Potential funding sources for libraries
Published 9 May 2018
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1. Funding organisations
Arts Council England
- Arts Council funding finder
- other sources of funding
- successful applicants for Grants for the Arts Libraries fund
- contact your libraries Relationship Manager
The Big Lottery Fund
Provides funding for charities, voluntary organisations, and projects that improve the health, education and environment of communities.
Phone: 0345 4 10 20 30 / Textphone: 18001 plus 0345 4 10 20 30 / [email protected]
British Council
Offers funding for transporting artists’ work to international exhibitions. It also works with organisations to help them manage events and enter into funding agreements for projects that will contribute to developing cultural relations between the UK and the rest of the world.
Phone: 0161 957 7755 / [email protected]
Crafts Council
The Craft Council’s ‘Maker Development’ scheme can help crafts artists with business start-ups, creative growth or to develop a practice.
Phone: 020 7278 7700 / [email protected]
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund helps communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our heritage. If you want to see the questions you’ll be asked before you register for their portal, check the reference PDF project enquiry or application form on the relevant grant programme page.
Phone: 020 7591 6000 / Textphone: 020 7591 6255 / [email protected]
National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA)
Runs various funding schemes to encourage UK talent and innovation in science, technology and art industries.
Phone: 020 7438 2500 / [email protected]
National Lottery Awards for All
Awards for All is a grants scheme for local communities offering funding from £300 to £10,000. There are different schemes for each of the four countries of the UK.
Phone: 0345 4 10 20 30 / Textphone: 18001 plus 0345 4 10 20 30 / [email protected]
National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF)
An organisation representing a number of touring schemes and rural arts development agencies across England and Wales.
Phone: 0175 930 3624 / [email protected]
People’s Health Trust’s Active Communities
Supports organisations help people to create or shape local projects that will help their community or neighbourhood to become even better.
Phone: 020 7749 9100 / [email protected]
The Prince’s Trust
The trust provides training, financial help, grants and other support for people aged 14-30.
Phone: 0800 842 842 / Textphone: 020 7543 1374 / [email protected]
2. Trusts and foundations
Baring Foundation
The Baring Foundation was set up in 1969 to give money to charities and voluntary organisations set up for charitable purposes. They have specific grants programmes concerned with strengthening the voluntary sector, the arts and international development.
Phone: 020 7767 1348 / [email protected]
Clore Duffield Foundation
The foundation concentrates its support on education, the arts, museum and gallery education, health, social care and disability, placing a particular emphasis on supporting children, young people and more vulnerable people such as people with learning disabilities.
Phone: 020 7351 6061 / [email protected]
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
The foundation is one of the largest independent foundations that provide grants in the UK. Approximately 75% of its Arts and Heritage grants budget go to the arts and 25% to heritage projects.
Phone: 020 7812 3700 / [email protected]
Foyle Foundation
The foundation is an independent trust that gives grants to UK charities whose main work is in the areas of learning, art and health. Its priorities are to help make the arts more accessible by developing new audiences, supporting tours, festivals and arts education projects, encouraging new work, and supporting young and emerging artists.
Phone: 020 7430 9119 / [email protected]
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
The arts programme encourages new ways for people in the UK to enjoy, experience and be involved in the arts. Funding benefits organisations and groups through the grants scheme and special projects.
Phone: 020 7227 3500 / [email protected]
Peter De Haan Charitable Trust
Grants are awarded to organisations that provide opportunities to take part in the arts in educational and community settings, especially for people or groups with limited access to the arts.
Phone: 020 7232 5477
Wellcome
Wellcome’s funding schemes support individuals, teams, resources, seed ideas, places and major initiatives in:
- biomedical science
- population health
- product development and applied research
- humanities and social science
- public engagement and creative industries
Phone: 020 7611 8888 / Textphone: 020 7611 8545
3. Directories, databases, websites
Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF)
The leading membership association for grant-making trusts and foundations. Although ACF does not provide grants themselves, their website offers advice on applying for grants as well as a directory of trusts and foundations.
Phone: 020 7255 4499 / [email protected]
The Directory of Social Change (DSC)
Provides information and training to voluntary organisations. They publish several funding guides and handbooks, including ‘The Arts Funding Guide’ and ‘The Complete Fundraising Handbook’, as well as regional guides
Phone: 0845 077 7707 / [email protected]
Funders Online
www.fundersonline.org An initiative of the European Foundation Centre (EFC), which promotes the work of foundations and those who provide funding for businesses in Europe (corporate funders). The Information and Communications programme of the EFC also provides a public information service on foundations and corporate funders active in Europe.
Fund Raising
A website for those who raise funds and don’t work for a profit.
Grantfinder
Grants Online
Hiive
This online network for creative professionals regularly posts links to funding available for those working in arts and other creative industries.
Institute of Fundraising
The Institute of Fundraising is the professional body that represents fundraisers in the UK. Their mission is to help fundraisers provide excellent fundraising.
Phone: 020 7840 1000
j4b
Offers comprehensive information, updated daily, on government grants for both businesses and voluntary groups. It also holds information on publicly-funded organisations that provide help and advice.
Lottery funding finder
This is a funding finder to help you find which organisation you should apply to.
Phone: 0845 275 0000
National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)
NAVCA is the national voice of local voluntary and community groups in England. Its 360 members work with 140,000 local community groups and voluntary organisations which provide services, improve neighbourhoods, increase volunteering and tackle discrimination.
Phone: 0114 278 6636 / Textphone: 0114 278 7025 / [email protected]
Open4funding
Charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations can search through the hundreds of government, Lottery, charitable trust and other funds available to them on a European, national, regional and local basis.
SCVO Funding
4. European Union funding
You can apply for European Union funding to run projects backed by the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF). ESIF includes money from the European Social Fund (ESF), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
More information can be found:
- in A Guide to ERDF and ESF
- on projects the ESF has funded in England
- in a guide to how the ERDF is evaluated
5. Tips and further advice on applying for funding
Third Sector’s Top 10 funding application errors
KnowHowNonProfit’s guide to writing a winning funding bid including a case study illustration of a funding proposal. It is meant to give you an idea of the elements that you would need to include in your bid but it should by no means be viewed as a completed funding application.
Building Partnerships: a toolkit for literature organisations and libraries from Writers’ Centre Norwich & New Writing South
6. Other funding sources
These may be applicable for specific projects.
British Film Institute (BFI)
The lead body for film in the UK. The film fund distributes Lottery funds to support film makers in the UK who are emerging or world class and capable of creating distinctive and entertaining work.
Phone: 020 7255 1444
Sport England
Funds opportunities for people to start in, stay in and succeed in sport.
Phone: 03458 508508 / [email protected]
UK Sport
Works with sports councils and other agencies to support sport in the UK for world-class success.
Phone: 020 7211 5100 / [email protected]
Youth Music
A UK-wide charity that targets young people living in areas of social and economic need. The charity funds music activities run by not-for-profit organisations for people aged up to 18.
Phone: 020 7902 1060 / [email protected]