Arts grant scheme criteria

• Aims of the grant scheme
• Who can apply?
• Who can not apply
• What we will fund
• What we will not fund
• How much can you apply for?
• The application process
• Completing the application form
• What happens next?
• If your application is successful
• Acknowledging the grant
• When the grant may be repaid
• If your application is unsuccessful
• Getting advice

Aims of the grant scheme

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea recognises the value of the arts and wishes to support artists and organisations to develop high quality arts events within the borough, in line with the priorities set out in the Arts Strategy for Kensington and Chelsea.

• encouraging participation in arts and cultural activity
• building an informed and critical audience for arts and cultural activity
• developing excellence in artistic practice

The council also supports the spirit and ambition of the Cultural Olympiad which starts in autumn 2008, and ancourages applicants to consider how their projects could contribute towards the values of this:

• celebrating London and the whole of the UK; welcoming the world with our unique internationalism, cultural diversity, sharing and understanding
• inspiring and involving young people
• generating a positive legacy

For the purposes of the Arts Grants scheme, the term "the arts" includes, but not exclusively:

• music
• sound
• dance
• mime
• drama
• theatre
• storytelling
• creative writing
• poetry
• architecture and allied fields
• printmaking
• installation
• circus
• carnival
• painting
• ceramics
• sculpture
• photography
• costume and fashion design
• public art
• digital arts
• video
• new media
• film and animation

The Arts Grants scheme is for arts activities or projects which are undertaken within the boundaries of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and demonstrate that they meet at least two of its strategic objectives.

For 2008/2009 these objectives are:

1. Providing opportunities for residents to participate in high-quality arts activity, especially those who are at risk of social exclusion or discrimination.
2. Developing local people’s creative potential.
3. Implementing audience development strategies or marketing initiatives where the activity aims to attract new audiences.
4. Providing opportunities for audiences to experience and debate challenging and innovative new work.
5. Enabling innovation and the creation of new work and supporting research and development for projects.
6. Developing opportunities for artists to collaborate on projects which may include more than one art form.
7. Delivery of projects by culturally diverse or disabled artists.

The Arts Grants scheme is seeking to support innovative and high quality arts projects, and has made a commitment to allocating at least a third of the available Arts Grants to projects which support cultural diversity in the arts.

There will be a large demand on this fund, so unfortunately not all applications will be successful. We advise you to speak to an officer from the Arts Service prior to making an application. See Arts Service.

The Arts Service may also be able to advise you on alternative sources of funding for your project.

Who can apply?

• Registered charities, community groups or non-profit making organisations based within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• Registered charities, community groups or non-profit making organisations based outside of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea but applying with a project that will take place in the borough
• Individual artists aged 18 or over who work within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Who can not apply

• Schools or educational establishments, including colleges
• Any maintained organisations or departments within the local authority
• Commercial or profit-making organisations
• Anyone aged under 18

What we will fund

• Arts projects meeting at least two of the strategic objectives for the Arts grants scheme
• Arts projects or activities based within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea - projects that encourage artists to develop their own practice
• Arts projects which have a participatory element within them
• Artist based talks and events
• Research and development work leading to a project or activity that has, or will result in, a clear public benefit
• Marketing and promotional material which is required as part of a project or exhibition
• Materials or equipment required for a specific art project (estimates may be requested)
• Guarantee against loss.

What we will not fund

• Projects which are for private gain, or result in a profit being made
• Framing or exhibition mounting costs
• Capital material costs
• The development or maintenance of websites
• Study or training fees of any kind
• Fundraising events
• Activities which promote a particular political or religious view
• Refreshments or meals
• Core running costs or overheads , for example utilities, stationery or rent (*although up to 10 per cent of your budget may include costs for overheads specific to your application)
• Loan repayments
• VAT
• Budget deficits
• Endowments
• Promotional videos or films
• Activities which have no public benefit for residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• Activities which have already taken place
• Activities placed in a formal education setting as part of the core curriculum
• Recurring or on-going projects such as regular workshops
• Projects, activities, performances or exhibitions which take place outside of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• Duplication of existing provision
• Projects that don’t have a strong arts component

How much can you apply for?

Individuals can apply for grants up to a maximum of £1,000

Organisations can apply for grants up to a maximum of £3,000

Please note that any individual or organisation can only hold one Arts Grant per financial year.

The application process

1. Applicants must complete an Arts Grants Form. See Arts Grants Form [PDF file] (File size 189Kb)

2. All completed forms should be printed, signed and then sent to:

The Arts Service Manager
Central Library
Phillimore Walk
London, W8 7RX

by the deadline listed below.

Please ensure that the all sections of have been fully completed, and the form has been signed or the application will not be considered

Deadlines

The deadlines for applications are:

• Friday 16 May for events starting after 1 July 2008
• Friday 19 September for events starting after 1 November 2008
• Friday 16 January for events starting after 1 March 2009

Please ensure that a hard copy of your fully completed application arrives by 5pm on the deadline shown above or we will not be able to consider it for that round. Note that we do not accept applications by email.

Completing the application form

You can refer to these notes as you complete the application form. If you have any further queries about any of the questions in the application form, please contact the Arts Service for advice.

We recommend that you:

• Fill in the form clearly, either by typing or writing in black ink.
• Keep your answers within the requested word limits.
• Answer all questions in this application form, and that your answers are appropriate to the questions.

Section A
This section requests basic information about you and/or your organisation, including contact details and organisational status.

We require all organisations to have a signed constitution and a bank account with two signatories.

Section B

This section is about the project you are proposing to undertake and the people that this project is for. Please ensure that you answer all questions fully as the information in this section will be used to assess your application.

In your application you will be required to clearly demonstrate how your project meets at least two of the strategic objectives for the Arts Grants scheme as outlined in the application form.

This section also asks you to describe how you will monitor and evaluate your project. Arts Council England have produced a publication entitled Partnerships for learning: a guide to evaluating arts education projects which gives some helpful techniques for effectively monitoring and evaluating projects.

You can download this publication for free from the Arts Council website. See: Partnerships for Learning - A guide to evaluating arts education projects [PDF file] (File size 506Kb)

Please do not exceed the advised word limit for each question in this section

Section C
This section refers to any other funding you might have received through the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's Arts Grants scheme or other funding initiatives.

Section D
This section refers to the budget for your project and is important as the information in this section will be used to assess your application.

Within your budget please can you ensure that you show how you have arrived at your figures, for instance the number of days you will be employing an artist; or the number of tickets you expect to sell and at what price.

Please note: The maximum levels of grant you can apply for is £1,000 for individuals, and £3000 for organisations.

If you are including in kind support in your budget, please show this in both the income and expenditure tables to ensure that your budget balances.

The Arts Service is keen to promote the use of recommended payment rates for artists. Further information about this can be found on the Arts Council England website. See How to pay artists (Word document – file size 52Kb)

A-N, the Artists Information company also have a number of codes of practice or good practice guides to working with visual artists, including one around calculating fees. You can access these at the AN The Artist Information Company website. See Professional Code of Practice.

Alternatively, you can call A-N on Tel: 0191 241 8000.

For payment rates for musicians, please contact the Musicians Union. See at Musicians Union or Tel: 020 7582 5566

Partnership or match funding

Applicants to the Arts Grants scheme must be able to show that at least 10 per cent of the total project costs is covered from funding sources other than the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The partnership or match funding may take the form of:

• A grant from another public funding body
• A grant from a trust or foundation
• Company or business sponsorship or donations
• Own or other individual’s contributions
• Earned income, for instance sales of tickets, merchandise, refreshments or advertising
• In kind support of the project. This can include:
  • offers of materials
  • equipment
  • work or rehearsal space
  • transport and professional time given free to the project (both artistic and administrative)

In kind support needs to be included in the budget prepared for the application.

Section E
This is the declaration, which you must sign.

Please ensure that you complete the checklist and send copies of the relevant papers or documents such as recent annual accounts and a copy of your constitution, with your application. Failure to do so may mean that your application will not be assessed.

Section F
This section asks for information relating to Equal Opportunities Monitoring. Any information given in this section does not form part of the assessment process but enables the Arts Service to monitor applications and to identify areas of the local community which may be underrepresented in the Arts Grants scheme.

What happens next?

The assessment process

Grants will be assessed by the Arts Service and recommendations will be presented to an Arts Grant Panel for consideration.

Please note. The following criteria will be considered in the assessment process to decide whether your project will receive funding:

• Evidence that your project will meet at least two of the strategic objectives
• You are able to plan and organise the project properly
• You are able to monitor the progress of the project
• You are able to evaluate the project’s achievements
• The project budget is viable and offers value for money
• The project’s activities are open to all residents of Kensington and Chelsea who could benefit from them
• The innovative nature of your project

If your application is successful

You will be notified by letter within six weeks of the deadline.

The letter will tell you how much money you are being awarded and what the money is for. This may differ from the amount requested on your application form. The terms and conditions of the grant will be clearly set out.

Print / download Terms and Conditions [PDF file] (File size 36Kb)

We will expect you to notify us of when your project will be taking place, as officers may attend your project as part of ongoing monitoring of the Arts Grants scheme.

70 per cent of the grant will be paid in advance; the remaining 30 per cent to be paid by the Arts Service on receipt of a completed project evaluation form, including final accounts for the project.

Failure to return the evaluation form within six weeks of the project completion date may mean that you are ineligible for future funding from the Arts Grants scheme.

All projects must be completed within 12 months of the offer letter.

We are unable to fund any event which is profit making. This means that the final amount paid may be reduced if income from other sources has exceeded expectations.

It is a condition of this grant that you will comply with any statutory requirements relating to working with children and vulnerable adults. You will be required to carry out the necessary Criminal Records Bureau checks before appointing staff to work with children under the age of 18 years and vulnerable adults. You are also required to follow any guidance which may be issued by the Council.

Acknowledging the grant

Successful applicants will be required to acknowledge the grant by using the Royal Borough's logo on all publicity materials.

For a copy of the Royal Borough logo and guidance on it’s use, contact:

Arts Information Officer
Arts Service
Central Library
Phillimore Walk
London
W8 7RX
Tel: 020 7361 3844
Email: arts@rbkc.gov.uk

When the grant may be repaid

Under certain circumstances, we may ask for a grant to be repaid either in part or whole. These circumstances will vary but may include the following:

• The organisation/individual ceases to operate, or is declared bankrupt, or is placed into liquidation or receivership
• The organisation/individual fails to use the grant for the purpose for which it was obtained, or fails to complete the project within 12 months of a grant being awarded
• The organisation/individual fails to comply with the conditions of the grant
• The application form was completed fraudulently, incorrectly or misleadingly
• The organisation/individual has acted fraudulently or negligently at any time during the period of the grant
• If a grant was awarded on a guarantee against loss basis and the event made a profit

If your application is unsuccessful

If you are not awarded a grant you will receive a letter informing you of this decision and the reason for the application being turned down within six weeks of the deadline.

We expect to have to turn down some applications. If your application is turned down there is no right of appeal.

Most of the projects we are unable to fund will be turned down because:

• They do not meet the funding criteria
• The application form was not filled in correctly
• The application form and/or the accompanying information such as annual accounts was not received by the deadline
• We have insufficient funds available to support the application
• The project is duplicating other local provision

You will be eligible to apply again in future rounds of funding.

Getting advice

We are happy to advise you on any aspect of your application either by email, phone or face to face. For further advice or information about the Arts Grants scheme please contact a member of the Arts Service team on 020 7361 3003, or email Arts@rbkc.gov.uk

Arts and Museums

• Arts Services
• Opera Holland Park
• Leighton House Museum
• Linley Sambourne House
• The Orangery
• The Ice House
• Carlyle's House
• Commonwealth Institute
• Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
• National Army Museum
• Natural History Museum
• RCM Museum of Instruments
• Royal Court Theatre
• Royal Hospital Museum
• Science Museum
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Virtual Museum
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