How we give advice on Grants for the Arts
Contents
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Grants for the Arts ........................................................................ 2
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How we give advice on Grants for the Arts ..................................... 2
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Website ......................................................................................... 3
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Pre - application advice by phone, email and post .......................... 3
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Presentations ................................................................................ 4
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Group pre-application advice sessions .......................................... 5
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One to one sessions ....................................................................... 5
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Feedback to unsuccessful applicants ............................................. 6
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Contact us ..................................................................................... 6
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Grants for the Arts
Grants for the Arts (GFTA) is our Lottery-funded grant programme for individuals,
arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. Grants are
available for activities carried out over a set period and which engage people in
England in arts activities and help artists and arts organisations in England carry
out their work.
Activities we support must be clearly related to the arts and must be project-based,
up to a maximum of three years in length. Grants normally range from £1,000 to
£100,000 and we can fund up to 90 per cent of the cost of an activity.
All applicants must also read the ‘How to apply guidance’. Download it from our
website or contact us for a copy.
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How we give advice on Grants for the Arts
The document explains the different ways we give advice to applicants applying to
Grants for the arts.
Website
Pre - application advice by phone, email and post
Presentations
Group pre-application advice
One to one sessions
Feedback to unsuccessful applicants
Where an applicant experiences any barrier accessing guidance or information on
our funding programmes we will work with them to make a reasonable adjustment
to our services. Read the information sheet ‘Making Grants for the Arts accessible
to all applicants for more details. Download it from our Grants for the Arts
information sheets page, or contact us for a copy.
Remember that any advice from us does not guarantee a successful application.
Grants for the Arts is a competitive programme and we cannot fund all the eligible
applications we receive.
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Website
The Grants for the Arts pages on our website should be the first point of advice for
most applicants www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/grants-arts/2016
All applicants must read the step by step guidance on How to apply. This
document explains the aims of the programme, what kind of activity we can
support through Grants for the Arts, as well as guidance on how to complete your
application form and submit an application.
Our information sheets provide further help with planning your activity and more
advice on certain parts of the process.
We have also created guidance videos which you can watch to find out more
about Grants for the Arts.
You can find out more about some of the work we’ve supported by watching the
case studies. We also publish details of all the Grants for the Arts awards we have
made, so you can find out what’s happening in your area.
Our feedback pages have been created to help unsuccessful applicants
understand our decision, and there is also useful information for successful
applicants.
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Pre - application advice by phone, email and post
Our Customer services team, based in our national office in Manchester are the
first point of contact for Grants for the Arts advice. We can advise you on the
eligibility of your activity, discuss any parts of the application that you are unsure
of, and help you to use the online application form.
Our phone lines are open from 9 am until 5 pm, Monday to Friday. You can also
contact us by email or post. We aim to reply fully to all enquiries within 5 working
days of receipt. If the issue takes longer than this to resolve, we will explain to you
why there is a delay and when you can expect to receive a full response.
We will sometimes need to pass your query onto a Relationship Manager based in
one of our Area Offices. We might speak to a Relationship Manager and get back
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to you with further information, or we may organise for you to speak with them
directly.
It’s important to remember that Relationship Managers are not able to speak to
every applicant. They work across large geographic areas and are only able to
spend an average of three days per month providing advice on Grants for the Arts.
This may include developing advice giving tool (such as information sheets), giving
presentations on Grants for the Arts at funding fairs, delivering advice sessions to
groups of artists, or advising individuals via phone, email and sometimes face to
face.
We want to support a diverse range of applicants and fund activity that covers a
broad range of activity types, artforms and geographical areas. Where there are
limits on Relationship Managers’ time and capacity, we will prioritise giving advice
to:
 applicants applying from areas of low arts activity or provision
 applicants applying for activity that we do not currently fund, or fund little of
in that area
 applicants from underrepresented groups
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Presentations
We deliver presentations on Grants for the Arts across the country.
The focus of these sessions is to introduce the Arts Council and the services we
offer with specific information on Grants for the Arts. Typically, the session would
consist of a presentation followed by an informal networking opportunity. These
sessions are often delivered in partnership with:
 other lottery funding bodies such as HLF and Big Lottery
 local authorities and community groups
 FE or HE institutions
 Libraries
 one of our National Portfolio Organisations or Major Partnership Museums
 other arts organisations or artists networks
Please contact us to find out if there are any presentations happening in your area.
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Group pre-application advice sessions
We deliver group pre-application advice sessions across the country.
Aimed at those with a general knowledge of the Arts Council and Grants for the
Arts, participants may or may not have a potential project in mind.
A session might be art form or area specific, and will be aimed at a group of ‘like’
participants, who have similar needs. For example, a session might be aimed at
individual writers, emerging visual artists, or Theatre in Education practitioners; or
could be organised for ‘first time applicants’ from a particular geographic location.
The sessions will normally focus on core aspects of the application process
including:
 Planning the artistic activity
 Participation and engagement
 Formulating a budget
 Finding partnership funding
 Managing the activity
 Writing an application
Please contact us to find out if there are any relevant group pre-application advice
sessions happening in your area.
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One to one sessions
One to one sessions are normally delivered by Relationship Managers. The advice
may be given via phone, email or face to face.
The sessions will be aimed at those with a general knowledge of the Arts Council
and Grants for the Arts, participants may or may not have a potential project in
mind. The session will normally cover basic advice on writing an application, but
will focus on artform or sector specific issues such as:
 Developing the artistic idea
 Developing participation and engagement outcomes
 Finding the right partners (for delivery and partnership support)
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Please contact us to find out if we currently have availability for one to one
sessions in your area.
It’s important to remember that Relationship Managers are not able to speak to
every applicant. They work across large geographic areas and are only able to
spend an average of three days per month providing advice on Grants for the Arts.
We want to support a diverse range of applicants and fund activity that covers a
broad range of activity types, artforms and geographical areas. Where there are
limits on Relationship Managers’ time and capacity, we will prioritise giving advice
to:
 applicants applying from areas of low arts activity or provision
 applicants applying for activity that we do not currently fund, or fund little of
in that area
 applicants from underrepresented groups
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Feedback to unsuccessful applicants
If you applied for £15,000 or under, your decision letter will clearly state the main
reason(s) we did not award funding, and a personalised statement to explain our
decision.
If you applied for over £15,000, your decision letter will clearly state the main
reason(s) we did not award funding along with a copy of the appraisal against
criteria, which will highlight the key strengths and weakness of your application.
The feedback pages on our website may also help you understand our decision.
If you need help understanding the feedback in your letter, you can contact us on
our main enquiry line, but please note that there may not be any further
information or explanation we can provide.
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Contact us
Phone:
Textphone:
Email:
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0845 300 6200, 0161 934 4317
0161 934 4428
enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
Website:
Post:
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Arts Council England - Grants for the Arts,
The Hive, 49 Lever Street, Manchester, M1 1FN
© Arts Council England January 2016
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