Bristol-based creative and cultural businesses can apply for grants of up to £5,000 under a new round of arts funding announced by the city’s council.
Applications for the funds are open to organisations and individuals working on creative projects taking place in the city between June 2021 and May 2022. It’s hoped smaller businesses and freelancers in particular will be able to benefit from the grants, which start at £500.
Councillor Craig Cheney, deputy mayor of Bristol, said: “Following an uncertain year for the creative industries, it’s more important than ever that we continue to support arts and cultural activity in the city.
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“We especially want to reach smaller organisations and freelancers who have been particularly hard-hit during the pandemic.
“This funding stream is intended to nurture new and emerging ideas and one-off projects as well as supporting organisations to develop and grow over a longer period.”
The money will be drawn from the Originators Fund, part of Bristol City Council’s Cultural Investment Programme. The initiative is designed to develop Bristol's national and international reputation as a creative cultural city, to actively advance equality and diversity and to improve people's lives through the arts.
The scheme funding from last year has just been released, after being delayed due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
A total of 25 projects are set to benefit including literary events for children, community festivals, theatre classes for young people and creative workshops for survivors of sexual violence.
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One of the recipients is community organisation Razana Afrika, which provides educational resources to people of African descents to learn about their culture and history.
Razana Afrika’s founder, Christelle Pellecuer, said: "We are really excited to receive Originators funding. It will enable us to move into a new phase in 2021 under a new name, Razana Afrika (African Ancestors) co-directed by Dr Marie-Annick Gournet and Dr Shawn Sobers, and curate our African King exhibition.
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“This will share stories of African kings with the community, and empower people to learn more about African history. We have wanted to develop this for a long time to complement our African Queen exhibition, which has been well received by the community.”
The deadline for applications for the latest round of Originators funding is midnight on Monday, March 8, 2021, with the outcome of submissions following in mid-May.
Those wishing to submit an application are encouraged to register for a free online information session which will be held on February 2.