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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Government Commits £180m to Improve Youth Outcomes
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced a new National Youth Strategy that aims to break down barriers to opportunities for the country’s young people.
The new strategy is expected to prioritise delivering better coordinated youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level and hand power back to young people and their communities.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced that:
• More than £85 million will support more youth facilities, including £26 million for youth clubs to buy new equipment and undertake renovations via the Better Youth Spaces programme.
• £100 million from the next tranche of the Dormant Assets scheme will be used to deliver youth outcomes between 2024 and 2028 to support the provision of services, facilities and opportunities for young people across the country. Further details on what the £100 million can support ‘will be set out in due course through the publication of the Dormant Assets Strategy’.
The government said it will be:
• Launching a Local Youth Transformation pilot to provide tools, guidance, peer challenge and funding to help local authorities rejuvenate local youth services.
• Expanding the Creative Careers Programme for new opportunities to access careers in the arts and invest further in multi-sport facilities that provides young people access to quality sports facilities.
The Culture Secretary also announced as part of the plans for the new national youth strategy, the closure from March 2025 of the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme which was set up by the David Cameron’s government in 2011 as part of its “big society” agenda to bring together local communities by helping young people. The NCS Trust which has been managing the programme since 2013 has issued a statement on the closure.
Full details of the Government’s announcement can be found in its press release published on GOV.UK
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.
Launchpad Future Leaders
Launchpad Future Leaders offers a group of emerging music industry professionals based in Yorkshire, aged between 18 – 25 years old, the opportunity to engage with national music industry organisations, attend training workshops on professional development in the industry and build relationships with other early career music professionals.
Previous participants have successfully secured full-time jobs within the music industry, released award-winning music, obtained funding and grants for music creation, founded their own businesses and expanded their professional networks within the industry.
Deadline for applications is 5pm Thursday 8 May 2025 – find out more about the applications, previous cohorts and apply here.
Launchpad Future Leaders is supported by Youth Music and with public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England. It is delivered by Music Local, who are supported by Leeds City Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), administered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, PPL Giving, and is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner supported by PPL.
British Council Offers Support to Design Biennales and Festivals
Biennales and festivals are invited to apply for grants of up to £10,000 through a British Council support programme.
The programme, active since 2016, is intended to help organisations facilitate cross-border engagement in the design sector and strengthen international creative networks. The programme supports the presentation of completed work in architecture, design, fashion and craft, including interdisciplinary projects.
Applications are open to UK-based biennales and festivals that plan to showcase work by international designers, excluding those based in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Applications are also accepted from international biennales and festivals, outside the listed countries, that intend to showcase UK-based designers.
The funding may be used to support exhibition building, travel, presentation of work, networking and professional development.
The deadline for applications is Sunday 1 June 2025 (23:59).
Check out their website for further information.
Arts Programme Supports Sustainable Touring Across England, Denmark and Norway
A seminar-led initiative is offering project funding to support sustainable and inclusive international touring practices in the performing arts.
Organised through the International Touring and Environmental Responsibility Programme, it is open to venues, touring companies and individuals in the dance, music and theatre sectors based in England.
Participants must form partnerships with professionals in Denmark or Norway to be eligible for funding.
The initiative begins with two free seminar series held in 2025. These will explore environmentally responsible and equitable approaches to international collaboration. Following the seminars, attendees may submit joint proposals for projects shaped during the sessions.
Successful partnerships will receive up to £40,000 to develop and deliver their proposed concepts. Funding may be used for activities such as creating artistic content, testing new presentation or distribution models, or research and development. Selected projects will begin in January 2026.
To be eligible for the funding round, applicants must have completed one of the seminar programmes and formed a partnership with at least one participant from Denmark or Norway. Applications for the funding round will open on 26 September 2025 and close on 28 November 2025.
The deadline for applications to the programme is Wednesday 4 June 2025 (5pm).
Check out their website for more information.
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.
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.
Two Ridings Community Foundation – Hull Fund
A new Community Fund for Hull is available now.
Check out their website for more information.
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.
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.
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
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)
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.
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
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.
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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