CFPs: Developing your Creative Practice Scheme (Round 22) – UK

Developing your Creative Practice (DYCP) supports the development of independent cultural and creative practitioners working in any of their supported disciplines.

The scheme encourages development by allowing people to innovate and take creative risks, work in new ways and to eventually reach new audiences. They want to make sure that as an independent practitioner, you have the tools you need to build and sustain a successful practice.

Focus Areas

• Any development activity they support must focus on one or more of these disciplines:
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Dance
  • Visual Arts
  • Literature
  • Libraries
  • Combined Arts
  • Museums practice
• However they know that people work in all sorts of settings and ways. For example, you might use creative media and technology in your practice. You may be using virtual reality or augmented reality. You might work with sport or science. Maybe you are bringing creativity into care homes or heritage settings. They encourage this, as long as your activity also clearly focuses on one or more of the disciplines they support.

Funding Information

• As an individual, you can apply for £2,000 to £12,000, to take a dedicated period of time to focus on your own cultural or creative development, and take you to the next stage of your practice.
• If you have any personal access costs, you can include these on top of the £12,000 maximum.
• Activities can be up to one year in length.

Eligible Activities

• Some examples of things you can apply for are:
  • building new networks for future development or to present your work in the future
  • creating new work
  • experimenting with new collaborators or partners
  • international travel to explore other practice or work with mentors
  • professional development activities, such as training
  • research and development time to explore your practice and take risks
  • practical steps to support your work to be more sustainable in future

Eligibility Criteria

• Listed below are some examples of what they mean by creative or cultural practitioner. If you don’t see yourself in this list, get in touch and they can let you know if your practice is something they can support:
  • Dancers
  • Choreographers
  • Writers
  • Translators
  • Producers
  • Publishers
  • Editors
  • Musicians
  • Conductors
  • Composers
  • Actors
  • Directors
  • Designers
  • Artists
  • Craft makers
  • Curators
  • DJs
  • Performer/creators
  • Arts and cultural educators
  • Community practitioners/engagement specialists
  • Movement directors
  • Cultural conservators
  • Creative enablers
  • Creative technicians
• Anyone who applies to Developing your Creative Practice needs to:
  • apply as an individual, or as a small group of practitioners who usually collaborate in their work.
  • if you’re a sole trader you need to make an application in your individual capacity, not on behalf of your business or company
  • be based within (live in) England
  • have a UK individual bank account in the exact name you’re applying in. They cannot accept business bank accounts for this programme. (If you apply as a small group of practitioners, one person should submit the application and take the lead on managing the grant, and should provide their bank details)
  • be at least 18 years old
  • have one years’ creative practice experience outside a formal education context.

Ineligibility Criteria

• This programme cannot support performers whose existing or planned way of working is to perform someone else’s work without providing creative input or leadership.
• Organisations cannot apply, and individuals cannot apply on behalf of an organisation.
• They will view your application as ineligible if:
  • It does not focus on the disciplines they support.
  • It does not clearly show how the activity will develop your practice.
  • It does not include the level of detail they need to make a decision.
  • You have recently made two unsuccessful or one successful application (Grantium will not allow you to apply if this is the case).
  • It does not include the supporting documents or links they need, or if you haven’t provided any passwords they need to access those documents or links.
  • You’ve included costs for activities, goods or services that have already taken place, been bought, or been ordered before they can make a decision on your application.
  • It includes costs (directly or indirectly) for statutory education, further education or higher education (undergraduate or postgraduate) for:
    • activities directly linked to formal courses of study
    • activities which contribute towards course assessment, tuition fees or living costs.

For more information, visit Arts Council England.