Changes to Arts Council Grants for the Arts Application Process
Many PANDA members rely on Arts Council England (ACE) Grants for the arts to support their practice. Here is an update from ACE on the forthcoming changes to the application process, including a scheduled suspension period, for your information.
In March 2010, applications to Grants for the arts will begin to be managed from the Grants for the arts centre in Manchester, and from 1 March 2010 applications can be submitted online.
The new Grants for the arts centre will be staffed by highly skilled arts specialists who have a strong knowledge of the arts and close relationships with regional offices.
Online applications are a major step forward in making Grants for the arts more widely accessible and application as easy as possible. This will be a simple, user-friendly process that will help applicants complete the information we need.
The online system will be launched in time for the first applications to be submitted online from the 1st March 2010.
We are also simplifying the information we require for applications of £10,000 or less. Applicants will be asked for a shorter proposal which will mean that we can give them a decision in six weeks.
We will be suspending new applications to Grants for the arts between Monday 18 January and Friday 26 February to ensure that the transition from one way of working to the other is as efficient and seamless as possible.
Decisions will continue to be made throughout the transition period and, so we can assess all applications in good time, applicants may want to submit earlier or later than they were planning to. Applicants for £10,000 or less may find it is better to submit their applications later and get a quicker decision using the online process.
For more information about Arts Council England visit www.artscouncil.org.uk.
In the light of these changes, PANDA are considering running a workshop on how to submit Grants for the arts applications. If you would be interested in attending this workshop, please contact Rachel Morton, Network Manager, on 0161 274 0626 or email rachel@panda-arts.org.uk, to register your interest.