Deadline: 23-Jul-21
The Arts Council England has announced the applications for Cultural Development Fund level up through investment in culture.
The fund will unlock local growth and productivity, promote economic and social recovery from the impact of Covid-19, and regenerate communities through capital investment in transformative place-based creative and cultural initiatives.
It will capitalize on the untapped potential for investment in creativity and culture while addressing the regional undersupply and demand for capital funding in creative and cultural infrastructure.
Focus Areas
The focus is on supporting places to develop by:
- new strategic approaches to accelerating growth in high-performing and innovative sectors
- a focus on the creation of a rebalanced economy that will deliver prosperity to all, regardless of geography
- a continued emphasis on the role of culture and heritage in making attractive places in which to live, work, visit and invest
- local ownership of locally developed growth initiatives, agreed in partnership with local and central government
Funding Information
- The fund has a total budget of £18.5 million for 2021/22 which includes £15.5 million for capital activity and £3 million for resource (project) activity.
- Between £2 million (minimum) and £5 million (maximum). Applicants can apply for capital (asset) activity with a limited proportion of resource activity (project activity).
- Applicants can apply for a maximum of £700,000 for supporting resource activity within their total budget.
Outcomes
- Through implementing creative and cultural initiatives, the Cultural Development Fund will support places to achieve the following outcomes:
- Unlock local economic growth and productivity: using capital investment in creative and cultural initiatives to grow their world leading creative industries regionally, create new sustainable jobs, and increase inclusive opportunities for creative and cultural careers. This could include an element of measures to promote economic and social recovery post Covid-19 such as retaining employment levels and talent and supporting creative industries regionally to adapt to changing markets and working environments.
- Become more attractive places in which to live, work, visit and invest: driving regeneration in marginalized places, particularly places with the lowest levels of cultural engagement across England by using creative and cultural investment to support recovery and renewal, retaining and attracting business investment and tourism, increasing civic pride and cultural engagement, and fostering community cohesion and strong local institutions and assets. This could include an element of measures to promote economic and social recovery post Covid-19, such as encouraging businesses and people to return to centers of economic activity.
- Strengthen local leadership, partnerships and capability: creating resilient, diverse leadership and partnerships, and improving skills in the creative and cultural sectors and local government in order to secure recovery and promote inclusive growth.
- All applications must respond to the first outcome (unlock economic growth and productivity) and at least one other (become more attractive places in which to live, work, visit and invest/strengthen local leadership, partnerships and capability). The strongest applications will provide robust responses to all three outcomes.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Cultural Development Fund is open to places in England (excluding London) that have a strategic vision for their development and can demonstrate both cultural maturity and commitment to culture-led growth but need investment in physical and/or digital infrastructure or other assets to accelerate and maximise their impact.
- It is expected that applications will be from a partnership for the area, led by a local authority, Local Enterprise Partnership, or other appropriate body that would lead a consortium of partners from both the public and private sector, and the voluntary sector where appropriate. It is expected that at least one partner would be from the cultural, heritage or commercial creative industries, depending on who is most appropriate to meet the aims and objectives of the proposed activity.
- One organisation must act as the lead organisation and submit the application. The lead applicant must be a formally constituted organization.
For more information, visit https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/cultural-development-fund-round-two#section-4