Expert-led resources
UK arts funding guides
Practical guidance on funder fit, evidence, budgets, access, outcomes and stronger funding applications.
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Featured guides
- Audience & Reach for ACE: What to Include (Templates)
How to write the Audience and Reach section in your Arts Council England Project Grant application with examples, copy-ready paragraphs, and a simple template.
- ACE Bid Writer for Theatre Makers: What the Application Needs To Prove
Specific ACE Project Grants advice for theatre makers, producers, companies, and touring projects.
- ACE Budgets: Simple Template + Common Pitfalls
How to build a clear, realistic Arts Council England Project Grant budget. Includes an example template and advice on common mistakes to avoid.
- Evaluation for ACE: Practical Methods That Don’t Drain Time
How to evaluate your Arts Council England Project Grant without wasting hours. Simple, reliable methods and templates you can use instantly.
- How to Write a Strong Arts Council England Project Grant
Step-by-step guide to structuring Need, Outcomes, Audience, Activities, Budget and Evaluation for Arts Council England Project Grants.
- ACE Project Grants: Need vs Outcomes (Examples You Can Adapt)
Understand the difference between Need and Outcomes in Arts Council England Project Grants. Includes real examples and a copy-paste framework you can use.
- ACE Theatre Bid Writing Support: Turning a Complex Project Into a Clear Application
A theatre-focused case study on making ACE Project Grants applications clearer, more deliverable, and easier to assess.
- AI for Arts Marketing, Communications, and Planning
Practical ways arts organisations can use AI for communications, planning, audience copy, access text, and internal workflows.
- AI for Charity Reporting and Evaluation: Useful, But Handle With Care
How charities and arts organisations can use AI to summarise feedback, draft reports, and spot themes without mishandling data.
- AI for Small Charity Admin: Practical Uses That Actually Save Time
How small charities can use AI for admin, planning, policies, meeting notes, emails, and internal processes without losing control.
- AI Training for Arts Organisations: What Staff Should Actually Learn
A practical guide to AI training for arts organisations that need safer workflows, stronger funding applications, and less admin pressure.
- AI Workflow Audit for Charities: Where To Start Before Buying More Tools
Before charities invest in AI tools, they should map real workflows, risks, quick wins, and staff capacity.
- Arts Funding Consultant vs Bid Writer: Which Do You Need?
The difference between bid writing, funder research, application review, and longer-term arts funding strategy.
- Awards for All Application Support for Community Arts Projects
How to prepare your own Awards for All application so it is clearer, more local and easier to assess.
- Awards for All Support: Movement Works Outcome Note
A carefully labelled outcome note from a client who reported that their National Lottery application was successful.
- DYCP Bid Writer for Artists: Making Development Sound Fundable
How to make a DYCP application sound like genuine creative development rather than a normal project plan.
- DYCP Outcomes: How to Show Learning and Growth Clearly
A practical guide to writing strong outcomes for your DYCP application. Learn how to show artistic growth, learning, reflection, and long term development in clear, funder friendly language.
- DYCP: What Counts as Development (Discipline Specific Examples)
A clear guide to what Arts Council England considers genuine development in a DYCP application. Includes examples for theatre, visual arts, writing, dance, music, digital work and more.
- Funder Research for Artists: How a Useful Shortlist Works
How funder research helps artists avoid wasting time on the wrong applications.
- Grant Writer for Artists UK: What Good Support Actually Does
What a grant writer for artists should help with, what to expect, and how to choose the right kind of support.
- How Arts Organisations Can Write a Simple AI Policy
A plain-English guide to creating an AI policy for arts organisations, charities, and small cultural teams.
- How Charities Can Use AI Safely for Funding Applications
AI can help charities draft, review, and improve funding applications, but only if privacy, accuracy, and human judgement stay in control.
- How Much Does an Arts Grant Writer Cost in the UK?
A plain-English guide to arts grant writer costs, what affects the quote, and when paying for bid writing support makes sense.
- How To Choose the Right Arts Funder Before You Write
A practical guide to funder fit, route mapping, and avoiding wasted time on the wrong application.
- How To Use AI for Funder Research Safely
AI can speed up funder research, but artists and charities still need to check eligibility, deadlines, criteria, and evidence at source.
- Last-Minute Arts Council Bid Help: What To Fix First
If your ACE deadline is close, here is what to prioritise before paying for help or submitting in a panic.
- Paul Hamlyn Application Support: Ballroom Culture Case Study
A short case study on supporting a successful Paul Hamlyn Foundation application with respect, clarity, and cultural care.
- Should I Hire a Bid Writer for My ACE Application?
When an ACE Project Grants bid writer is useful, when to write it yourself, and what to prepare before getting help.
- Using AI for Grant Applications Without Losing Your Voice
AI can help structure a grant application, but the strongest funding bids still need human voice, context, evidence, and judgement.
- What Does a Bid Writer Need From Me?
A simple preparation guide for artists and organisations before working with a manual bid writer.
- What To Send a Grant Writer Before a Funding Deadline
A practical checklist of what to send a bid writer so they can quote quickly and help properly.
- What Trustees Need To Know About AI in Fundraising
A plain-English guide for trustees and senior leaders on AI, fundraising, governance, risk, and practical oversight.
- Why Your Arts Funding Bid Keeps Getting Rejected
Common reasons arts funding bids fail, and how a bid writer thinks about fixing the application.