from the Council during 2023/24. A proportion of the overall funding pot will also be ringfenced to support bids of under £2,500, with the aim of providing direct support to some of the smaller scale local activities within our communities.
Funding will only be given a project or activity which addresses an unmet need of Reading residents and is not funded, or able to be funded, through other sources. Activities could include one-off local events, the co-ordination of local events, minor start-up costs, purchasing equipment or sessional costs and programme costs.
The deadline for application is 13th Dec 2024. We aim to notify outcome of the application before the first week of March 2025
If you have any queries, please contact Bikal Shrestha, Funding Officer-Community and Government Programmes email: bikal.shrestha@reading.gov.uk / tel: 0118 937 3324
Repayable Finance to Support UK’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Organisations
The world’s biggest social impact investment fund for the creative arts is offering secured and unsecured finance up to £1 million to socially driven arts, culture and heritage organisations registered and operating in the UK.
Organisations who want to acquire new assets, improve built infrastructure, develop new ventures or scale up existing revenue streams can apply now.
The Fund offers repayable finance between £150,000 and £1 million with a repayment term until May 2032 and interest rates ranging between 3% and 8.5%.
The following fees apply:
- 1% completion fee
- 2% per annum, pro rata holding fee (minimum holding period is six months)
- No early repayment fee.
Eligible organisations must:
- Be registered and operating in the UK. Digital organisations will need to demonstrate their primary audiences are based in the UK.
- Have core operations or primary activity in the arts, culture and heritage.
- Have a clear social mission, reflected in its structure and governance.
- Be able to demonstrate measurable social impact on individuals or communities in the UK.
And work in one of the following disciplines:
- Architecture
- Combined arts
- Crafts
- Culture and heritage in the natural environment
- Dance
- Fashion design and textiles
- Film
- Graphic design
- Heritage
- Libraries and archives
- Literature
- Museums
- Music
- Sector support organisation
- Theatre and performance
- Visual arts
- Workspace provider
Applications are currently being accepted.
Youth Music NextGen Fund
The Youth Music NextGen Fund offers young creatives grants of up to £2,500 to make their ideas happen.
The Youth Music NextGen Fund is for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives to invest up to £2,500 in their own projects and make their ideas happen. The fund is especially aimed at those whose lack of finance holds them back from pursuing their goals. It's open to 18–25-year-olds (and up to 30-year-olds who identify as d/Deaf or Disabled) who live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
We want to support the future of the music industries. Singers, Rappers, Songwriters, Producers, DJs, A&Rs, Managers and Agents, right through to roles that have yet to be defined.
NextGen Fund Round 10
Deadline: 15 November 2024 | Notification: February 2025
All deadlines are 5pm.
Funding Available for Writers Developing Debut Film Projects in England
Writers in England are invited to apply for funding to support the early stages of developing their debut long-form film projects through the Early Development Fund, provided by BFI NETWORK England.
This initiative aims to foster new talent and help writers take their first steps toward creating feature-length projects. Eligible applicants must be based in England and have not yet written a feature film that has received a UK distribution deal.
The fund offers between £3,000 and £5,000 to support the writing of treatments, research, and creating project materials. It covers a range of fiction formats, including live-action, immersive, and animation. The funding can also support producer fees if a writer is collaborating with a producer.
The deadline for applications is 19 November 2024 (11:00 GMT).
Funding for Under-Represented Groups within the LGBT+ Community
Thanks to further funding from The National Lottery Community Fund - the largest community funder in the UK, Consortium and its Community Partners are delighted to deliver the second round of the LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund. Grants of up to £25,000 are available to support user-led LGBT+ organisations based in England, who are working with targeted under-represented and under-resourced communities in England.
The aims of the fund are to:
- Support intersectional LGBT+ organisations to grow and influence the LGBT+ voluntary sector in more equitable ways.
- Ensure intersectional LGBT+ organisations are better equipped to work with their beneficiaries as a result of receiving funding and support.
- Enable intersectional LGBT+ organisations to gain more confidence to develop relationships with and/or apply for grants through other funders.
There is a total funding pot of £500,000 with grants of between £100 and £25,000 available for 2024/25.
Applicants must be an England based non-profit group or organisation that is led by and for LGBT+ people and specifically working with one or more of the following communities of focus:
- D/deaf, Disabled, Neurodivergent LGBT+ People.
- LGBTQIA+ Women.
- LGBT+ People of the Global Majority.
- Older LGBT+ People.
- Trans and Non-Binary People.
The funding can support organisational running costs, projects and organisational / leadership development.
All grants must be fully spent by the end of October 2025.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until 21 November 2024 (12noon).
Windrush Day Grant Scheme Open for 2025 Applications
The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), in partnership with Near Neighbours, is offering grants of between £5,000 and £50,000 for local authorities, charities, and community groups across England to deliver projects and activities that engage with the Windrush story and Windrush communities in powerful, thoughtful, and enterprising ways.
For 2025, the focus is on bringing communities together across different ages and ethnic backgrounds to celebrate and educate their local area about the contributions of the Windrush generation and their descendants.
Proposals should focus on at least one of the following overarching aims of the scheme:
- To educate people about the Windrush story.
- To foster a greater sense of national pride and recognition of the historic and ongoing contributions made by the Windrush generation and their descendants to UK society.
- To develop the skills and entrepreneurial ambitions of young people.
- To celebrate and commemorate the continued contributions of the Windrush generation to the UK.
Proposed projects should achieve all of the following outcomes:
- Greater community cohesion.
- Have a lasting impact beyond the funding period.
- Increased acknowledgment of the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants.
Projects should be developed by, or with, the Windrush generation and their descendants, and organisations should carefully consider how the project will create a positive social impact in their local area and help to galvanise communities to work together to embrace positive aspects of their shared identity.
Proposed projects must include a lead event or activity on National Windrush Day (22 June 2025). All further events and activities must take place before 30 September 2025.
The deadline for applications is 25 November 2024.
Cultural Bridge Fund - Funding Intercultural Exchange Between Germany and UK
Cultural Bridge has announced continued funding for the development of partnerships between Germany and the UK for another two years.
This is good news for arts and cultural organisations across the two countries who seek to develop partnerships that explore social arts practice.
The Cultural Bridge Fund is open to all arts and cultural organisations with proven expertise in socially engaged/participatory practice. Partnerships must be bi-lateral, including at least one German partner and one UK partner, from any one of the four nations: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The total budget for the 2025-26 programme is £360,000.
Two tiers of funding are available for activity starting from 1 April 2025 and completed by 31 March 2026.
- Tier 1 grants (between £5,000 and £10,000 per partnership) are for new partnerships and can be used for partnership development, exchange, residencies, co-creation and networking between UK and German organisations.
- Tier 2 grants (up to £30,000 per partnership) are for established partnerships and can be used to support the partnerships which must include direct engagement with communities.
The Cultural Bridge programme is committed to promoting an equitable, diverse and inclusive network. The activity supported as well as the workforce of the organisations funded should reflect the diversity of the UK and Germany. Priority will be given to smaller arts and cultural organisation who do not already receive significant or sustained funding.
Although the fund does not open for applications until mid October, the guidance notes for the new round are now available. Organisations are encouraged to develop their collaboration and project proposals before the application window opens.
Matchmaking support will be offered, in advance of the application stage, to help broker new connections between UK and German organisations wishing to find a partner to apply to Tier 1 of the programme.
The application window opens on 15 October 2024 and closes on 26 November 2024.
Branching Out Fund Accepting Applications for 2024/25 Winter Planting Season
The Tree Council is offering grants of between £250 and £2,500 for schools, constituted community groups and charities, community interest companies, Tree Warden networks, and other organisations across the UK to deliver tree-planting projects during the 2024/25 Winter planting season (between the end of November 2024 and early February 2025).
Through the Branching Out Fund, groups can purchase:
- Bare root, UK-sourced and grown, native trees of an appropriate size (priority will be given to younger trees that will establish better).
- UK-sourced and grown, bare-root whips (saplings) and cell-grown (root trainer) stock for hedging projects (between 40-120cm height).
- Hedgerow trees.
- Orchards, such as fruit trees on semi-vigorous, vigorous, and very vigorous rootstocks.
- Cardboard/bioplastic tree/hedge guards.
- Non-plastic ties.
- Stakes (coppiced material such as chestnut or hazel is preferred, although machined softwood will also be considered).
- Mulch.
- Non-peat-based soil improvers if needed.
The following may also be considered:
- Non-native tree varieties if appropriate to the setting.
- Non-native varieties and species that are chosen with climate change adaptation and resilience in mind.
- Fruit trees on dwarfing rootstock if the setting is appropriate.
- Trees in containers/raised beds if the reason is adequately explained and supported by a robust and comprehensive irrigation and aftercare plan.
- More robust and costly guards if the setting justifies it.
- Other project resources to support tree establishment such as irrigation equipment like watering cans/irrigation aids, and PPE.
Priority will be given to applicants that have strong community engagement embedded from the beginning of the planting project.
The deadline for applications is 1 December 2024 (midnight).
Henry Moore Foundation Accepting Applications for Sculpture Projects Across the UK
Henry Moore Foundation is offering various grants of up to £20,000 for not-for-profit organisations concerned with art and art history for projects that promote the growth and development of sculpture across historical, modern, and contemporary registers, and research that expands the appreciation of sculpture.
The Foundation offers funding in the following categories:
- New projects and commissions: Grants of up to £20,000 to encourage new thinking about sculpture or sculpture history or contribute to public awareness and appreciation of sculpture.
- Acquisitions and collections: Grants of up to £20,000 for museums and galleries to acquire or conserve sculpture for their collections, cataloguing, and display costs.
- Research and development:
- Long-term grants of up to £20,000 for projects that require funding for more than one year, such as a permanent collection catalogue.
- Small research grants of up to £2,500 for academics, curators, and independent scholars for research costs on the history and interpretation of sculpture.
- Conferences, lectures, and publications: Grants of up to £5000 to publish a new book or journal, or to stage a conference or other event related to sculpture.
There are typically four deadlines per year:
Autumn
Applications open 1 November, 9:00 | Submissions close 1 December, 23:00
For projects starting, or opening to the public, no sooner than 1 April 2025
Winter
Applications open 1 February 2025, 9:00 | Submissions close 1 March 2025, 23:00
For projects starting, or opening to the public, no sooner than 1 July 2025
Spring
Applications open 1 May 2025, 9:00 | Submissions close 1 June 2025, 23:00
For projects starting, or opening to the public, no sooner than 1 October 2025
£3.6 Million Fund Opens for UK Artists Exploring Immersive Technologies
A new funding initiative aimed at supporting UK-based artists working with immersive technologies has been launched.
The Immersive Arts programme, a three-year scheme backed by £3.6 million, will provide grants to over 200 artists across the UK to help them explore, experiment and expand their use of immersive media such as virtual, augmented and extended reality. Led by the University of the West of England and executive produced by Watershed creative technology centre, the programme encourages innovative approaches to blending physical and digital spaces to enhance audience engagement and sensory experiences.
The initiative is divided into three strands: Explore (grants of £5,000), Experiment (grants of £20,000) and Expand (grants of £50,000), tailored to artists at various stages of their careers. Eligible UK-based artists, creative practitioners and technologists are invited to apply for funding to support costs associated with project planning, residencies, collaborations and tools to make immersive art projects more accessible and inclusive.
The deadline for Round One applications for all strands (Explore, Experiment and Expand) is 2 December 2024 (12:00 GMT).
Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund
The Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund helps regional and smaller museums to borrow works of outstanding quality and significance from national and major lending institutions across the UK.
The grants help to cover the practical elements of strategic loans projects as well as funding funds activities to maximise the impact of the loaned items and develop the skills of museums professionals.
There are two categories of grants:
- Grants of between £5,000 and £35,000 to cover 100% of the costs associated with securing, displaying and publicising a loan.
- Research and development grants of up to £5,00 to support the development of plans for a loans project. Activities might include research, travel and consultation.
UK public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives can apply as long as they:
- Have permanent collections.
- Are regional and/or run by local authorities or universities or have independent/charitable trust status.
- Are open for at least half the week for at least six months of the year.
- Are at least provisionally accredited under the Arts Council Accreditation scheme.
Applications can also be considered from small and contemporary arts spaces and other non-collecting institutions, provided they meet the programme’s aims. Non-national institutions that are on the list of eligible lenders can also apply.
The next deadline for applications is 6 December 2024 for a decision by 21 February 2025.
Developing your Creative Practice
Developing your Creative Practice supports individuals who are cultural and creative practitioners and want to take time to focus on their creative development. Individuals can apply for £2,000 to £10,000 to focus on their cultural and creative development - this could be a period of research, time to create new work, travel, training, developing future ideas, networking or mentoring - and reach the next stage in their practice.
Applications for funding Round 21 are now closed, but one more round will open in 2024:
Round 22
- Opens for applications: 12pm (midday), 14 November 2024
- Closes for applications: 12pm (midday), 12 December 2024
- Decisions announced: 06 March 2025
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Find out more
Funding to Support Contemporary Music Projects Across the UK
The Hinrichsen Foundation is offering grants to charities and other organisations across the United Kingdom to support the performance of contemporary music, which may include the commissioning of new work, non-commercial recording, or publication.
There are two levels of funding available:
- One-off small grants typically between £500 and £2,500 (for new applicants and former beneficiaries).
- Larger projects or concert series generally £2,000 and over.
The Trustees will occasionally provide funds for research projects that are not being conducted under the remit of an academic institution. Multi-year partnerships may also be considered.
There are typically three application deadlines per year. The remaining 2024 application deadlines are as follows:
- 12 December 2024.
John Ellerman Foundation - Regional Museums and Galleries Fund
Funding is available to help strengthen regional museums and galleries in the UK by helping organisations to enhance and sustain curatorial development to attract a broader and more diverse public.
Regional museums and galleries in the UK, including local authority, independent museums and contemporary galleries without permanent collections, can apply. The Fund is open to a wide variety of collection types and has supported visual and decorative arts, archaeology, and social and natural history collections.
Priority is given to applications that aspire to achieve outcomes for people working in curatorial roles, the collections they work with and the institutions in which they work.
There is particular interest in the following:
- Enabling new ways of working through innovation, new thinking and fresh approaches both for established curators or those just starting out.
- Ensuring organisations are able to safeguard and advance curatorial skills and make the most of opportunities at a time of development or change.
Priority is given to small and medium-sized museums and galleries with an income between £100,000 and £10 million and which are located outside of London. However national and/or London-based institutions may also apply if their project brings significant benefits outside of the capital.
While the average grant is around £90,000, requests for higher amounts will be considered for exceptional projects. It is expected that around five or six grants will be awarded to cover a period of two to three years.
A series of Q&A Zoom sessions will be held until 17 December 2024, and applicants can register on the funder’s website.
There is a two-stage application process.
The deadline for first-stage applications is 6 January 2025 (17:00) for decisions in Spring 2025.
Arts Council England to Launch New Round of Creative People and Places Fund
The National Portfolio Creative People and Places funding focuses on parts England where involvement in creativity and culture is significantly below the national average. It funds partners in local areas to empower residents to decide what kind of creative activity they want to experience on their doorstep.
Grants of between £750,000 and £1 million will be available over three years. The funding is for programmes in 142 eligible locations that support the public in shaping local arts and cultural provision and, in so doing, increase attendance and participation in excellent art and culture. Activities must be delivered over three years and take place, starting on 1 April 2026 and ending by 31 March 2029.
It is expected that at least 15% of the total project costs should come from other sources.
Both existing and new Creative People and Places programmes can apply. The group must include representatives from community groups and cultural organisations. This can consist of arts organisations, museums, libraries, amateur groups and voluntary and community sector groups.
Lead applicants must have an initial conversation with an Arts Council England Relationship Manager before applying. This must be done before 19 December 2024.
The deadline for applications is 16 January 2025 (noon).
Archives Revealed - Scoping Grants
Archives Revealed is the only grant programme in the United Kingdom dedicated to the unlocking of archival collections. The programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives. The goal of Archives Revealed is to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspective of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.
Grants of up to £3,000 are available to public sector bodies, registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations in the UK to help analyse collections, supporting development of future plans for cataloguing priorities and projects.
The funding is for consultancy services, to enable the scoping of collections. The programme funds an expert report, to assess significant and unknown collections that may be of public value.
Round 2 will open on 13 January 2025 and close on 14 February 2025
Grants for Early-career Craftspeople - New Round Open
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) Emerging Maker Grant is a funding opportunity for talented early-career craftspeople who have a strong foundation and commitment to their craft, but who are still in the process of developing their skills and expertise.
A grant of up to £10,000 is provided towards craft training and education. The training can take many forms, from traditional college courses to vocational one-on-one learning with a master craftsperson, or a bespoke programme of short courses.
The grant is open to all UK-based makers who identify their practice within the field of craft and have a strong foundation and clear commitment to their craft.
Emerging makers are defined as individuals at an early stage of their career, who have been in professional practice for four years or less.
Applications are now closed for the Autumn funding round. The next round opens from 6 January - 10 February 2025.
Theatres Trust Small Grants Scheme
The Theatres Trust, the national advisory public body for theatres in the UK, offers small grants of up to £5,000 twice a year for essential works to not-for-profit theatres in the UK that will enable them to be viable and thrive in the future.
The grants will support small capital improvements to theatres run by charities and not-for-profit groups that will make a big impact to a theatre's resilience, sustainability or accessibility, or to improving the diversity of audiences.
Eligible projects include:
- Improvements and repairs to the building fabric.
- The installation of key plant and machinery.
- The purchase of key equipment (not software) to improve digital infrastructure.
Priority will be given to improvements to buildings that protect theatre use and remove barriers to participation and attendance.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Own or manage theatres with titles or signed leases of more than five years on buildings in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
- Demonstrate that they run a regular theatre programme of professional, community and/or amateur work presenting no less than 30 performances a year.
- Have a bona fide UK charitable or not-for-profit legal structure and be able to provide certified or audited accounts for at least two years.
The funding cannot be used for revenue and survey costs.
The next deadline for applications is noon on 17 January 2025.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation's Arts Fund Opens for UK Applications
The Foundation provides long-term, core funding to not-for-profit organisations who work at the intersection of art and social change so they can continue the work they are already doing and for programmes which are central to their mission.
The Arts Fund supports organisations to do the following:
- Build capacity and resources for culture within historically underfunded communities
- Explore the role that artists can play in addressing issues of social justice
- Create the infrastructure for a more equitable cultural sector.
Not-for-profit cultural organisations with a turnover of at least £60,000 per year can apply now for grants of between £90,000 and £300,000 for activity lasting up to three years. The grants can cover up to 50% of an organisation’s annual turnover over three years, based on their last audited accounts.
This fund is focused on supporting organisations to become more sustainable and to deepen the impact of the work. This can include support for specific posts, skills development, underpinning of the strategy or business model and for project delivery which is central to their organisation’s mission and vision.
Priority will be given to applications which are actively anti-racist and intersectional in their approach.
The funding will cover work that involves any of the following: crafts, creative writing (including poetry), dance, design, film, music, opera, photography, digital arts and media, theatre and drama, the visual arts and cross-arts practices.
Earlier this year, PHF moved from an open application process to two application windows per year with a two-stage application process.
The next deadline for stage one applications is 31 January 2025 (12noon).
New DCMS fund to support grassroots music
A new DCMS fund has been announced to support grassroots music that will offer grants of up to £40k to rehearsal spaces, recording studios, festivals, venues and promoters. The fund is part of the UK government’s Creative Industries sector vision which aims to grow the creative industries by £50bn by 2030 will be administered by Arts Council England and available until March 2025.
Funding for UK Theatres to Improve Environmental Sustainability
The Theatres Trust, in association with Wolfson Foundation, is currently accepting applications for grants of up to £20,000 to support not-for-profit theatres in the UK who need financial support to help reduce their environmental impact.
The Wolfson Foundation renewed its support for the scheme this year (2024), with a further £510,000 in total to be awarded over the next three years, thus providing further opportunities to secure funding from this highly competitive scheme.
Grants can be used for capital costs of building or equipment.
The theme for applications is Improving Environmental Sustainability. Funding will be given to projects that demonstrate how a small intervention can have a big impact on reducing the theatre's environmental impact.
Grants support a range of projects that consider different ways theatre buildings can reduce their environmental impact, for example sedum roofs, new windows, building management systems and more efficient water heaters.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Own or manage theatres with titles or signed leases of more than five years on buildings in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
- Demonstrate that they run a year-round programme of live performance, of no less than 30 performances a year.
- Have a bona fide UK charitable or not-for-profit legal structure and be able to provide certified or audited accounts for at least two years. This can include local authorities or town and borough councils that own and/or operate a venue.
- Have the permission of the property owner and any relevant planning body to do the work required.
- Operate theatres that achieve excellence through their producing and programming and/or community engagement and/or architectural significance.
Organisations currently in receipt of other grants from the Theatres Trust or the Wolfson Foundation are not eligible to apply.
The next deadline for applications is noon on 5 September 2025.
PRS Foundation Early Career Promoter Fund
PRS Foundation – the award-winning charitable funder of new music and talent development – announces today a new initiative targeted to early career music promoters in England and supported by Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The new and ambitious Early Career Promoter Fund recognises the vital role independent promoters play in supporting the talent pipeline across England and within the nighttime economy, and offers grant funding and capacity building support, with the aim of bolstering the grassroots music ecosystems.
Grants of up to £3,500 will be available to support a range of activity, including:
- The booking, programming and promotion of gigs, concerts, club nights, showcases, tours and other performances
- Costs associated with those activities (including venue hire, production, artist and/or DJ fees, crew fees, administration and other related costs)
- Capacity building (including mentoring, coaching, shadowing, workshops, masterclasses, and other skill building and networking opportunities)
- Other expenditure which helps grantees to programme a diverse range of artists, develop new audiences and build their skills
Rolling monthly deadlines will be listed on PRS Foundation’s website. All funding decisions will be delivered within 6-8 weeks of each deadline, and selected grantees will be invited to attend cohort induction meetings and a series of workshops delivered by PRS Foundation and associates.
Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) - Project Development Grants for England
Grants of up to £20,000 are available to help not-for-profit organisations cover some of the costs of developing and co-ordinating their historic building project and taking it towards the start of work on site.
To qualify, organisations must have established that the end use of the project is likely to be viable and have decided to take the project forward. At the end of the funded work, organisations should be at or closer to securing capital funding to enable the delivery of their project.
The one-year grants typically will support appointing professional advisors to work with the organisation to advance the plans. This can include architects, surveyors, and engineers to develop the designs and plans for the historic building; additional support to build the capacity of the organisation by employing or contracting a project manager; and support with refining the business plan, building community engagement and preparing funding bids.
Although 100% of the cost of the work involved can be funded, there is a preference for some match funding as the overall package of work required may be more than the grant can cover.
Applications will be accepted from the following not-for-private profit organisations and lowest tiers of local government:
- Unincorporated charities
- Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs).
- Charitable companies limited by guarantee.
- Community benefit societies.
- Not-for-private-profit companies limited by guarantee.
- Community interest companies (CICs) limited by guarantee.
- Co-operatives
- Parish and town councils.
If applicants do not already own the building, they will need to provide evidence that they have a formal agreement to acquire it.
There is a two-step application process. The first step is to submit a short online Expression of Interest. Those who are successful will be invited to submit a full application.
Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any time.
New National Lottery Heritage Grants Accepting Applications from Across the UK
National Lottery Heritage Grants form part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund's new 10-year strategy, Heritage 2033, that aims to invest £3.6 billion across the UK with grants ranging from £10,000 up to £10 million.
The strategy is centred around a simplified framework of four investment principles:
- Saving heritage.
- Protecting the environment.
- Inclusion, access and participation.
- Organisational sustainability.
Grants are available to support projects of up to five years that care for and sustain heritage in the UK. This could include nature and habitats, historic buildings and environments, or cultures, traditions and people’s memories.
The programme funds projects that:
- Clearly focus on heritage – this can be national, regional or local heritage of the UK.
- Take into account all four investment principles.
- Have a clear plan with a defined start, middle and end.
- Have not already started.
- Can demonstrate the need for National Lottery investment.
Two levels of funding are available:
- Grants from £10,000 to £250,000 for projects of no more than five years in duration.
- Grants from £250,000 to £10 million for projects of no more than five years in duration (excluding the development phase).
Applications from:
- £10,000 to £100,000 will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations, private owners of heritage and partnerships.
- £100,000 to £10 million will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations and partnerships led by not-for-profit organisations.
Applications for more than £250,000 require an Expression of Interest which can be submitted at any time. If successful, applicants will then need to submit a development phase application. These have quarterly application deadlines.
Applications for grants of between £10,000 and £250,000 are open all year round with decisions in about two months.
Commenting, the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Chief Executive, Eilish McGuinness said:
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re able to invest £870 million across our first three-year delivery plan in projects of all sizes that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage.
“We see heritage as broad and inclusive. If there’s something from the past that you care for and want to pass it on to future generations, we want to hear from you.”
Applications are currently being accepted for all levels of funding.
Unlocking Collections: a time-limited grant theme for museums
Arts Council England’s time-limited theme is aimed at enabling museums to develop their collections-based work and increase public engagement with, and the use of, their collections. ACE is looking for work which:
- Reinterprets collections to reach a wider audience
- Uses digital tools and mechanisms within museums, and to link across the sector
- Collections review improving standards of collections storage and display
The application process varies depending on grant size, for under £30,000, £30,001 -£100,000 and over £100,001.
Music Venue Trust - Pipeline Investment Fund
The Pipeline Investment Fund (PIF) is a new grant-giving fund established by Music Venue Trust with the support of venue members of the Music Venues Alliance. PIF is now open for small-scale grant applications (up to £5,000) from UK-based grassroots music venues to support two areas of work - small-scale capital applications and staff & training.
The fund will prioritise support for organisations who may be excluded from other available funding and they ask venues to approach the fund appropriately and economically, for something that will make a real difference to your organisation and venue.
Heritage Crafts Association (HCA) Maker Relief Fund Supports UK Craftspeople in Need
The Maker Relief Fund is offering grants to UK-based professional craftspeople facing financial hardship.
Grants of £1,000 will be awarded to 50 eligible applicants over the course of a year, starting in November 2024 and running through to the end of October 2025.
These grants are intended to provide flexible financial support, allowing recipients to use the funds without restrictions.
Practising professional craftspeople are eligible to apply if they identify with one or more of the following groups:
- Individuals on low incomes.
- Working-class people.
- Black and ethnically diverse people (including Gypsy, Roma, and Travellers).
- People with disabilities, neurodiversity or those managing chronic physical or mental health issues.
- LGBTQIA+ individuals.
- People with caring responsibilities.
The initiative aims to support these people in sustaining their careers during times of financial difficulty.
Applications can be submitted at any time until the end of October 2025.
