Aims/priorities: The Fund provides long-term, core funding to 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.
The support is for not-for-profit cultural organisations who:
- Use their creative practice to help us engage with the complexity of the world around us.
- Centre the lived experience of those affected by injustice in their programmes, leadership and governance.
- Are exploring how values of care, equity and justice can be embedded in their own organisational culture.
- Have a clear sense of their own role in supporting change as part of a wider ecosystem.
- Are generous with their learning and working with other organisations towards mutual aims.
- Use their creative practice to challenge traditional cultural hierarchies of genre and art form.
The Arts Fund supports the long-term development and transformation of these organisations as a route towards social justice and sustainability.
PHF definition of ‘arts’ includes 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.
Who can apply? Applications will be considered from not-for-profit cultural organisations working in the UK with the following legal structures:
- Registered Charities
- Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO) or Scottish CIO
- Community Interest Company (CICs)
- Private Companies (limited by shares)
- Private Companies (limited by guarantee)
- Unincorporated Associations
- Industrial and Provident Societies
- Trusts
- Other
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have a turnover of at least £60,000 per year based on their last audited account or their average annual turnover over the last three years, whichever is higher.
- Have a charitable purpose (their work needs to contributes to public benefit):
- Prevention or relief of poverty
- Advancement of education
- Advancement of health or saving of lives
- Advancement of citizenship or community development
- Advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science
- Advancement of human rights, conflict resolution, or reconciliation, or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity
- Relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage
- Any other charitable purpose.
Grant amount: 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.
In addition, pre-application access support and a bursary of up to £750 is available to help organisations apply.
Application process: Round 2 is now open with a deadline of 31 January 2025. Notification of decisions on first stage applications expected by end of May 2025. Conversations to take place between April and June 2025 (only for applicants invited to the second stage),
The guidance notes, sample application form and the online application form are available from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation website.
Deadline: Friday 31 January 2025.
Contact information: Email: arts@phf.org.uk
Website: Arts Fund | Paul Hamlyn Foundation