Funding: Arts Council England Launches New National Lottery Project Grants

Arts Council England Launches New National Lottery Project Grants

Arts Council England is now accepting applications to its new £97.3 million a year open access programme for arts and museum projects, and for arts projects in and with libraries.

The Project Grants programme is replacing Grants for the Arts as well as absorbing some elements of other Arts Council England funds, which have now closed to applications. The new Project Grants has been designed to be more open to supporting those working in creative and digital media than the previous Grants for the Arts.

Under the new programme, community and cultural organisations, museums and libraries and individual artists can apply for grants of between £1,000 and £100,000 to support a wide range of arts projects as well as creative and digital media projects. The funding can support projects lasting up to a maximum of three years.

Applications must meet the programme’s four criteria of quality, public engagement, finance and management as well as focus on at least one of these areas: music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, combined arts, museum practice (accredited museums only), or libraries (arts-focused projects only).

According to Arts Council England, the budget of £97.3 million per annum will further support the integration of museums and libraries into the Arts Council’s total investment approach. Some aspects of the Strategic Touring and Ambition for Excellence funds will be absorbed into Project Grants, with £14 million per year reserved to support nationally significant and national touring projects of over £100,000. National Portfolio Organisations will be able to apply for some of the national activity previously supported by Strategic Touring and Ambition for Excellence.

Organisations will no longer be able to apply to the following funds, which closed on 1 March: