Funding, Opportunities and Culture Jobs

Below we will outline the currently available funding, opportunities and culture jobs available in the city. Applications for individual grants should be with the organisations listed. To stay up to date with the latest opportunities then please make sure you are signed up to receive our Culture Hull newsletter

JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

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Creative Foundations Fund 

Arts and cultural organisations will soon be able to apply for a share of £85 million from the government for vital repairs and upgrades, ensuring everyone has access to high quality institutions in the places they call home. 

The new Creative Foundations Fund will help arts venues across England to address a range of issues, such as repairing building infrastructure, outdated or failing systems, inefficient energy systems and inaccessible spaces. It will ensure beloved local venues like theatres, performing arts venues, galleries, grassroots music venues and contemporary arts centres can continue to offer opportunities, boost skills and attract more visitors from across the country.

Arts and cultural organisations across England are encouraged to apply for a share of up to £10 million each from the fund, which recognises the huge contribution they make towards boosting growth and breaking down barriers to opportunities for young people by helping them to learn vital creative skills. 

The fund will open for Expressions Of Interest on Monday 30 June 2025. Full guidance, including eligibility criteria and details of how to apply, can be found on Arts Council England’s website. 

Creative Foundations Fund: Guidance for applicants | Arts Council England

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UNTHINKABLE “SUBMIT YOUR FILM!!!

Unthinkable are now open for film submissions and they are looking for entrants from first time and experienced filmmakers alike. There are no boundaries or expectations. They are looking for films with an original flare in some capacity, which can be through direction, acting, lighting, script writing, anything goes! The only criteria are that films must be under 20 minutes. Films can be submitted for submission through their FilmFreeway page.

For any questions regarding film submission, please email submissions@unthinkablefilmfestival.com

Festival information

Unthinkable is a Hull-based short film festival setup as a CIO charity. They run an annual festival every October to provide a platform for grassroots artists in Hull through curating events that converge with cinema to support the future of film and visual arts in Hull.

This year from October 1st – 12th, Unthinkable will be hosting another exciting programme of film screenings, local and professional artist Q&As, filmmaking and music workshops, industry professional masterclasses and mentorships, arts exhibitions, and live music. Unthinkable short film submissions are open to the public via their FilmFreeway page for a chance to screen your film on the silver screen in the heart of Hull City Centre!

Please visit their FilmFreeway page for more film submission details.

For more information on all things Unthinkable Film Festival, please visit their website.

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Hull Music Hub – Hull’s Musical Timeline

Hull has a long history of music making going back to the middle ages! This timeline, initially developed by Hull History Centre, enables you a read more about Hull’s rich music heritage.

And they now want to hear from YOU!

Do you have information, memories or reminiscences about musicians, ensembles, bands or events that are currently not recorded?

Drop them a line so that this timeline can continue to grow and develop.

Email: music.service@hullcc.gov.uk

Find the timeline on their website.

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International Writing Prize Offers Platform for Emerging Talent

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is accepting submissions from writers worldwide, offering an opportunity to gain recognition and showcase their work to industry leaders. The competition is open to both emerging and established writers, with no age or nationality restrictions.

Two categories are available: Poetry and Short Fiction. Poetry entries must not exceed 40 lines, while short fiction submissions are capped at 2,000 words.

The winners in each category will receive a £2,500 cash prize, with a total prize fund of £5,000. Additionally, selected entries will be published in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual, providing further exposure for entrants.

This international award highlights outstanding literary talent and supports creative voices by offering a platform for their work.

Entries must be submitted by 31 August 2025.

Check out their website for more information.

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FUNDING

Hull City Council Grants to Arts

You may be eligible to apply for a grant of up to £5,000 if you are organising an activity that

• is within the Hull city boundary and open to the public
• serves an identified interest group
• increases the range of art opportunities available to local communities
• supports and celebrates cultural diversity
• develops local artistic talent
• promotes innovation and excellence

Details of the grants scheme and the online form can be found on the Hull City Council website.

Please do talk to the Arts Development team who can advise you before making an application. You can contact them by completing the online form or by emailing cityartsenquiries@hullcc.gov.uk

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Creative Growth: Hull and East Yorkshire

Creating investment ready businesses for Hull and East Yorkshire

Unlock your creative business potential with Creative Growth Hull & East Yorkshire!

Recruiting NOW starting: Tuesday 27 May 2025

Following the success of the first four cohorts they are delighted to now be registering eligible businesses for cohort 5 starting Tuesday 27 May 2025.

This FULLY FUNDED programme will not only provide you with expert tailored support to become more “investment ready” but also provides support to identify new business growth opportunities, including; new customers and markets, product development and innovation, the value of intellectual property protection, and access to grant funding and networking opportunities. Join us to turn your ambitions into reality!

Check out their website for more information.

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Creative Lives publish new guide for funding for creative groups

Featuring details of national funders and trusts with a specific interest in creative organisations, our new fundraising guide ‘Cash For Culture’ is a handy resource for any creative group based in England.

With tips on writing funding applications, Q&As with creative group fundraisers, and ideas for raising money at a local level, this FREE guide is available to download now. 

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Garfield Weston Foundation

Supporting charities who work in welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage and faith.

The fund is open to registered charities.

The foundation covers:

Capital costs – such as building works or repairs, or equipment that’s necessary to your organisation’s work.

Project costs – specific project or area of your work which fit the foundations priorities.

Core costs – operating/Core cost grants towards the general costs of running your organisation.

They have two grant streams:

Regular Grants – up to £100,000

Major Grants – £100,000 and above

Check out their website for more information.

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BFI Creative Challenge Fund Supports UK Talent Development Programmes

The British Film Institute is accepting applications to the National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund for UK-based organisations delivering creative or talent development programmes. The funding aims to support projects in feature film and narrative immersive media, including narrative, documentary and animation.

The fund is designed to address challenges within the screen industry such as underrepresentation of certain genres, lack of early career producer opportunities and limited support for scalable projects with broad audience potential.

A total of £2.7 million is available over a three-year period. Applicants can request between £12,000 and £150,000. Eligible costs include staff and freelance fees, participant payments, venue and equipment hire, travel, creative practice sessions, mentoring and access provision. Reasonable overheads not already funded from other public sources are also eligible.

Applications are open to organisations across the UK with a track record in delivering professional or creative development work. These include production companies, film festivals, limited companies, CICs, partnerships, registered charities, local authorities and other statutory bodies. For-profit organisations may apply if the funded work is not-for-profit.

All funded work must be completed by 31 March 2026.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but must be submitted at least 16 weeks before the planned start of activity.

Check out their website for more information.

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Postcode Places Trust (East of England) Open for Applications

Back for another year, the Postcode Places Trust is supporting organisations across the East of England with unrestricted funding in 2025.

The funding is for projects in the region that have a clear alignment with one of the Trust’s 2025 themes:

• Enabling participation in physical activity
• Enabling participation in the arts
• Improving biodiversity and responding to the climate emergency
• Improving green spaces and increasing access to the outdoors
• Preventing or reducing the impact of poverty
• Providing support to improve mental health
• Supporting marginalised groups and tackling inequality

Depending on their not-for-profit legal structure, organisations can apply either for a grant of between £500 and £2,500 or between £500 and £25,000.

The funding offered is unrestricted and therefore flexible. It can be used however it is most needed.

There are three funding rounds in 2025:

• Round 1 opened 24 March and closed 31 March 2025.
• Round 2 opens 24 June and closes 1 July 2025.
• Round 3:  dates to be confirmed later in 2025

Applications open at 9am and close at 12 noon.

Application forms will be available on the Trust’s website when each funding round opens.

The 2025 funding guide and 2025 application questions are available on the Trust’s website.

Check out their website for more information.

Check out their website for further information.

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Radcliffe Trust Accepting Applications for Second 2025 Funding Round

Radcliffe Trust is offering grants averaging between £2,500 and £7,500 for charities, not-for-profit groups, and exempt organisations across the UK to support projects in the areas of music or heritage and crafts.

For music projects, the Trust will consider projects in the following categories:

•        Composition and contemporary music – in the case of commission applications, the lead composer must be named.

•        Bursaries for courses and summer schools (limited to UK-based students).

•        Music therapy and special needs.

•        Academic research.

•        Youth orchestras.

•        Performance projects.

•        Educational projects – excluding applications from individual mainstream primary and secondary schools.

•        Miscellaneous.

For heritage and crafts projects, the Trust will support the development of the skills, knowledge and experience that underpin the UK’s traditional cultural heritage and crafts sectors. This includes support for:

•        Emerging craftspeople.

•        Craft and conservation projects and training.

•        Projects demonstrating creative outcomes by designer-makers.

•        Projects with potential for capacity building within the sector.

•        Special needs projects focusing on the therapeutic benefits of skills development.

Other areas of cultural creativity related to heritage and crafts may also be considered, including theatre, performance, and literature, especially where projects can be shown to promote and develop high-level skills among early career practitioners and disadvantaged groups.

There are typically two rounds per year, with trustee meetings held in June and December. Groups can apply for Music and Heritage & Crafts grants in the same funding round.

The next deadline for applications is Thursday 31 July 2025.

Check out their website for more information.

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Golsoncott Foundation

This funding is open to voluntary and community organisations for projects that promote fine arts and music.

The Foundation have declared their object is “to promote, maintain, improve and advance the education of the public in the arts generally and, in particular, the fine arts and music”.

Main focus is to support those projects that demonstrate and deliver excellence in the arts, be it in performance, exhibition, artistic craft, or scholarly endeavour.

Priority is given to applications that focus upon the perfection or promotion of the art in question.

Deadline: Sunday 10 August

Check out their website for more information.

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Wolfson Foundation

The Foundation offer capital infrastructure projects from a broad range of organisations working across the fields of education, science & medicine, health & disability, heritage, humanities & the arts.

If your project exceeds £50,000 you will require match funding and should be in place at the point of submission of a Stage 2 application.

The following match funding criteria applies:

Arts and humanities, science and medicine or health and disability programmes: The Foundation typically stipulates that a minimum of 25% of the project’s capital costs must be secured prior to submission, except in cases where the project cost is below £50,000.

Schools/education programme: For projects exceeding £1 million in total cost, a 25% match funding is obligatory. Projects falling within the range of £50,000 to £1 million necessitate some matching funds. Conversely, projects with a total cost below £50,000 do not mandate any match funding.

Deadline: open

Check out their website for more information.

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Michael Tippett Musical Foundation Accepting Applications for 2025

The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation is offering grants of between £500 and £3,000 for groups across the UK to support the following objectives:

To award grants to support the development of group music-making especially involving young people, with composing central to the project.

To support the performance or recording of works by Michael Tippet.

In 2023 and 2024 the Trustees decided to focus the Foundation’s activity exclusively on the funding of performances and recording of music by Michael Tippett, to generate greater revenue for a wider range of activities in future years. This will remain the case in 2025.

The Trustees will consider applications about any of his compositions but are likely to prioritise plans for specific works that are less frequently performed or projects which are unlikely to be mounted without additional financial support.

Successful projects should commence January 2026.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 30 September 2025.

Check out their website for more information.

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Help Musicians Fast Track

Help Musicians Fast Track provides £500 as an investment to help grow or sustain your income from music, or to help you gain a career opportunity.

Check out their website for more information.

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Two Ridings Community Foundation – Hull Fund

A new Community Fund for Hull is available now.

Check out their website for more information.

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Applications are now open for the Unlimited UK Partner Awards!

Together with 11 UK partners, Unlimited are delighted to offer awards ranging from £15k to £60k for artists to create extraordinary new work that captivates, inspires, and deepens understanding.

Check out their website for more information.

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Blue Spark Foundation

Aiming to support education and development of children and young people by providing grants for educational, cultural, sporting and other projects.

This fund is open to schools, community groups, clubs, societies or other not for profit organisations. However, individuals may also apply for a grant.

The foundation asks that applications must state exactly what the grant will be used for e.g. physical assets (such as sports equipment, or lighting for stage productions), services or facilities (such as music or drama tuition) or the provision of experiences (such as theatre visits). These examples are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive as to the funding which BlueSpark may provide to support projects.

Projects can be educational, cultural, sporting or other activities but particular consideration will be given to those that help the self-confidence, team working skills and future employability of children and young people.

Check out their website for more information.

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Goodwin’s Create to Change

Goodwin is looking for businesses working within the creative and cultural sectors to offer placements to young people and adults ages 16-65 years of age.

Create to Change offers businesses staff for 10 weeks at 25 hours per week. 

• Goodwin will pay the wages for the person on placement 
• Businesses will interview candidates and there is no obligation to take them on, if you find the candidate suitable please do offer them a placement.  
• Goodwin will work with candidates for 2 weeks before they apply for roles which will ensure we are sending people who are work ready.
• The project will have a dedicated business engagement worker and keyworker who will support the business and candidate on placement, throughout and post placement.
• Business breakfasts – chance for all placement providers and potential placement provides to get together, chat to young people and Goodwin staff and receive support from third party organisations around business growth and support.

if you would like more information, please contact Zoe on 07593136045 or email ZSivell@goodwintrust.org

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Hull 4 Funding

Hull 4 Funding is a Community Portal funded by Hull City Council to provide free funding information for local not-for-profit organisations and gives access to thousands of funding opportunities including for arts and cultural organisations. 

Register to access Home | Hull 4 Funding (idoxopen4community.co.uk)

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Maker Relief Fund Supports UK Craftspeople in Need

The Maker Relief Fund is offering grants to UK-based professional craftspeople facing financial hardship.

Grants of £1,000 will be awarded to 50 eligible applicants over the course of a year, starting in November 2024 and running through to the end of October 2025.

These grants are intended to provide flexible financial support, allowing recipients to use the funds without restrictions.

Practising professional craftspeople are eligible to apply if they identify with one or more of the following groups:

• Individuals on low incomes.
• Working-class people.
• Black and ethnically diverse people (including Gypsy, Roma, and Travellers).
• People with disabilities, neurodiversity or those managing chronic physical or mental health issues.
• LGBTQIA+ individuals.
• People with caring responsibilities.

The initiative aims to support these people in sustaining their careers during times of financial difficulty.

Applications can be submitted at any time until the end of October 2025.

Check out their website for more information.

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Foyle Foundation’s Grants Programme to End in 2025

The Foyle Foundation, an independent grant-making trust that distributes grants to UK based registered charities and schools, has announced that it will complete its grant giving programme in 2025.  Visit their website to find out more

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Arts Council England Funding

Grants are open to individuals as well as organisations. Funding opportunities can support a range of activity, from a one-off project to your personal development as a creative or cultural practitioner. These include: 

National Lottery Project Grants 
National Lottery Project Grants supports thousands of individual artists, and community and cultural organisations with arts, libraries and museums projects. It’s open all the time and you can apply for grants between £1,000 and £100,000.

Developing Your Creative Practice
This fund supports individual cultural and creative practitioners ready to take their work to the next stage through things such as: research, time to create new work, travel, training, developing ideas, networking or mentoring. You can apply for up to £12,000. 

Check out their website for more information as well as information about other open grants.

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Schroder Charity Trust

The Trust will consider applications from charities registered in England & Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland in the fields of Education & Young People, Communities, Environment & Conservation, Health, Arts & Culture, International Development, Heritage, and Supporting the Armed Forces.

Check out their website for more information.

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