Artist Funding in United Kingdom
Arts councils, grants, and funding bodies for artists
Arts Council England
The principal public arts funder in England, supporting artists, museums, libraries, and cultural organisations. For visual artists, National Lottery Project Grants is the best-known open-access route, typically supporting project and development costs rather than unrestricted income; grants can range from small awards to six-figure project support depending on the scheme.
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
The main public funder for arts in Northern Ireland, supporting artists, venues, and organisations across disciplines. Its funding includes project and development support that can be relevant to visual artists, often through annual or rolling programmes depending on the scheme.
Arts Council of Wales
The national arts council for Wales, funding individual artists and organisations across the arts. It offers a mix of open and targeted support, including small grants and project funding for creative development, production, and participation, with opportunities that are often accessible to individual visual artists.
Creative Scotland
Scotland’s national public funding body for the arts, creative industries, screen, and heritage. It supports individuals and organisations through open and targeted funds, including support for artist development, project creation, and organisational activity; individual awards are often in the hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds.
Jerwood Foundation
A major independent arts funder with a strong track record of supporting artists through commissions, development programmes, exhibitions, and partnerships. Visual artists may encounter Jerwood through project-based opportunities and artist-development initiatives rather than open unrestricted grants.
The Foyle Foundation
A charitable foundation that supports arts organisations, venues, libraries, and educational activity, with some relevance to visual artists working through institutions or public-facing projects. It is especially useful for capital, core, and organisational support rather than direct individual artist grants.
The Leverhulme Trust
A major UK research and arts-related funder best known for supporting fellowships, research, and interdisciplinary work. Visual artists are more likely to encounter it through research-led collaborations, residencies, or academic partnerships than through standard production grants.
The National Lottery Community Fund
A major UK-wide National Lottery funder supporting community benefit projects, including arts activity when it strengthens communities, participation, and local impact. Artists can apply directly in some programmes, and awards range from small community grants to much larger multi-year projects.
Artist Residencies in United Kingdom
95 residencies listed
Delfina Foundation
London, United Kingdom
The Delfina Foundation Residency Program, based in London, offers opportunities for artists, curators, and writers to develop their practice, explore connections, and build collaborations. Residencies, lasting up to three months, are largely thematic and support both emerging and established cultural practitioners. The Foundation hosts 6 to 8 residents simultaneously in its central London location, providing flexible living and working space. Residents engage with international peers and the public, fostering artistic exchange and professional development. The program has a strong focus on critical issues in contemporary art and has established relationships with the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.
The Muse Gallery & Studio
London, United Kingdom
The Muse Gallery & Studio offers an Artist in Residence program to support recent graduates by providing subsidized studio space and gallery exposure to cultivate client and industry connections. Since 2004, this residency has been bridging the gap between academia and the professional art world, with a focus on emerging artists. Residents benefit from shared resources, mentorship, and opportunities to participate in community arts projects, exhibitions, and events. The residency spans from January to June each year, beginning and concluding with group shows. Selected artists are also offered a three-week solo exhibition during the following calendar year. The program is designed to foster professional development and facilitate networking, with additional support for event management and marketing.
ArtHouse Jersey
St Mary, United Kingdom
ArtHouse Jersey offers an inspiring residency program for artists from around the world, providing them with time, space, and resources to develop their practice in the tranquil and scenic surroundings of Jersey, located on the north coast at Greve de Lecq Barracks. The residency welcomes artists from all disciplines and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration with local artists, fostering creative exchanges that contribute to both the artists’ work and the cultural landscape of Jersey. The residency provides an immersive environment where artists can focus on their projects while drawing inspiration from the island’s natural beauty and rich artistic heritage. Notably, Jersey has a long history of attracting creatives like Victor Hugo and Claude Cahun. While the residency is typically invitation-only, artists interested in proposing a project or visit can reach out to ArtHouse Jersey’s Head of Programme to explore opportunities for collaboration. Residencies at ArtHouse Jersey frequently result in lasting relationships between the visiting artists and the local creative community, often leading to collaborative projects, exhibitions, and other forms of creative expression.
A Sometimes Project
United Kingdom
I don't have information about "A Sometimes Project" artist residency in the provided search results. The search results contain details about other residency programs like The Momentary, The Beautiful Project, Centrum, and Bemis Center, but none of them match the program you're asking about. To provide you with accurate information about this specific residency's offerings, location, and eligibility requirements, I would need search results that directly cover that program.
ACA Allenheads Contemporary Arts
Old School House, United Kingdom
ACA offers self-funded residencies at its base in the Old Schoolhouse Allenheads in Northumberland.Creative practitioners can immerse themselves in a stimulating, expansive and striking environment, to explore possibilities and practices within a new context.Whether you need to research or produce, ACA can provide a supportive environment, for creative practitioners from all disciplines.Your visit can be totally self-steered or you may wish to create a programme that would be informed by a wide
Acme
London, United Kingdom
Acme Studios, established in 1972 and celebrating its 50th anniversary, is a London-based not-for-profit organization that provides affordable studios, work/live spaces, and a comprehensive artist support program. Acme supports over 800 artists across 15 buildings in Greater London annually. The organization offers a range of residency programs, including fully funded and subsidized opportunities tailored to artists at different career stages—from early-career to established practitioners. Acme’s residencies provide financial support, professional development, mentoring, and exhibition opportunities, all within a supportive artist peer community. Their flagship Fire Station Residency offers artists a five-year term to focus on their practice. Acme also engages in various partnerships that extend additional opportunities to resident artists.