Fenland Culture Fund

Small grants of up to £2,000 are available to local creative individuals and organisations.

Grants can be spent on revenue or capital expenditure to either:

• Support the delivery of arts, culture and heritage projects and activities in Fenland.
• Invest in equipment and tools, and adapt or improve new or existing cultural spaces.

The deadline for applications is Monday 13 January 2025.

• Who can apply
• What you can apply for
  • Revenue applications
  • Capital applications
• How to apply
• About the fund

Who can apply

The Fenland Culture Fund is open to:

• Individuals aged 16 years or over, either living or working in Fenland.
• Arts, culture and heritage organisations either based in or working in Fenland.

We especially encourage applications from individuals and organisations that have not previously applied or were unsuccessful in the first funding round. If an individual or organisation has previously received funding through the Fenland Culture Fund, new applications must propose a distinct new activity or clearly demonstrate how they are genuinely adding value to the previous funded project.

What you can apply for

Small grants of up to £2,000 are available from a grant pot totalling £50,000.

The grant pot is made up of:

• £35,000 in revenue funding to support the delivery of arts, culture and heritage projects and activities in Fenland.
• £15,000 in capital funding to invest in equipment and tools, and adapt or improve new or existing cultural spaces, to support local creative individuals and organisations in their practice.

Applications must benefit communities or artists in Fenland and must align to at least one of the following outcomes that align to the Fenland Cultural Strategy:

• Building new relationships
• Reaching more people
• Improving the quality of your work
• Supporting artistic ambition

Typical revenue expenditure may involve one or more of a range of cultural or heritage activities such as drama, music, painting, photography, craft, storytelling, writing, circus, dance, digital arts, nature, archaeology, or museum practice. These activities might take the form of, for example, the creation of new work, skills development, the staging of a performance, an exhibition, workshops, development of a heritage or nature trail, a festival, etc.

Capital expenditure is for non-consumable items with a lifespan of several years. For example, the purchase of new equipment, tools or signage, refurbishment of an existing arts, culture or heritage space, or studio improvements.

What you can't apply for:

• Activity that has already taken place
• Activity that takes place outside of Fenland
• Statutory services that should be provided by organisations such as schools, libraries etc.
• Except for partnership projects and as described in your application form, funds cannot be passed on to other organisations and will not fund investments.

How to apply

To apply for a Fenland Culture Fund grant, please fill the relevant application form linked below:

Please note, eligible individuals and organisations may apply for either a revenue or capital grant. There is a limit of one grant application per individual/organisation.

• Fenland Culture Fund Application Form - Revenue Grant
• Fenland Culture Fund Application Form - Capital Grant

Not sure which grant to apply for? View the difference between revenue and capital expenditure. 

Applicants will be asked to:

• State how much grant funding you wish to apply for (up to £2,000)
• State which Fenland Culture Strategy outcome/s your proposed activity/proposed capital purchase aligns to
• Describe your work and background relevant to the proposed activity/proposed capital purchase
• Describe your proposed activity/proposed capital purchase
• State whether there are any project partners involved and what their role is
• Explain how much the proposed activity/proposed capital purchase will cost
• Describe the people you expect to reach and how they will benefit (revenue grant)
• Describe how you will benefit (capital grant)

The deadline for applications is Monday 13 January 2025.

Anyone needing support with their applications can email culturefund@fenland.gov.uk or call 07563 375911. Support is available weekdays, with the exception of weeks commencing 23^rd and 30^th December.

About the fund

The grant scheme is managed by Fenland District Council and is designed to support Fenland's Creativity and Culture Strategy (PDF) [1MB] .

It is funded through the Government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund, via the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, and Arts Council England and is a partnership project with the Fenland Culture Partnership and Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy.

Grants of up to £2,000 are available to spend on revenue and capital expenditure that involve arts, culture or heritage in Fenland.

The grant scheme was launched on 9 October 2023 as a pilot programme, with plans to make it a long-term fund depending on future funding.

The first round of the fund was for revenue expenditure only and closed to applications on 20 November 2023. You can read about the successful round one applicants here: Over £34,000 awarded to arts, culture and heritage organisations across Fenland

Alongside the Fenland Culture Fund, we are also in the process of establishing a Giving Circle as a partnership project with Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy.

Through the Giving Circle programme, the Fenland Cultural Strategy will look to create longevity, and a feeling of continuous, demonstrably beneficial impact where to date, there has been a lack of joined up investment across the district and its established networks. The Giving Circle programme will provide an opportunity for local businesses and individuals to support their local creative and cultural economy in an accessible way, encouraging the growth and sustainability of arts, culture, and heritage in Fenland.