Fenland Culture Fund

About the fund:

The grant scheme is managed by Fenland District Council and is designed to support Fenland's Creativity and Culture Strategy (PDF) [1MB] .

It is funded through the Government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund, via the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, and Arts Council England and is a partnership project with Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy.

Grants of up to £2,000 are available for a range of activities that involve culture or heritage in Fenland.

The 2023/24 year is a pilot programme with plans to make it a long-term fund. There will be two funding rounds per year.

The first round of the Fenland Culture Fund closed to applications in November 2023 and the successful recipients have been announced.

The second round of the fund will open later this year.

Alongside the creation of the Fenland Culture Fund small grants, we will also be establishing a Giving Circle as a partnership project with Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy.

Through the Giving Circle programme, the Fenland Cultural Strategy will look to create longevity, and a feeling of continuous, demonstrably beneficial impact where to date, there has been a lack of joined up investment across the district and its established networks. The Giving Circle programme will provide an opportunity for local businesses and individuals to support their local creative and cultural economy in an accessible way, encouraging the growth and sustainability of arts, culture, and heritage in Fenland.

What you can apply for:

Applications must benefit communities or artists in Fenland and must align to at least one of the following Outcomes that align to the Fenland Cultural Strategy:

• Building New Relationships
• Reaching More People
• Improving The Quality of Your Work
• Supporting Artistic Ambition

Funded activities could involve one or more of a range of cultural or heritage activities such as drama, music, painting, photography, craft, storytelling, writing, circus, dance, digital arts, nature, archaeology, or museum practice. These activities might take the form of, for example, the creation of new work, skills development, the staging of a performance, an exhibition, workshops, development of a heritage or nature trail, a festival, etc.

What you can't apply for:

• Activity that has already taken place
• Statutory services that should be provided by organisations such as schools, libraries etc.

Who can apply:

• Individuals aged 16 years or over, either living or working in Fenland.
• Organisations either based in or working in Fenland.
• Priority will be given to those applying from a Fenland post code.

How To Apply

Details of how to apply for round two of the Fenland Culture Fund will be made available here once it is launched later this year.

Other sources of funding:

If you have already successfully applied for this funding scheme, or need a higher level of investment, we would advise applying to Arts Council England's National Lottery Project Grants programme. Full detail are available on the Arts Council website.