Submissions open for Animate Explore Fund (UK)

Together Gloucester is a three-year programme that started in March 2024. The programme has been created with input from local communities and organisations from Gloucester. They invite everyone: communities, students, families, residents and visitors to get involved in being creative and active – whatever that means to you!

Their goal is to celebrate what makes Gloucester special by supporting ideas and events that involve arts and creativity. To help make these ideas a reality, they are offering funding to plan exciting events that matter to you.

This fund will support projects that are representative of Gloucester’s communities, stories, styles and art forms. It is important to show why and how a project is connected to the community you are working with.

Aim

• Over the next three years and beyond they collectively aim to:
  • Make Gloucester a better place to live, work and visit where everyone can enjoy fun, cultural activities
  • Involve Gloucester’s citizens in the city’s cultural decisions
  • Boost the health and well-being of communities
  • Help local organisations to work together more effectively
  • Encourage Gloucester’s citizens to celebrate their identity

Funding Information

• Animate Explore fund is a pot of £8,000 for applications up to £1,000.

Eligible Projects

• The Fund seeks to support projects that:
  • Have a strong connection to Gloucester and take place in Gloucester
  • Are creative and engage local communities and have a public benefit to residents of Gloucester
  • Benefit residents of Gloucester through cultural activity or development that addresses an identified gap in current provision
  • Demonstrate clear planning, delivery and evaluation methods
  • Contribute to one of Together Gloucester five step changes
  • Evidence project and budget management skills (e.g the budget balances)
  • Demonstrate a commitment to accessibility, inclusion and environmental sustainability

Eligibility Criteria

• All projects supported by Together Gloucester in this funding round must:
  • Take place between April 2025 and 31st March 2026
  • Have a strong connection to Gloucester and take place in Gloucester
  • Provide exciting creative arts activities which engage local communities and have a public benefit to residents of Gloucester
  • Not have already taken place/be seeking funding retrospectively, though a new development of an existing project is eligible.
  • Be free to attend/take part and not for profit
• The organisation or individual applying must:
  • Not have received Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation funding for the activity you are applying for
  • Be either a legally constituted organisation or if applying as an individual include a letter of support in reference from an organisation about you and to demonstrate that you are not seeking commercial income.
  • Have a bank or building society account.

For more information, visit Visit Gloucester.