Public Engagement and Grants for the Arts

Public engagement and Grants for the Arts

Contents

1Grants for the Arts

2Public engagement and Grants for the Arts

2.1What do we mean by public engagement?

2.2What do we look for in an application?

3Public engagement in the arts

4Further information

5Contact us

1Grants for the Arts

Grants for the Arts (GFTA) is our Lottery-funded grant programme for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. Grants are available for activities carried out over a set period and which engage people in England in arts activities and help artists and arts organisations in England carry out their work.

Activities we support must be clearly related to the arts and must be project-based, up to a maximum of three years in length. Grants normally range from £1,000 to £100,000 and we can fund up to 90 per cent of the cost of an activity.

All applicants must also read the ‘How to apply guidance’. Download it from our website or contact us for a copy.

2Public engagement and Grants for the Arts

Arts Council England’s mission is to enable everyone to experience arts that enrich their lives. We believe that great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.

We want as many people as possible to engage with the arts, and every Grants for the Arts application must engage the public.

2.1What do we mean by public engagement?

There are different ways that people can engage with an activity. They might include:

as active participants (for example, in a workshop)
as audience members
as readers (for example, of a publication)
as participants in research or public consultation (such as helping to plan an activity)

2.2What do we look for in an application?

How an activity will engage people will vary enormously depending on the nature of the work, and we don’t expect every application to meet all of these points. We want applicants to tell us how their activity will enable people to have a great experience of the arts, in ways that are relevant and appropriate to their work.

When identifying activities that will enable more people to engage with the arts we look for applications that:

understand who the audience for the work is likely to be
explain why the work will be interesting, challenging or inspiring for that audience
offer something new for audiences that are likely to have some experience of the arts already
actively seek to reach groups who are less likely to engage with the arts
think about taking work to places that people already go, by presenting work or running projects in a non-traditional venue or very accessible place
have strong audience development, marketing or communications plans
involve members of the public in the design, creation or delivery of the work or activity
show how work will engage audiences in the future. This is particularly relevant for research and development projects that may not have immediate opportunities to directly engage with the public
seek to provide positive benefits for communities such as bringing different groups of people together, reaching people who experience particular disadvantage or deprivation, helping people to develop new skills or improving the appearance or atmosphere of an area

3Public engagement in the arts

We estimate that around two-thirds of people in England currently attend or participate in the arts (You can read more about levels of arts attendance and participation on our website: )

However, most people do so infrequently, and for a variety of reasons such as lack of time, poor health, cost, or lack of interest, some groups are less likely to engage than others, particularly:

people with little or no formal education
people in a lower socio-economic position (for example people in routine or manual occupations)
people from Black and minority ethnic groups
people in poor health and/or with a limiting long-term illness or disability
people on low incomes
people who live in social housing

4Further information

Looking at case studies and other research could be helpful. This website gives examples of case studies, advice, and guidance on how to be more focused on communities and the public.

Arts audiences: insight segmentation breaks down the English adult population in terms of their engagement with the arts. It provides insight into the patterns of arts consumption and attitudes towards the arts, how people spend their leisure time and what competes with the arts for people’s attention. It also considers socio-demographic factors, media consumption and lifestyles.

5Contact us

Phone:0845 300 6200, 0161 934 4317

Textphone:0161 934 4428

Email:

Website:

Post:Arts Council England - Grants for the Arts,

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