Grants for the arts improvements

Grants for the arts improvements

There are a number of changes underway at the Arts Council.

As part of this work they will be making some improvements to the Grants for the arts application process. These will include:

§  the ability to submit applications online
§  increasing the number of projects that get a decision within six weeks
§  assessment of applications and monitoring of grants by a highly experienced and knowledgeable team based in a Grants for the arts centre in Manchester.

There will be no changes to the eligibility criteria or to the assessment criteria for Grants for the arts.

In March 2010, applications to Grants for the arts will begin to be managed from the Grants for the arts centre in Manchester, and from 1st March 2010 applications can be submitted online.

The new Grants for the arts centre will be staffed by highly skilled arts specialists who have a strong knowledge of the arts and close relationships with regional offices.

Online applications are a major step forward in making Grants for the arts more widely accessible and application as easy as possible. This will be a simple, user-friendly process that will help applicants complete the information we need.

The online system will be launched in time for the first applications to be submitted online from 1st March 2010.

They are also simplifying the information they require for applications of £10,000 or less. Applicants will be asked for a shorter proposal which will mean that they can give applicants a decision in six weeks.

To ensure that the transition from one way of working to the other is as efficient and seamless as possible they will be suspending new applications to Grants for the arts between Monday 18th January and Friday 26th February.

Decisions will continue to be made throughout the transition period and, so they can assess all applications in good time, applicants may want to submit earlier or later than they were planning to. Applicants for £10,000 or less may find it is better to submit their applications later and get a quicker decision using the online process.

More information about the improvements to Grants for the arts is available from the www.artscouncil.org.uk/grantsfortheartschanges.