The Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s (PHF's) mission is to "to be an effective and independent funder, using its resources to create opportunities and support social change".
PHF works around the following key strategic priorities:
- Nurturing ideas and people – supporting imaginative people to nurture exciting ideas.
- Arts – supporting organisations working at the intersection of art and social change.
- Education and learning through the arts – improving people’s education and learning through the arts.
- Investing in young people – supporting the development and growth of organisations investing in young people and positive change.
Grants of between £90,000 and £300,000 are available for activity lasting up to three years. The grants can cover up to 50% of an organisation’s annual turnover over three years, based on their last audited accounts.
A bursary of up to £500 is available to help organisations apply.
The Fund provides long-term, core funding to organisations who work at the intersection of art and social change so they can continue the work they are already doing and for programmes which are central to their mission.
The support is for not-for-profit cultural organisations who:
- Use their creative practice to help us engage with the complexity of the world around us.
- Centre the lived experience of those affected by injustice in their programmes, leadership and governance.
- Are exploring how values of care, equity and justice can be embedded in their own organisational culture.
- Have a clear sense of their own role in supporting change as part of a wider ecosystem.
- Are generous with their learning and working with other organisations towards mutual aims.
- Use their creative practice to challenge traditional cultural hierarchies of genre and art form.
The Arts Fund supports the long-term development and transformation of these organisations as a route towards social justice and sustainability.
PHF defines ‘arts’ to include crafts, creative writing (including poetry), dance, design, film, music, opera, photography, digital arts and media, theatre and drama, the visual arts and cross-arts practices.
This fund is focused on supporting organisations to become more sustainable and to deepen the impact of the work. This can include support for specific posts, skills development, underpinning of the strategy or business model and for project delivery which is central to their organisation’s mission and vision.
Consideration will be given to how organisations have been impacted by systemic inequities, such as (but not limited to) racial inequity, socio-economic disadvantage, having disabilities, living in isolated rural communities or experience of the immigration system.
Priority will be given to applications which are actively anti-racist and intersectional in their approach.
The funding will cover work that involves any of the following: crafts, creative writing (including poetry), dance, design, film, music, opera, photography, digital arts and media, theatre and drama, the visual arts and cross-arts practices.
How To Apply
There is a two stage application process:
- The first stage is to complete the online application form.
- Groups that are successful at stage one will be invited to the second stage which entails a conversation with the Foundation and providing any additional information.
There are two application windows for the stage one application form:
- Round 1 opens 4 April and closes 31 May 2024 (12 noon).
- Round 2 opens 14 August and closes 14 October 2024.
The guidance notes, sample application form and the online application form are available from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation website.
PHF is hosting two online Q&A sessions. Registration is required:
Contact the Paul Hamlyn Foundation for further information (details below)