Thriving Communities fund is funding from the Arts Council to support organisations to deliver activities relevant and meaningful to people in their communities, especially those hit hardest by the COVID-19.

It will support local voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise projects from: Arts, and culture, including libraries, museums and heritage; Sport, leisure and physical activity organisations; Financial well being, advice, food and practical support organisations; Environment and nature-based organisations; non-statutory health and care organisations, working with social prescribing link workers; that bring together place-based partnerships to improve and increase the range and reach of available social prescribing community activities.  Projects should work with communities most impacted by COVID-19, including  Black, Asian and ethnically diverse communities, and help to: strengthen local range of social prescribing activities; enhance collaboration and networking between local organisations; enable social prescribing link workers to connect people to more creative community activities and services.

Grants range between £25,000 to £50,000 (20% match funding required)

Funding can be used to support partnership development, research and planning activities, and delivery of public-facing community activities. Must have commitment of 3 partners one of which is from arts and culture sector.  Deadline: 8/1/2021. https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/thriving-communities-fund#section-1

The Arts Council has also recently re-opened it’s National Lottery Project Grants open access programme for arts, museums and libraries projects supporting individual artists, community and cultural organisations.

It has re-opened to be more responsive to smaller independent organisations and individual practitioners during Covid-19 to get activities up and running again, and help people take their first steps in getting re-engaged with a broad range of culture and creativity.

Due to Covid-19 it is  keen to support: applications from individual creative practitioners; research and development; organisational development; live activity that can be safely delivered within this period (rather than activity with a start date far in the future); activity that closely aligns with Equality Objectives.

Apply anytime (grants under £15,000 assessed in 6 weeks, over £15,000 assessed in 12). Pre-application support for applicants with access needs is available, including easy read guides, covering the cost of access support workers etc. Details at:

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/projectgrants

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/access-support

Voluntary Action Leeds