Jerwood Art Fund Grants to support Museums and Galleries (UK)

These grants aim to provide museums and galleries with 100% of the funding required to commission early to midcareer artists to create new work of exceptional innovation and quality – furthering the artist’s development at a pivotal stage in their careers, while enriching public collections through new contemporary art.

In addition to providing support to artists and enabling them to pursue their practice in the current challenging economic environment, Jerwood Art Fund Commissions will develop the skills and confidence of UK museums to undertake commissioning projects, whilst engaging audiences in the work of living artists.

Funding Information

• Two museums to offer commissions of £70,000 – £100,000 per year, covering the full costs of delivering and presenting the commissions in each partner museum.

Eligibility Criteria

• Organisation Criteria
  • In-line with Art Fund’s standard grant criteria, applications are invited from public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives based in the UK or Channel Islands that are:
    • Open for at least half the week for at least six months of the year.
    • At least provisionally accredited through the Arts Council Accreditation Scheme or other national equivalents.
  • They will also encourage partnerships between museums and other partners or institutions (e.g., commissioning agencies, local authorities etc) who want to commission work that will have a permanent legacy for artists, cultural organisations and audiences.
  • The resultant artwork would still enter a permanent collection and be in the care of the lead museum or gallery.
  • Art Fund does not accept applications or enquiries directly from artists.
• Artist and Commission Criteria
  • Applications will be required to meet all of the following criteria in relation to the artist and resulting commission:
    • The Jerwood Art Fund Commissions are aimed at supporting artists in the earlier to middle stages of their career, for whom this commission would constitute a significant opportunity. They envisage that this will include artists who are within the first five to ten years of their professional artistic practice, allowing for career breaks for any reason, or to have changed career later in life. In this definition they would also include artists who have changed medium. If you wish to commission an artist whose practice is more fully established or/and are at the later stages of their career you may wish to consider applying for a commission grant via their regular grant programme.
    • Artists who are either based in or have a significant connection to the UK.
    • Artists working across any area of artistic media or making practice (e.g., textiles, sculpture, ceramics, glass, painting, mixed-media, film, photography, performance etc).
    • Artists that demonstrate the potential for excellence and innovation in the works they produce.
    • Commissions that enter a permanent collection with a public UK institution, including permanent public realm commissions.
    • Commissions that demonstrate the potential for international, national or regional significance.
    • Commissions for which this grant would constitute 100% of the funding required.

For more information, visit Art Fund.