Deadline: 28-Sep-23
The Four Nations International Fund is now open for applications to support those working in the arts and creative industries across the UK nations, together with their counterparts in Europe and beyond.
With co-investment from Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Arts Council Wales/Wales Arts International and Creative Scotland, the second round of the fund will support in-person, digital or hybrid activity including exchanges, residencies, partnership development, co-creation and networking, with priority given to applications experimenting with innovative models of international collaboration.
Aims
- Supporting international development opportunities for individual cultural practitioners and/or organisations based in the UK.
- Fostering greater collaboration between cultural practitioners and/or organisations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and together with international partners based in Europe and beyond.
- Exploring new models of innovative practice in international collaboration, in particular testing imaginative ways of working that offer new and positive responses through international collaboration to issues of inclusivity, fair collaboration and climate responsibility. They welcome applications for projects which reduce negative environmental impacts and promote positive ones. They also welcome applications for projects which seek to work with cultural practitioners with experience of displacement and/or experience from within areas of conflict or post-conflict.
Funding Information
- The total budget available for this round is £320,000.
- Applicants can request between £1,000 and £7,500, as well as access costs in addition to this.
- They anticipate making 40 – 50 awards in this round and will aim to encompass the four nations’ geographic and cultural diversity, with a range across art forms.
What art forms will be considered?
- They are able to consider proposals from creative practitioners and organisations working across a range of different art forms including:
- Multi-disciplinary arts
- Literature
- Music
- Theatre
- Dance
- Visual arts
- Craft
- Creative Learning/Children & Young People
What can the funds be used for?
- Applications can be for physical, digital or hybrid activity in the following categories:
- Exchanges
- Residencies
- Partnership development
- Co-creation
- Networking
- Priority will be given to applications experimenting with innovative models of international collaboration. The fund can be used for one or all of the following:
- Development of artistic practice through working cross-UK and internationally
- Collaboration with and learning from artists, creative practitioners and organisations cross-UK and internationally
- Development of early relationships with artists, creative practitioners and organisations with a longer-term view of developing cross-UK and international markets and audiences for work and building profile internationally
- Exchange of key creative people to develop new concepts or relationships.
- Applicants will need to be able to demonstrate commitment to the proposed activity from the other partners in the proposal – at least one partner from another of the four nations and at least one international partner. An email or letter from the partner will be sufficient. Match funding is not a requirement, but if you do mention other confirmed funds, they expect these funds to be evidenced through supporting letters.
Eligibility Criteria
- In order to be eligible, applicants must:
- Be aged 18 or over
- Be based in one of the four nations of the UK – England, Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland
- Be a creative practitioner working in the arts and creative industries or an organisation working in the arts and creative industries
- Have a UK bank account in their name
- And must have:
- Confirmed commitment from at least one artistic or creative partner based in another of the four nations – England, Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland (this can be an individual or organisation)
- Commitment from an international artistic or creative partner (this can be an individual or an organisation).
- Only one lead partner from any of the four UK countries can apply on the behalf of each partnership. Multiple applications from different partners for the same activity will be ineligible. An applicant may only submit one proposal as lead partner to this round. The lead partner will take financial and reporting responsibility for the project.
- This fund will prioritise support to individuals and those organisations who do not have regular funding status from any the following arts councils funding schemes: Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations; Arts Council Northern Ireland’s Annual Funding Programme; Arts Council Wales’ Arts Portfolio Wales; and Creative Scotland’s Regularly Funded Organisations. This does not exclude applications from partnerships that include a regularly funded organisation; however, they expect to see the added value that a regularly funded organisation can bring to the partnership.
For more information, visit Creative Scotland.