In response to the developing situation re. Covid-19 the Arts Council have introduced an Emergency Relief Grant to provide financial support for artists, creative practitioners and freelancers working in the sector.
You can read all about this funding and how to apply on the Arts Council’s Website.
In brief, you are able to apply for this funding if…
- you are an individual (if you are a company then there is a separate stream available).
- you live in England.
- you have a UK bank account in the exact name you are applying in.
- you are 18 or older.
- you have a track record of working in the publicly funded culture sector (so with Arts Organisations, or have been directly funded by arts council, heritage fund, local authorities, universities, other public sector bodies or trusts and foundations)
- and more than 50% of your income needs to come through your freelance work.
In order to apply you need to create an account on GRANTIUM, this is the website that Arts Council use to make applications. It takes a few minutes, and you can follow this guidance here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/welcome-grantium#section-2
In the application you will need to answer these three questions:
- Tell us about any work you have had cancelled or curtailed due to the Covid-19 emergency and the income you have lost or costs you have incurred, up to the value of £2,500.
-
Tell us about your practice and your track record working in the publicly funded culture sector.
-
Please tell us how you will use the time this funding affords you to stabilise, think and plan for the future.
I know for lots of queer artists this might feel quite daunting and you might not have applied for funding from Arts Council (or any public body) before. Many of us are entirely reliant on gigs to pay our bills, so I want to make sure that as many queers as possible who are eligible to apply can give themselves the best chance of getting the funding.
With that in mind, I’ve teamed incredible Ruby Glaskin, Producer for Milk Presents & Raze Collective to run an online session on Monday 13th April from 3-4pm. We’ll go through the application form and try and offer some tips and guidance on what to include, how to evidence your losses, and try to answer any questions you might have. We’ll be using zoom for this, so make sure you’ve downloaded it before hand.
This session has already taken place, an audio recording of the discussion is available – contact me if you’d like it.
KEY LINKS FROM THIS SESSION:
Laura Sweeney made this amazing doc to help you work out what income you’ve lost
http://www.laurasweeney.co.uk/recently/covid-19-lost-earnings-log
Link to Grantium (where to make your application):
https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/get-funding/our-new-application-portal-grantium
There’s a youtube video here which you can follow to make sure you’ve signed up properly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twvUMAUPAto
Lots of information on ACE Covid-response:
http://milkpresents.com/2020/04/what-support-can-independent-creatives-access-during-the-covid-19-crisis/
Useful guidance document for planning your ACE covid application:
Queer Art Always Micro Comissions – Homotopia Arts
www.homotopia.net/about/commissions/
Lots of lists of useful resources and open commissions on these websites:
https://bagrifoundation.org/at-home-in-the-world/
https://artscity.co.uk/artist-opportunities-during-covid-19/
https://ukcovid19freelanceartistresource.wordpress.com/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1riA2lTih2nlajHXBnIpY8xn0G2sEhrb888lWWTk0n2E/edit?fbclid=IwAR0Zvfh3SguURjkxzYb12WYMsDJGlMzNNzjIxdq1KspZwxAU9yZQnCivask#gid=0
https://mif.co.uk/resources-for-freelance-creatives/
Adam Carver 