Who can apply: a-n members and non a-n members who are artists and/or freelancers working in the visual arts are eligible to apply.
What: Bursaries of £500 to £1,500 for continued professional practice.
When: Activity taking place up until 31 December 2022.
Applications open: Friday 14 January 2022, 12 noon.
Deadline for applications: Thursday 3 February 2022, 12 noon.
Overview
a-n The Artists Information Company is offering bursaries of £500 to £1,500 to help support individuals whose plans have changed due to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and the continued impact of the pandemic.
We know that it continues to be a challenging time for artists and freelancers working in the visual arts so this emergency response fund is designed to support the continuation of creative practice and/or help alleviate financial pressures at this critical time.
We encourage applications from artists working in all visual arts disciplines that reflect innovative and ambitious thinking, and freelancers working in the visual arts such as art handlers, technicians, art installers, conservators and restorers, and those who work with artists in the production of their work and exhibitions.
a-n Bursaries 2022: Time Space Money is supported by Arts Council England who are contributing £200,000 towards the programme.
Deadline for applications: Thursday 3 February 2022, 12 noon.
How to apply
Applications are submitted via an online application form.
Please read the Further information and Application guidance below, before starting your application.
We advise you to first write your application offline and to then transfer your answers to the online form. Please note that you will not be sent a copy of your submitted application, therefore we encourage you to save your own copy offline.
You will be asked to provide:
- Your contact details
- Your a-n membership number (if you are not an a-n member, you can still apply for a bursary if you are based in England and are an artist or freelancer working in the visual arts)
- Confirmation of whether you made an application to a-n Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money or Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice or National Lottery Project Grants programmes within the past 12 months (January 2021 – January 2022 inclusive) and whether they were successful
- Your area of visual arts practice
- A short overview of your proposed bursary (up to 40 words)
- An outline of your creative practice and/or your current employment circumstances (up to 150 words)
- A full description of what you propose to use the bursary for (up to 150 words)
- Why is this activity critical to your creative practice and/or visual arts profession under the current circumstances related to Covid-19 and the impact of Omicron? How will the activity benefit you in the short and long term? (up to 150 words)
- Amount applied for (£500 to £1,500)
- Additional disability access costs (up to £500), if required
- Details on any other sources of income, if applicable (up to 100 words)
- A detailed breakdown of your expenditure budget
- A list of your most recent solo exhibitions (up to 250 words)
- A list of your most recent group exhibitions (up to 250 words)
- A list of any other key achievements that support your application (up to 250 words)
- A list of any relevant work experience (up to 250 words)
- A list of your education history (up to 250 words)
- A link to your website, online portfolio or other means of viewing your work online
- Equal opportunities monitoring information (this information is separated, anonymised and does not form part of the selection process)
The application form will be accessible until 12 noon, Thursday 3 February 2022.
We regret that we are not able to provide advice on developing individual applications. However, should you need any technical support or have questions about the application requirements, including access requirements, please contact us by email at [email protected].
Further information
1. Who can apply?
- a-n Artist, Joint (Artist and Arts Organiser) or Arts Organiser members who are practising visual artists and/or who are freelancers working in the visual arts and are based in the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) with a UK bank account
- Non a-n members who are practising visual artists and/or freelancers working in the visual arts who are based in England and work in a self-employed freelance capacity (which may include those on multiple short term PAYE contracts).
We encourage applications from artists working in all visual arts disciplines and freelancers working in the visual arts who work with artists to help them make their work or realise exhibitions. Applicants who do not already have an extensive track record working in the publicly funded culture sector will be considered.
a-n Bursaries 2022: Time Space Money will prioritise applications from disabled practitioners.
Not an a-n member? Join a-n today
We are not accepting applications from:
- a-n members that have received a bursary through a-n Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money
- Those that have an application currently under consideration for Arts Council England’s Developing your Creative Practice or National Lottery Project Grants programmes or have received funding through either of these programmes within the last 12 months (January 2021 – January 2022 inclusive)
- a-n Student members
- Students (directly or indirectly) in statutory education, further education or higher education (undergraduate or postgraduate) for activities directly linked to their formal course of study or those who are undertaking any full-time study during the bursary period
- Those living outside of the UK.
2. What activity can be supported?
a-n Bursaries 2022: Time Space Money is intended to support the professional development of your artistic career or profession in the visual arts, particularly if it has been affected by the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 pandemic and has impacted on your income. A bursary through this programme could support you by offering Time, Space, or Money to help stabilise your practice, to enable it to thrive in new ways in the future.
The programme does not expect you to deliver creative outputs using this funding during this time. However, we recognise you may want to explore new opportunities or refocus your practice.
Reference to loss of earnings and other economic hardships can also be included as part of your proposed bursary activity.
Bursary activity might include, but is not limited to:
- Studio or workshop rent
- Outgoings such as mortgage or rent
- Lost income such as cancelled contracts for future work
- Time to rethink/recreate your creative space
- Research and Development
- Market development
- Online skills development/courses
- Website development as a way to present your work
- Portfolio development
- Professional memberships
- Tools for business development in relation to your creative practice
- Expert consultations (e.g. for business development, modelling, planning associated with your practice)
- Learning new skills through professional training, courses, peer-to-peer learning with visual arts or non-arts experts
- Mentoring, coaching or curatorial feedback
- Networking with artists, galleries, organisations or other groups of interest
- Visiting national conferences, biennials, exhibitions, organisations, cities or any other specific location or event relevant to your practice.
Examples of activity that cannot be supported include:
- Applications made only for the purchase of materials or equipment, however this could be included as part of a broader application where learning through making is vital and clearly beneficial in the long-term. Material or making costs should be no more than 50% of the total amount asked for
- Applications made solely for goods or services e.g. paying a contractor for a website to be built, unless this is part of a broader application where other learning or skills building for the artist is included
- Applications that fund the making of new or unfinished work or projects for exhibition, art fair or sale, however this could be one element of a broader application.
- International travel
- Higher education tuition fees and associated costs
- Applications that focus on museum practice that is not related to the visual arts
- Activities that do not meet current government guidelines for Covid-19.
3. How much can be applied for?
£500 to £1,500.
4. How many times can I apply?
Each member is eligible to make one application to a-n Bursaries 2022: Time Space Money.
5. If I previously received a bursary from a-n, am I eligible to apply?
You are not eligible to apply if you have received a bursary through a-n Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money. If you are a recipient of any other a-n bursaries in the past you are eligible to apply however you must demonstrate that you have made progress in your professional development and propose activities that are distinct from previous applications.
6. If I previously received a grant from Arts Council England, am I eligible to apply?
You are not eligible to apply if you have an application currently under consideration for Arts Council England’s Developing your Creative Practice or National Lottery Project Grants programmes or have received funding through either of these programmes within the last 12 months (January 2021 – January 2022 inclusive).
7. What is the selection process?
Applications will be reviewed by a peer selection panel. a-n Bursaries 2022: Time Space Money will be awarded at their discretion. All applicants will be notified of the outcome by March 2022.
8. Feedback
We are expecting a very high volume of applications. We are unable to give feedback on applications that have not been awarded funding. If you are a member of a-n you will be able to access ongoing advice and information.
9. Reporting requirements
Activities must be completed by 31 December 2022. Bursary recipients will be required to complete a Final Activity Report form at the end of their bursary activity by 9 January 2023 in accordance with the Terms and Conditions when accepting the bursary. Bursary recipients will also be required to contribute to the evaluation of the programme if necessary.
Application guidance
Please find some notes below to support you when you fill out your application form. Applications exceeding the word count will not be considered.
Are you an a-n Artist, Joint (Artist and Arts Organiser) or Arts Organiser member? If so, please provide your membership number.
If you are an a-n Artist, Joint (Artist and Arts Organiser) or Arts Organiser member, check your membership number and enter it onto the application form.
Have you made an application to a-n Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money or Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice or National Lottery Project Grants programmes within the past 12 months (January 2021 – January 2022 inclusive) and were the application(s) successful?
You are not eligible to apply if you have received a bursary through a-n Artists Bursaries 2021: Time Space Money. You are also not eligible to apply if you have an application currently under consideration for Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice or National Lottery Project Grants programmes or have received funding through either of these programmes within the last 12 months (January 2021 – January 2022 inclusive). Applications will be checked against data for the above programmes.
Your area of visual arts practice.
Please select one option from the dropdown menu that represents the majority of your practice or profession.
Provide a short overview of your proposed bursary (up to 40 words).
This short outline should communicate the most important aspects of your proposal – what is it you want to do?
Please provide an outline of your creative practice and/or your current employment circumstances (up to 150 words).
Don’t assume the panel is familiar with your work. Use this opportunity to introduce what you do, and how and why you do it. Share your interests, motivation and process in a clear and concise way. Please also explain your current employment circumstances and how the changes related to Covid-19 may have impacted on your income.
Provide a full description of what you propose to use the bursary for (up to 150 words).
You don’t need to repeat the information you provided in your outline.
Expand on this information to tell us more about your proposed activities or how it will alleviate any financial pressures.
Try to be as specific as you can. For example, if you want to undertake research and development, tell us why, where and how the research will take place. Who will you meet or network with, how will you make this happen under the current physical limitations? What course do you want to do, or whose expertise will you consult and how? If you are applying for a bursary to cover studio rent, what will you work on during this period?
You may wish to draw on several different activities together to form a bespoke plan that makes the most of the bursary to suit your needs during current circumstances.
Why is this activity critical to your creative practice and/or visual arts profession under the current circumstances related to Covid-19? How will the activity benefit you in the short and long term? (up to 150 words)
Tell us why this particular activity will make a significant difference for you now. Try to be as specific as possible. We want to know why this activity is crucial in order to stabilise and secure the future of your practice. Tell us how these activities will impact on your current position. What new opportunities could it open up for you that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do without the bursary? Link the activity to your ongoing practice so we can understand why what you’re proposing is vital to your artistic career.
Amount applied for
You can apply for between £500 to £1,500.
Additional Disability Access Costs
You may also apply for additional costs relating to disability access requirements of up to £500. Please list details and state the amount (£) for each cost.
Income (up to 100 words)
If you will be supplementing the budget with your own funds, other secured financial support or in-kind support please clarify this here. Please note this is not mandatory.
You can use an a-n bursary as match funding for seeking further funding.
Expenditure
Please provide details on how the bursary might be spent on professional development activities. Try to break down and itemise the amount by separating out different costs under the headings provided. Please complete all the categories which are relevant to your application and enter ‘not applicable’ if you do not need to use a category.
Your expenditure budget must total the amount you are applying for.
a-n is committed to ensuring artists are fairly paid for activities they undertake. Please see our guidance to include a reasonable artist fee for yourself or anyone else you work with in your budget.
Achievements and Experience
Provide details of any achievements and experience that support your application in the categories below. Please complete all the categories which are relevant to your application and enter ‘not applicable’ if you do not need to use a category.
Most recent solo exhibitions (250 words)
List any relevant and most significant solo exhibitions within the last ten years
Most recent group exhibitions (250 words)
List any relevant and most significant group exhibitions within the last ten years
Key achievements that support your application (250 words)
List any relevant achievements including, for example, prizes and awards, publications, presentations, residences etc.
Relevant work experience (250 words)
List any relevant work experience you might have and whether it is/was full or part time, voluntary, etc.
Education history (250 words)
If applicable, list your educational achievements.
Add a link to your website, online portfolio or other means of viewing your work online.
If you do not have a website, alternative ways to share examples of your practice could be a shared folder of images via Google Drive or a link to a video on YouTube (if applicable).
Please do not include links to personal social media accounts, unless they are solely dedicated to your artist practice and present only your own artwork.
Equal opportunities monitoring information.
Please complete the Equal Opportunities monitoring form. This information is separated from your application, anonymised and does not form part of the selection process.