Funding for performances & events

(c) DreamArts

Westminster Arts offers small-scale funding for arts projects. Applicants must live, work or study in Westminster and awards are open to both organisations and individuals. All funded projects must take place in Westminster. The size of these awards may vary, the maximum arts project grant awarded is £3000. Please see our Annual Review for examples of grants awarded in the past year. Awards Awards range in size from £100 to £3000 Deadlines 10th Oct 2008 For events taking place from 1 Dec 2008 to 31 March 2009 6th Feb 2009 For events taking place from 1 April to 31 July 2009 29 May 2009 For events taking place from 1 Aug to 30 Nov 2009 9 October 2009 For events taking place from 1 Dec 2009 to 31 March 2010 Application form Click to download

Funding Criteria

For Performances and Events and Workshops and Projects
Priority will be given to applications demonstrating one or more of the following criteria:

• Participation – engaging communities and encouraging cultural diversity
• Access and inclusion – developing new audiences or participants, especially
  with groups without easy access to the arts
• Innovation – in artform, delivery or approach
• Partnerships – developing opportunities for joint working and partnerships
  with other agencies and communities

Eligibility

• Community based arts projects in art forms such as: visual arts, craft, design, theatre, film, literature, spoken word, dance, music, arts & social care programmes as well as festivals and cultural events.
• Proposals that meet one or more of our funding criteria
• Proposals that are clearly viable, researched and demonstrate realistic outcomes
• Proposals that demonstrate a clear benefit for residents and visitors of Westminster

• Profit making events
• Fundraising events
• Projects taking place outside Westminster
• Artists Exhibitions
• Refreshments and gifts
• Research or development costs unless they involve the direct participation of Westminster residents without easy access to the arts
• Events or projects which are funded by Westminster City Council
• On-going core costs
• Purchase of equipment (hire fees are permitted)
• Projects in schools within curriculum time

How to apply for funding

• Download a copy from the resources section of this website.
  You may request a hard copy by calling the office: 020 7641 1018.
• Complete the application form and budget.
• Send two hard copies of your application form to
  Westminster Arts, Council House, Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5PS
  or email it to info@westminsterarts.org.uk.
• Please telephone to check that we have received your application.

If the form is too limited to give an adequate description of your event or project please use an additional A4 sheet. We can accept up to two additional pages of information.

If you have any difficulties you are welcome to ring the office or attend an advice session.

Funding process and selection procedure for all applications

• There are Committees that meet three times per year to recommend applications to the Executive Committee. The two Committees are Performances & Events and Workshops & Projects. There is also a Professional Development Committee for Photography & Film Bursaries which meets only once per year as there is only one annual deadline.


• The Committees are made up of arts professionals and representatives from the community who have been elected at the Westminster Arts Annual General Meeting, or co-opted onto the committee because they have a particular area of expertise.


• The Committees discuss the applications and make recommendations based on the Westminster Arts funding criteria and project viability. The Executive Committee then makes funding decisions based on these recommendations.

Please bear in mind that your application will be competing with others and Westminster Arts may not always be able to fund an event even if it meets all the criteria and/or we have funded it before.

When will I hear and how will I receive the funding?

• Final decisions should be available approximately six weeks after each deadline. We will write to you to let you know if you have been successful.


• Support will normally be offered in the form of a 'guarantee against loss' (this means we will guarantee to provide a certain amount of funding to counter balance your losses, once your project is completed). No profit can be made from these projects. If your losses are less than anticipated, your award from Westminster Arts will also be less.


• A cheque will be issued at the end of your project on receipt of a completed project report form and final accounts. An evaluation form will be enclosed with the offer of funding.

Other Funding Sources

Income from other sources may strengthen your application. The Westminster Arts project funding can be used to pay for all the costs of your project, however, we are keen to support projects that raise funding from other sources too.

A Fundraising Pack For Beginners and a Funding Directory can be found on the resources section of this website.

Voluntary Action Westminster produces the Westminster Funders Directory. For a copy please call 020 7723 1216 or email www.vawcvs.org

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