We believe culture and creativity can be a powerful force for making change.
We are focusing our support on two ways in which culture and creativity can build a fairer future:
- Creating a cultural workforce that is more reflective of UK society, by enabling more people to progress in their career in the arts who identify as D/deaf, disabled or neurodivergent, are from communities experiencing racial inequity, or who are economically disadvantaged.
- Supporting young people to build their own creative lives and to use arts and creativity to influence the world around them.
What we want to achieve
- Impact goals
- Improved systems, policy and practice
- Organisations are strengthened to use their power to tackle systemic injustice and inequity
- Organisations work together and build movements to tackle systemic injustice and inequity
- Long-term outcomes
A representative cultural workforce led by a new and diverse generation of cultural leaders.
Targeting our support: We make 8-12 grants a year towards a more representative cultural workforce. As demand is very high, we encourage applicants to consider how closely their work fits what we want to support as this informs our decision-making. Read our guidance to learn more.
We will prioritise funding organisations that:
- Are led by and for underrepresented groups that need support to grow their work
- Have strong networks and evidence of contributing to long-term change and share power with underrepresented groups.
We also want to allocate more of our funding outside London, and to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Youth-led culture and creativity enhances young people’s lives, and enables them to influence change in their communities or wider society.
Working closely with Esmée's Involving Young People Collective, we have reimagined the guidance and application process for funding towards Youth-Led Creativity. In 2024, we will make 8 to 12 grants, totalling £1m. There is a separate process for applying and we are accepting applications until 5pm on 15 March 2024.
See the guidance for our Youth-Led Creativity programme and how to apply.
