Grants database

This grant supports the delivery of a number of youth-led and community engagement projects which aim to support access and agency for groups experiencing the highest levels of inequality, as part of Lewisham Borough of Culture 2022.

SLiDE creates inclusive dance projects with and for the local community. Their work removes barriers for disabled people and people from low socio-economic backgrounds to access contemporary dance. They aim to address the lack of representation of learning-disabled people across the professional dance performance and education sector. This grant underpins core staffing and enables SLiDE’s sustainable development as they move towards a disabled-led model.

Marlborough Productions are a leading producer of queer-led, intersectional performance, alternative heritage and radical community gatherings. They grow projects that bring together queer culture and community, reaching audiences across the UK and beyond. This grant supports the Marlborough Productions’ growth from a South East, building-based producer, to a national queer arts development organisation. This includes growing senior staff capacity, increasing opportunities for artists and curators, and developing a new national network of queer-led arts organisations to inform national strategy and address systemic issues in the arts sector.

MAIA is an arts and social justice organisation invested in systemic change. They serve artists and communities that are not served by dominant social systems by designing and developing social infrastructure spaces, redistributing resources and providing creative programmes rooted in radical imagination. This grant supports the delivery of MAIA’s community arts programme at YARD, the organisation’s recently opened neighbourhood arts residency and community hub.

Jukebox Collective is a Black-led collective of creatives based in Butetown, Cardiff. They build opportunities for marginalised young people across Wales and provide platforms for creative voices of the future. This grant supports Jukebox Collective’s regular community programme and its multidisciplinary performance academy, which provides creative pathways and accessible arts training for underrepresented communities in South Wales.

Intoart is an art and design studio based in Peckham, South London. They address inequalities of access to and participation in the visual arts, education and culture by people with learning, sensory, physical disabilities and autism. This grant provides core support for Intoart to increase their capacity and invest in evaluation as they embark on the next phase of their inclusive Design Studio, including their learning-disabled leadership programme ​‘Intoart Curates’.

Impact Dance is a hip-hop theatre company, street dance organisation and educational facilitator working across the UK and internationally. They aim to educate and empower young people through an annual programme of dance training, mentoring and performances. This grant underpins staffing and programme delivery for the Youth Dance Training Academy and Youth Dance Company. Through these youth dance programmes, Impact Dance will increase reach from their studio base in Camden, deepen their community and education partnership, and improve their evaluation methodology.

COMMUN is a combined arts company who focus on community-building for emerging artists who are Black, Indigenous, and/​or People of Colour (BIPoC) through collaboration and inter-disciplinary practices. This grant supports COMMUN to further develop and expand their model for supporting early and mid-career BIPoC artists through online collaborative digital residencies, skills development, and performance opportunities at partner venues across the UK. Over three years, COMMUN will aim to increase opportunities and arts access for marginalised audiences in London, Bristol and Birmingham, and two additional cities or towns.

Chineke! Foundation provides career opportunities to established and emerging Black and minoritised classical musicians in the UK and Europe. They aim to be a catalyst for change, increasing the representation of ethnically diverse musicians in British and European orchestras. This grant underpins Chineke!’s core mission and work, including developing approaches to better understand the organisation’s impact and share learning.

Camden People’s Theatre (CPT) is dedicated to supporting emerging artists, especially those making work about social issues that matter right now. This grant supports CPT to deliver their commissioning and artist support model which aims to increase professional development opportunities for artists experiencing marginalisation and increase the diversity of CPT’s audiences. Funding will allow the organisation to increase core capacity, embed community-led decision-making and improve sustainability.

The Belgrade Theatre is a regional producing theatre with a strong record of participation, community, education and talent development activity. This grant supports the organisation through a key period of leadership transition, along with work at the Jag, Belgrade Theatre’s new venue. Work at the Jag will focus on delivery of youth participation and talent development initiatives with young people in two communities facing high levels of knife crime and deprivation, in partnership with community groups.

Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe (BEAF) is an independent creative community based in Bournemouth. They work all year round to create opportunities for artists and audiences through collaboration and co-creation with local communities and businesses. This grant supports BEAF to deliver The Outsiders project which will incubate a theatre of people experiencing marginalisation in the community of Boscombe.