When applying for funding through Grants for the Arts, theatres are routinely advised to focus on the social, rather than artistic benefits of their work. This must change, says Rebecca Atkinson-Lord.
I’ve been hearing of lots of artists and companies getting turned down for funding through Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts scheme, with even highly established and internationally renowned ones failing in their bids. It has begun to generate a climate of fear among the theatre-makers I speak to, with conflicting advice spreading like wildfire.
The advice for funding applicants that I hear most frequently seems simple: make the social impact stronger, emphasise the tangible outputs in terms of social change, talk about the opportunities for education and training the piece will provide. I have never heard anyone advise an artist to focus more on the philosophy of the art they hope to make when writing a funding application... Keep reading on The Guardian
I’ve been hearing of lots of artists and companies getting turned down for funding through Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts scheme, with even highly established and internationally renowned ones failing in their bids. It has begun to generate a climate of fear among the theatre-makers I speak to, with conflicting advice spreading like wildfire.
The advice for funding applicants that I hear most frequently seems simple: make the social impact stronger, emphasise the tangible outputs in terms of social change, talk about the opportunities for education and training the piece will provide. I have never heard anyone advise an artist to focus more on the philosophy of the art they hope to make when writing a funding application... Keep reading on The Guardian