Funding a Creative idea

Tell us about the funding that your project has been awarded?

I have been awarded just over £9K to bring this year-long project to life.

The Money has come from the Arts Council’s National Lottery Project Grants fund, which is an open access programme for arts, museums and libraries projects.  The fund supports thousands of individual artists, community and cultural organisations.

I am so grateful. I wouldn't have been able to do it properly without this funding.

What is the application process like? Was it very daunting?

So daunting!  I have been lucky enough to have the support of some very talented and established performers, Frances Knight and Martin Elliot, who encouraged me, told me my ideas (that formed over casual conversations over lockdown), were of interest and value. The application form nearly broke me to be honest.  I applied three times! But the biggest challenge was drilling down to the detail of what the Arts Council needed to see to fund the project and not just conjuring an image of what I wanted to produce as a creative.  The Arts Council want to see a full description of your vision too, but they also need to know you are going to engage an audience, manage a realistic budget and of course, deliver. 

What kind of budget detail were you required to provide? 

A lot - I had quite a good idea about what was needed to produce the project musically but the show also has spoken word and can be staged as a full theatrical performance, so I had to do quite a bit of research.  There was lots of detail to be entered line by line but there is useful information on the Arts Council website to help you.   I approached it as you would any new event; start with an idea - What do you really want to do or Create? Make a list and then cost it out.  Check your costings with the professionals then decide if you can really afford it…then cut your cloth!

What would you do differently in a future application?

I still feel as though I've made some mistakes.  As a first-time applicant I felt that my first application needed to come in below the 15K small project ceiling - perhaps this was wrong and only time will tell.  Although I added a good budget for contingency, I hadn’t realised the extent of additional items that needed to be taken into account, such as lighting design and a proper budget for stage management, and also that the number of rehearsals that are needed probably needs to double for a creative idea.  All in all, I may need to subsidise further personally but hey, it’s a passion project too so any shortfall will need to be found to bring this through to fruition.

Did you need to find referees familiar with your work to support your application?

No, well not directly but I did have support from proven artists. I think this was part of confidence building - demonstrating to the Arts Council that although I had no previous relationship with them,  I had the personnel in place to deliver the project and that I also had transferrable skills that would be put to good use.  After my application was turned down the second time the Arts Council contacted me and, following their advice, I sought a partner. After Folkestone Theatre agreed to partner me in the project I think the Arts Council were assured that this would happen. 

Was your application officially supported in other ways? 

I can't praise the Arts Council enough. They were professional and impartial but so supportive.  I was invited to online seminars and given the opportunity to have a chat with an advisor, these helped to reinforce and clarify what the Arts Council application process was about.  

How many drafts were submitted and rejected?

Two but when I look at the difference between the First and Third submissions I do understand why.  I explained the vision in iterations, but the final version really explains the aims and the delivery and the need to create this in a way that anyone could understand it.  All of the flowery language was paired down to What, Who, When, Where, Why and How much? 

What did you learn about redrafting your application in order to make it successful?

The final redraft has really given me the roadmap to deliver the project. I am using the application to plot and meet milestones and yes, keep on financial track.  

What difference has the funding made in bringing your project to life?

Without the funding.  I think I would have still produced something, but it would have taken longer and the cost cutting would have been extensive, brutal.  It would have been many steps away from the original idea.  I would have done it but would the Canterbury Festival have picked it up? I don't know. Would I have been able to stage a full theatrical version without the Tower Theatre on board? Probably not. 

Are you committed to any specific outcomes or criteria as a condition of the funding?

Yes but luckily the outcomes which have been agreed with the Arts Council are very closely aligned to my goals for the project too!.  The stories of Arriving, Being, and Belonging for 1st and 2nd Generation immigrants to the UK are part of our social history and should be told recorded and immortalised. The voices of older women are not heard enough and should be.  Oh and I am funny! (that's not an Arts Council outcome but I have added it to my list). 

What advice do you have for anybody who is thinking of applying for funding to build their Creative idea?

Be your own cheer squad.  Tell yourself to "Shut up and do it!"  We spend so much time talking ourselves out of things. Make yourself do it!  Apply, fail, apply again, and again... Oh, and then tell yourself you are going to do it anyway.