The arts in England are funded from various sources, including local authority and central government subsidy, box office earnings, charities and foundations, private donations and business sponsorship. Non-arts funders may consider funding arts projects if you are working with diverse communities or in areas that they are interested in funding, so it is worth checking other sources of funding shown on these pages. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport give advice for arts funding in England on their DCMS website.
Culture and Community Development can be called on 01727 819366.
Download the following Arts Funding Guides:
St Albans City and District Council Grants
Small Arts Grants
There have recently been a few changes to the Small Arts Grants scheme, which will hopefully make the scheme clearer and easier for applicants. Grants of up to £500 can be awarded for arts projects which benefit the community of St Albans and address at least one of the following aims:
support opportunities for people of all ages, abilities and ethnic backgrounds to enjoy the arts.
enable more people from across the whole district to experience the arts, through direct participation, or as an audience member.
support partnerships between local organisations to develop their activities and improve the range of arts activities available in the district.
promote a sense of belonging and pride in local communities.
As there are so many applications to this fund, St Albans District Council has identified some areas of priority for assessing applications. Although your project does not need to address any of these priorities to be eligible for funding, projects which do so will be prioritised.
projects which specifically target young people, disadvantaged or socially excluded people, minority ethnic groups or people with a disability
pilot projects which may be able to sustain funding from other sources to continue in the future.
Projects which take place in or involve communities within the district of St Albans which have limited access to the arts
For further information, download the guidelines and application form or contact arts@stalbans.gov.uk
Voluntary Organisations Scheme
Applications are considered from a wide range of local organisations who provide services / facilities to residents in the St Albans district and are properly constituted with an unpaid management committee. Membership of the organisation should be open and at least 50% of the members should reside in this district. Application form and further information is available at:http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/community-and-living/community-grants/or e-mail Chris Roach chris.roach@stalbans.gov.uk
Fundraising Resources
St Albans City and District Council subscribes to Grantnet , a user-friendly service which has been devised to assist organisations in identifying funding sources available for specific projects. Once you have registered with Grantnet, you will be e-mailed a password which will allow you to gain access. Having logged into the system you must answer a few simple questions about your organisation and the project which you wish to undertake; Grantnet will then provide an overview of all the schemes available. Users' input and search results will be made available to St Albans District Council who will be able to provide more detailed information and guidance on the appropriate schemes, at your request.
www.trustfunding.org.uk
For further support with finding sources of funding for your project contact the Leisure Development Officer (Arts) arts@stalbans.gov.uk
Funding Links
This is a list of local, regional and national sources of grant funding and other fundraising resources.
www.commseast.org.uk
Commissions East commissions artists for public art projects and initiates both permanent and temporary projects that extend the boundaries of public art. It also maintains an index of artists working in a broad range of media.
www.craftscouncil.org.uk
The Crafts Council promotes the contemporary crafts in Great Britain. It is an independent organisation funded by the Arts Council of England and provides services to craftspeople and the public.
www.artscouncil.org.uk/regions/homepage.php?rid=1
Arts Council England, East is the development agency for arts which covers Hertfordshire. They distribute funds from the National Arts Lottery through Grants for the Arts and invest public funds in a range of professional arts organisations, supporting initiatives to encourage new talent & provide opportunities for more people to enjoy the arts.
www.eob.org.uk
The Eastern Orchestral Board is a development agency for work with professional orchestras in the eastern counties of England. Working with its member local authorities, orchestras and other agencies, EOB supports concerts, community and education projects and audience development initiatives through financial assistance and advisory services.
www.youthmusic.co.uk
Youth Music has been awarded £30 million of National Lottery support via the Arts Council of England to cover three years from April 2002 - April 2005, for funding music projects for children and young people.
www.artsadmin.co.uk/artistsadvisor/bursaryscheme.html
Artsadmin Artists Bursary Scheme- Deadline 1 Feb 05. Funding for early and mid-career artists working in performance, experimental theatre, live art, time-based media and media work involving performance.
The following organisations may also be able to assist with arts related projects:
www.awardsforall.org.uk/england/eastern
Awards for All is a grants programme set up to help small groups and support projects which are open and accessible to the community.
www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
The New Opportunities Fund provides Lottery funding for education, health and environment projects which will help create lasting improvements to people's quality of life, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
www.aandb.org.uk
Arts and Business offer a range of programmes to enable arts organisations and businesses to work in partnership. They provide advice, training and publications on sourcing sponsorship and working with business.
Date of last review: 14 October 2009