Art Fund

Background

Art Fund is offering funding to help museums, galleries and visual arts organisations provide paid opportunities for full-time university students to gain meaningful, developmental work-experience that enables them to further explore their interest in the arts, and related future career options before they graduate.

Objectives of Fund

Student Opportunities benefit both visual arts organisations and students in a range of exciting and transformative ways. Students can explore an interest in the arts alongside future career options, while providing organisations with a skilled and accountable resource.

Student Opportunities can benefit visual arts organisations in the following ways:

• Build knowledge of how to effectively engage youth/student audiences by working directly with students.
• Develop a wider and more diverse range of voices within the organisation.
• Help develop the diversity of the whole cultural sector, creating a fit for purpose and engaged workforce.
• Payment assures students take their responsibilities seriously and are a reliable and accountable resource.

Student Opportunities benefit students by providing:

• Training that empowers them to feel confident in their area of responsibility and develop skills.
• Practical experience of working within an arts organisation, helping them to build their CV.
• An increased awareness of the range of careers available in the cultural sector.
• Networking opportunities with arts professionals and other students across the UK.
• The opportunity to help diversify the voices that contribute to how arts organisations operate, enhancing cultural experiences for all young people.

Value Notes

Grants of up to £10,000 are available.

Art Fund will consider 100% funding towards the costs associated with paying students for their time to help cultural organisations deliver projects.

Match Funding Restrictions

Applicants should demonstrate the commitment their own organisation is making to the activity, in cash or in kind.

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants are UK public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries, archives, agencies and other visual arts organisations that:

• Have a public presence (eg a building open to the public) or a public outcome (eg a festival or public art programme)
• Can demonstrate that they operate to standards of best practice within the sector (eg through Arts Council England accreditation).

Location

UK

Restrictions

The following organisations are not eligible to apply for funding:

• Organisations that exist to make profit, including:
  • Private Limited Companies
  • Public Limited Companies
  • Unlimited Companies
  • Sole Traders
• General Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, or Limited Liability Partnerships
• Commercial organisations
• Artists’ groups
• Hospitals/healthcare settings
• Places of worship
• Organisations with a focus on music, drama, dance and art forms outside the visual art.

The following costs will not be funded:

• Core staff costs
• Costs relating to ongoing overheads
• Retrospective funding for projects that have already been delivered.

Eligible Expenditure

Art Fund encourage applications that focus on facilitating public engagement with art – whether that be online or in real life. They will fund the costs associated with paying students for the time they spend supporting an organisation in delivering projects.

How To Apply

The guidance notes and application form can be found on the website.

The next deadlines for applications are: 25 September 2024, 10 January 2025, 9 May 2025, 26 September 2025.

Applicants are asked to allow at least eight weeks between submitting applications and the time by which they need a decision.

Applicants may get in touch to discuss their potential project before submitting an application.

Contact the Art Programme for further information.