The latest round of the Theatre Improvement Scheme in association with the Wolfson Foundation has awarded a total of £124,000 in grants to seven theatres.
This round of the scheme has funded small but impactful projects to reduce resource consumption and develop best practice in sustainability. These include replacing bathroom fixtures, fitting solar panels and battery storage, and updating lighting to energy-efficient LEDs.
The theatres receiving funding are:
An Lanntair, Stornoway
Cast, Doncaster
The Garage, Norwich
Leeds Grand Theatre & Opera House
New Diorama Theatre, London
Old Fire Station, Oxford
Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle upon Tyne
Congratulations to all the recipients!
The next round of funding applications is now open (closing September 5th), so if your venue wants to improve its sustainability, find out more and apply here
Calling all researchers! Is there an element within your research topics that deals with an aspect of the British theatre which would make it eligible for a STR grant? It’s worth taking a look at their website to find out!
Topics they can consider include buildings, people, historical or contemporary concerns, theories and practices, and all kinds of performance arts, as long as there is a connection with theatre in Britain or British theatre people.
STR says “We invite all engaged in theatre research to apply – for example you may be an early career academic needing help with a particular piece of research, or an independent scholar digging up traces of local theatre or performers, in which case the Research Grants would be suitable for you, or a theatre practitioner engaged in practical research on an aspect of performance practice, in which case you might apply for one of our Practitioner Grants.”
Whichever of the two distinct types of grants might apply to your project, visit their website here for more details – and good luck!
A lovely array of panto programmes (Oh yes they are!) courtesy University of Kent, Pantomime Archive
Calling all archives! If you, or someone you know, has connections with any type of theatre archive then this may be a great opportunity for 2023. But you’ll need to apply by February 10th.
Cataloguing grants of up to £45,000 are now available from The National Archives and The Wolfson Foundation, with The Pilgrim Trust.
This funding strand of Archives Revealed provides grants of up to £45,000 for the cataloguing of archives. Archives Revealed aims to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspectives of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.
The latest round- Round 6- is open – you can now apply for a cataloguing grant here. The deadline for Phase 1 (Expressions of Interest) is 12.00pm on Friday 10 February. Applicants are strongly advised to read the guidance webpages below before applying.
Applicants are also strongly advised to watch a guidance webinar for the grants which is now available to watch here.
Let us know if you are applying and how your application goes.
The Make it Happen grants programme is designed to support arts and cultural activities taking place in Waltham Forest between April 2023 and January 2024. Apply for £1,000 – £15,000 now.
For Make it Happen 2023 they will be accepting applications that align with one of the following themes:
Storytelling The Culture and Destinations team are focussing on bringing local communities together through exploring the eclectic histories and traditions that characterise our borough. We are therefore seeking to support proposals from across art forms that help to create a more nuanced understanding of people and places in Waltham Forest and, in particular, highlight lesser-known stories that continue to shape the changing landscape of our Borough.
Climate Emergency Waltham Forest Council was the first London Borough to declare a climate emergency in 2019. Over the past decade, we have delivered programmes that have driven down carbon emissions in the Borough by 32%, and have ambitions to reach the net-zero target by 2030. We welcome applications that highlight issues and behaviour change around climate change, that promote access to our many green spaces and a greater understanding of the natural world.
They typically have a high volume of applications for projects taking place in Walthamstow. The Culture and Destinations Team are committed to delivering programming across Waltham Forest, and for 2023 they will therefore be prioritising submissions taking place in Chingford, Higham’s Park, Leyton and Leytonstone. You are still able to propose a project in Walthamstow however they will only have the capacity to support a limited number.
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is the UK’s leading social investor and helps communities find enterprising new uses for the old buildings they love.
In March, AHF announced new Transformational Project Grants, including three to support projects by leading arts organisations in England. The awards, which form part of AHF’s Transforming Places through Heritage programme, are funded by a £15 million grant from the UK Government through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport. This will help to conserve and adapt unique historic buildings for new uses by community-led charities and social enterprises.
These awards were approved as part of funding for 15 projects across the UK, with funding offers totalling £1,615,100. You can find a full list of the projects supported here. The three arts projects awarded capital funding are detailed below.
The Ice House in Great Yarmouth is located on the riverside, a 19th-century prominent survivor of the herring fishing industry that once dominated the town. Out There Arts, an independent arts development charity, currently use the site to store festival equipment. With the support of a £350,000 grant, however, work can now begin to transform the Grade II-listed thatched Ice House into a National Centre for Arts and Circus, with facilities for circus training and teaching.
Exterior of the Ice House in Great Yarmouth, courtesy of Out There Arts.
Alice Billings House in Stratford, East London was built in 1905-6 to provide accommodation for firemen of the West Ham Fire Brigade. The site consists of two three-storey buildings, an adjoining shed built to house horse-drawn fire engines, and a central external courtyard. Project lead Creative Land Trust was established by the Mayor of London, Arts Council England, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to provide affordable workspace for the creative sector across London. They have been awarded a grant of £116,880 to support their project to convert Alice Billings House into 26 studios, which will be let at affordable rents to around 80 artists and makers. In addition, a gallery and exhibition space, community café, and public courtyard will be created. The AHF grant will contribute towards structural repairs to the listed north block building.
Artist’s impression of the north block of Alice Billings House in Stratford, credit to Purcell.
The Trinity Centre in Gateshead is a Victorian building, originally constructed as an extension of the adjoined Grade I-listed 13th-century chapel. By 1969, however, the extension was no longer needed, and that portion of the building was deconsecrated. Today, it is home to Gateway Studio, a dance and related arts charity. Due to the poor condition of the building, however, the organisation can currently only offer a limited programme of activities. An AHF grant of £250,000 will fund a series of repairs to the Trinity Centre. Once restored, the building will provide new and improved facilities for dance, related arts, and community engagement activities, including a community café, performance space, and rentable office space.
Gateway Studio dance class at the Trinity Centre, Gateshead, courtesy of Gateway Studio
Matthew Mckeague, Chief Executive Officer of the AHF, said:
“Historic buildings so often provide the unique DNA of places, and it’s not surprising that so many arts organisations are inspired by their architectural interest and drawn to the open, flexible spaces they can provide – and also to spaces on high streets and within town centres that help put these organisations at the centre of their communities. It is fantastic to see the imaginative and creative reuse projects we have been able to fund through the latest round of Transformational grants, as well as the other awards made to projects across the UK.”
Two more capital grants were also awarded through the Transforming Places through Heritage programme:
Heritage Lincolnshire, The Harlequin, Lincoln – £350,000
intoBodmin CIC, The Old Library, Bodmin – £150,000
To explore full listings of grant offers, please click here
