Cultural Futures grant

• Applicants can apply for any amount between £250 and £5,000.
• Should your project require more funding, we ask that you discuss this with the Cultural Futures Manager to decided how best to make use of the funding available. Email culturalfuturesgrants@northlincs.gov.uk

• We will fund up to 100% of your project activity (you do not require any match funding)
• Material costs needed for the project (we would ask that you consider sustainability of your materials and second use)
• Paying people, who are involved in developing or delivering the project for their time. (We advise you to use the Artist Union England rates of pay and consider all contributors involved in your project)
• Marketing and communication costs attributable to the project deliverables
• Services or professional fees which will help you research an area of focus or develop a new strand of delivery including new audiences – this could include, but is not limited to, a business coach, a researcher, a mentor, a tutor, a choreographer, artistic director, etc
• Field trips, residencies or training sessions which will help you to develop or deliver your project
• Pilot projects to explore whether a project, idea or activity can become sustainable.

• Projects that have no public benefit
• To deliver an existing or long running project
• Everyday organisational running costs
• Material costs not relating to the project
• Subsidising a commercial activity.

• Heritage and art groups
• Community groups
• Civic societies and independent museums
• Social enterprises and charities.

In order to be as accessible as possible, we have devised an application process;

1. Attend a Q&A either in a local venue or online, (please see list of dates above ), or watch back the video recording
2. Answer yes to all five eligibility points at the beginning of the application before progressing with the full application
3. Book a one-to-one online meeting with the Cultural Futures Manager to discuss your idea and what you can include in the application – this is optional
4. Either complete an application form or submit a five-minute video, making sure you respond to the grant criteria. If you would like to apply by video, please contact the Cultural Futures Manager for more details. Email culturalfuturesgrants@northlincs.gov.uk

We will also require: (we are able to support with this element should it prove a barrier to application)

• Your organisation’s governing documents
• If your intended project includes children, we will need to see your safeguarding policies
• A copy of your recent accounts or last three months of bank statements.

Saving your application
Once you start the application, you can save your progress at any time by clicking the ‘Save your progress’ button at the top or bottom of the form. You’ll then be given a link to return to your application later. If you choose not to save the form, please ensure you have all the information required to hand, or you may lose the information you have entered and will have to restart the form.

⚠️ To save your progress click “Save your progress”, then put in your email address and click the send button (triangle to the right). Ensure you have received the link via email before closing the form or you will be unable to access your form again. We are unable to recover lost links so we suggest you save the link as soon as you begin the application.

Your application will be sent to a panel of assessors:

• Cultural Futures Manager, North Lincolnshire Council
• Head of Culture and Enrichment, North Lincolnshire Council
• Members of the North Lincolnshire Cultural Assembly.

If appropriate, the panel may seek advice from external panel members who may have specialist knowledge in a specific project, community group or demographic.

The panel will score your application against the scoring matrix and meet to make a recommendation.

The panel will consider the viability of the project being proposed and the most effective use of the funding available.

As these grants are funded by the NLHF and NLC, any decisions made by the panel will then need to be ratified by the funding bodies before the applicants are told of the panel decision.

• Applications are assessed against five desirable criteria. The measure is between zero to four (zero being didn’t meet the criteria, two being some criteria was met, three being the criteria was met, four being exceeded the criteria).
• We ask that you meet a minimum of three criteria points but you can meet more, and demonstrate this within your application.

Essential (within the eligibility questionnaire)

1. The applicant should be living and/or working in North Lincolnshire
2. The project should be delivered within North Lincolnshire
3. The project will result in a public benefit
4. The project has an arts or heritage focus
5. The project should be a new project and not an existing project

Desirable (demonstrated within the application)

1. The project will engage with and/or celebrate our diverse communities
2. The project develops local talent and skills
3. The project improves our understanding of arts and heritage
4. The project evidences collaboration and/or partnership work
5. The project will have a longer-term impact

Before your project starts, the Cultural Futures Manager will meet with each grant recipient and decided together what is the best way to evaluate this project. We will try to keep this simple, but the minimum requirement will be:

• Audience/participant numbers, demographics and characteristics
• Volunteer numbers and hours.

But we also recognise that each project is different, and we also hope to see things such as notes, scripts, plans, recordings, illustrations, animations, journals, photographs etc.

The Cultural Futures Manager will meet with each grant recipient again at the project’s mid-way point to offer further support. This will be either an online meeting, a site visit or attending one of your project events.

In addition

Throughout the project, we will be capturing your activity via film which will be presented at a celebration event. You will be required to attend the celebration event and share your project. The format of this will be determined by those in receipt of the grant but may take the form of a group meeting, a series of performances, an exhibition etc.

• We estimate administration (selection, ratification and contracting) to be complete by the end of May, therefore plan for your project to begin on or after the 1 June 2026.

• We will read all applications thoroughly and may suggest you connect with another successful applicant to realise some of your ideas
• We will have multiple rounds of funding throughout the Cultural Futures programme, so even though you may be unsuccessful on this round, we would like to work with you to develop your idea for future rounds
• We can also suggest other sources of funding, this may be within North Lincolnshire Council, local charitable trusts or large arm’s length bodies such as Arts Council England or The National Lottery Fund
• We will be transparent in our feedback and provide you with as much information as possible so you can improve your chances in future applications.

We hope to make this process as accessible as we can and therefore have deployed a number of initiatives to meet this aim;

• We can provide support throughout the application process, this could be, but is not limited to: one -to-one meetings to discuss your idea prior to application; appointing a member of staff who can sit with you to help complete the application; and/or peer support from cultural assembly members who may have experience in funding applications
• These guidance notes and the application form are available in several languages and easy read format should you require this
• We aim to use accessible language throughout but recognise there might be industry-specific words which people might not be familiar with and therefore we will provide a glossary of terminology
• The application form includes a video function to take you through the questions and explain exactly what we are looking for within the answers
• We welcome video applications if you prefer this way of applying, all we ask is that the video is under five minutes long and you still answer the questions within the application form
• Any additional access costs should be included on top of your project budget. These could include, but are not limited to: specific IT programmes; support worker; travel or work adjustments; interpretation
• We encourage applications from those who are under-represented in the arts and/or have protected characteristics.

Financial & Investment Terms

• Primary investment objectives – The main goals for providing funding.
• Economic investment – Putting money into something (like a project or business) to help it grow and be successful.
• Match funding – When someone agrees to give the same amount of money as another funder. For example, if you raise £1,000, someone else matches it with another £1,000.
• Material costs – Money needed to buy physical items for a project, like tools, paint, or equipment.
• Running costs – The everyday costs of keeping a project or place going, like electricity, rent, or staff pay.
• Subsidising – Helping to pay part of the cost so someone else doesn’t have to pay the full amount.
• Commercial activity – Business actions that aim to make money, like selling products or tickets.

Project Planning & Evaluation

• Delivery strand – A part or section of a larger project or plan.
• Project deliverables – The results or things a project promises to produce, like a report, event, or product.
• Necessary resource – Something important that you need to make a project work, like time, money, or people.
• Condition of the grant – A rule you must follow if you receive funding (money) for your project.
• Scoring matrix – A tool used to compare and score applications based on set rules or criteria.
• Viability – Whether something can work well or succeed.
• Ratified – Officially approved or agreed upon.
• Essential criteria – The must-have requirements for something to be accepted.
• Desirable criteria – Extra things that are good to have.
• Demonstrate – To show clearly how something works or has value.
• Evaluate – To look at something carefully to see how well it worked.

Community & Engagement

• Community engagement – Getting people involved in a project or decision that affects them.
• Public benefit – Something that helps or is good for many people, not just a few.
• Diverse communities – Groups of people with different backgrounds, cultures, ages, or experiences.
• Grant recipient – A person or group that receives money (a grant) to do a project.

Creativity, Learning & Innovation

• Ambition – A strong desire to do or achieve something.
• Innovative – New, creative, or different in a smart way.
• Instigates – Starts or causes something to happen.
• Thought-provoking – Makes you think deeply or question things.
• Investigating – Looking into something carefully to learn more about it.
• Landscape – a place, park, gardens, streets, fields.
• Change in perceptions – Helping people see or understand something in a new way.
• Future proofing – Planning ahead to make sure something still works well in the future.
• Lasting impact – A result that continues to make a difference over time.
• Research – Finding out information in a careful and planned way.
• Field trips – Visits to places to learn something new, often as part of a project or study.
• Residencies – When artists or creators stay and work somewhere for a short time to make and share new work.
• Pilot projects – A small version of a project to test if it works before doing it on a bigger scale.

People & Organisation

• Contributors – People who give their time, ideas, or money to help a project.
• Marketing and communication – How you tell people about your work and get them interested or involved.
• Collaboration – Working together with others to achieve something.
• Peers – People who do similar work to you, like other artists or professionals.
• Governing documents – The official rules and structure for how a group or organisation works.
• Safeguarding policies – Rules to keep people (especially children and vulnerable adults) safe during your project.