Stuart Hall Foundation
Stuart Hall Foundation
Inspired by the life and work of the eminent scholar and intellectual Professor Stuart Hall, the Stuart Hall Foundation was launched in 2015
Arts Fund
English
Cymraeg
Arts Fund
Our Arts Fund is not currently accepting new applications.
Amount: £90,000 to £300,000
Deadline: Not currently accepting new applications
Duration: 3 years
Photo credit: Zaid Djerdi
We want to support organisations who are working at the intersection of art and social change.
Aim of the fund
We see culture as the heart of a just society, where all people and communities have a right to express themselves through art and culture. We believe that art and artists can help us see the world differently, bringing unheard stories and narratives to the fore and opening up new imaginative possibilities.
What you need to know
To realise this potential, we believe the sector needs long-term structural and cultural change. Our ambition is to support a portfolio of organisations who represent this change to develop, learn from each other and (further) explore the potential of art for personal, cultural and social transformation.
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Build capacity and resources for culture within historically underfunded communities
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Explore the role that artists can play in addressing issues of social justice.
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Create the infrastructure for a more equitable cultural sector.
We are looking to work with organisations for whom these aspirations are central to their vision and mission. The Arts Fund supports the long-term development and transformation of these organisations as a route towards social justice and sustainability.
Who we want to support
We want to support 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; and
- use their creative practice to challenge traditional cultural hierarchies of genre and art form.
Our 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.
What we will fund
We offer support for organisations with core costs so you can continue the work you are already doing and for programmes which are central to your organisation’s mission
To be eligible, your organisation should have a turnover of no less than £60,000 per year, based on your last audited accounts or your average annual turnover over the last 3 years – whichever is higher. We will fund up to 50% of an organisation’s annual turnover over three years, based on their last audited accounts. We fund organisations working all over the UK.
This fund is focused on supporting organisations to become more sustainable and to deepen the impact of the work. This can include support for specific posts, skills development, underpinning of the strategy or business model and for project delivery which is central to your organisation’s mission and vision.
When assessing applications, we will consider how organisations have been impacted by systemic inequities, such as (but not limited to) racial inequity, socio-economic disadvantage, having disabilities, living in isolated rural communities or experience of the immigration system. We will prioritise applications which are actively anti-racist and intersectional in their approach.
What we will not fund
In addition to our general exclusions, we are not able to fund:
- Organisations with a turnover of less than £60,000 per year, based on your last audited accounts or your average annual turnover over the last 3 years – whichever is higher
- Work that is focused on entry-level employment pathways
- Work which aims primarily to deliver targeted health, wellbeing, educational or other instrumental outcomes
- Academic research programmes
- Organisations who work primarily in formal education settings
- Newly registered organisations that have yet to produce independently audited or examined accounts
- Individuals
- Capital projects and equipment purchase
Who we have funded
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Case study
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Case study
Museum of Colour
Centring the work of creatives of colour
Museum of Colour works to change the way arts and heritage are presented, created and experienced by building a digital museum that centres the work of creatives of colour in the UK over 250 years.
Arts Fund
Photo credit: Anisa Fazal
Want to know more about the Arts Fund?
Our Arts Team reflect on the first round of applications to our Arts Fund and why applications made our shortlist.
In this section
Application process
The Arts Fund is currently closed to new applications. You can find out more about why we’ve made this decision, while maintaining our level of funding to the sector.