Sheffield City Council is pleased to offer grants to give support and advice to develop cultural organisations and projects in 2024.
We aim to:
- support new and innovative cultural organisations and projects to grow
- strengthen the early stages of cultural organisations to give them the best start and enable them to apply for other funds further down the line
- help a wide range of cultural sector organisations and initiatives, including those who have not had funding before
This funding is specifically to develop organisational or project plans, not for delivering activity or doing projects. The fund is not open to individuals.
There is a list of funders who may be able to support artists or project activity and delivery at the end of the application form below.
How much can you apply for
The total amount of money available is £250,000.
There are 2 funding rounds that you can apply for:
- The first round has an allocation of £80,000
- The second round will have an allocation of £170,000
If the first round has any money left over, it will be carried over to increase the second funding pot.
Grants can be between a minimum of £5,000 and maximum of £50,000. We expect to support 10 to 15 projects in total.
Who is eligible
This fund is open and accessible to all eligible organisations working within the cultural sector in Sheffield, including newly established companies less than 12 months old.
There are a number of different criteria you need to meet to apply. You must:
- be legally constituted as a Registered Charity, a Community Interest Company or other not-for-profit organisation with a company bank account. If you are submitting from a collaborative project, ie working with one or more partner organisations, you must have a named accountable organisation that meets the above criteria
- your proposal must contribute to, or operate within, the cultural sector of Sheffield, eg literature/writing, music, film/screen-based media, visual arts, crafts, performance arts and cross-artform projects such as festivals
- provide a registered office address within the City of Sheffield city boundary
- be able to explain why you need this support and provide a budget listing expenditure (and income where applicable) where the budget balances, ie total expenditure and income are the same total
- have the appropriate rights, clearance and authority for your proposals, or are applying for support to do so
What kind of projects we support
The funding is designed to help projects and organisations to lay a solid foundation, get started or develop.
We welcome applications from all eligible (see below) Sheffield-based companies and organisations. For example:
- early-stage project or organisational development in all art forms including literature/writing, music, film/screen-based media, visual arts, performance arts and cross-artform projects
- proposals that benefit children and young people and new or emerging talent
- diverse, inclusive, and innovative projects that are community-led or community-focused
- applications from companies/projects who haven’t previously had any public funding (eg from Sheffield City Council, Arts Council England)
We can support development of business cases (including funding to pay for consultants), feasibility studies, development of fundraising plans, legal advice or mentoring. This list is not exhaustive.
We can’t support the following:
- funding activity retrospectively eg if your project is up and running or has already been delivered
- businesses that are in administration, insolvent or where a striking-off notice has been made
- individuals
- purchase of equipment
- proposals that do not relate to the cultural sector of Sheffield
How to apply
Please download and complete the application pack and budget template and email them to us. We will send an email confirming receipt of your application.
If you would prefer to make an application by video, the submission should be no longer than 15 minutes and should cover all the questions on the application form.
Only one proposal per organisation can be submitted in each round. If you receive a grant in the first round, we wouldn’t accept a second application. If you have applied to the first round but didn’t receive a grant, you can re-apply to the second round.
Round 1
Round 1 is now closed.
Applicants notified by: 22 April 2024
Round 2
Application deadline: midday on 2 July 2024
Applicants notified by: 6 September 2024
Application forms and guidance for Round 2 will be available from late April.
If you have access needs or require some help or support with your application, please contact jo.wingate@sheffield.gov.uk and use 'CPF access' in the subject. We can provide an audio version of the questions on request.
Cultural Pipeline Fund is kindly supported by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
