The North East Fund for the Arts was established at the Community Foundation in May 2012 and will be built over the next three years with match funding from the Arts Council England’s Catalyst scheme. The aim of the fund is to support arts activity in communities across the North East (Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, Tees Valley) through building greater arts philanthropy to support those activities.
The Community Foundation is making a founding contribution to the Fund from its unrestricted resources to enable 3-4 grants between £1,000 and £5,000 to be awarded in November 2012. These founding grants will be made across the region to projects that demonstrate the benefits the arts can bring to communities and the value for private, corporate and charitable donors in giving though the Fund.
The exemplar projects funded through these founding grants will not only make a difference to the communities in which they take place, but also provide the opportunity for current and potential donors to witness the difference the arts can make. To that end, the funded projects will need to be amenable to broader sharing and engagement as they will help guide the future grant-making and development of the Fund.
Projects could address a range of social issues but ultimately the aim is to strengthen community engagement in the arts. Projects could therefore engage a community in arts activity for the first time, develop their engagement, or inspire participants to seek further opportunities in the arts. The project may lead to the creation of a piece of art but an ‘end product’ is not a requirement. It is likely that for these founding grants we will support projects which are planned but not yet funded, or which have previously been tested and require support for continuation, expansion or application in a new area.
The fund is open to artists and arts organisations but we would especially welcome applications from non-arts community and voluntary groups who wish to work with professional artists/arts organisations. Applications from artists/arts organisations must show a real understanding of the community needs/interests and address them.
A community for the purpose of grant-making is a group of people who will benefit as a result of the grant. They could be a geographical community or have a shared background, identity or interest.
Applications open on Wednesday 3rd October and close at 9.00am on Wednesday 7th November (5 weeks)
Application forms are available on the Community Foundation website www.communityfoundation.org.uk or by contacting the Community Foundation on 0191 222 0945. Please ensure you note on the application form that it is for the North East Fund for the Arts.
Applicants are strongly advised to have an informal discussion about the Fund and this call for applications before applying. To do so, please contact Adam Lopardo on the above number or al@communityfoundation.org.uk.
