If you're looking for an arts or cultural project fundings in England right now, here are six funders worth a look. Five are rolling or run on an expression of interest basis, so there's no single date to panic about. One closes in under two weeks, so start there if it fits your project.
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PRS Foundation, PPL Momentum Music Fund
Apply via PRS Foundation deadlines page ↗
There isn't much time left here, so don't start from a blank page. If you've applied to a similar fund before, adapt that proposal rather than writing something new. Speed matters more than polish on this one.
Arts Council England, National Lottery Project Grants
Apply via Arts Council England ↗
Because there's no deadline, it's easy to let this one slide. Get your partnership letters and board sign off sorted while you're still finalising the budget, so you can submit the moment the project is costed. A request somewhere between £15,000 and £30,000 tends to face less competition than the very top of the range.
Garfield Weston Foundation
Start with the Garfield Weston eligibility quiz ↗
Garfield Weston wants to see that your funding plan already holds up without them. Lead your application with what you've already secured, not just what you're still asking for.
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Creative, Confident Communities
Apply via Esmée Fairbairn Foundation ↗
Most applications succeed or fail at the outline stage, so don't treat it as a formality. Lead with the systemic change you're after, not just the activity itself. And never jump straight to a full application. Unsolicited ones aren't accepted.
National Lottery Heritage Fund
Apply via National Lottery Heritage Fund ↗
Speak to a development officer before you write a full application, not after. Their early steer on whether your project fits this funding band can save you weeks of work on a proposal that was never going to land.
Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund
The next expression of interest deadline after January is 14 July 2027, for the December 2027 decision round.
Start with the Museums Association guidance ↗
Have the conversation with the Museums Association before you write anything. This fund is looking for a genuine, already-formed partnership with shared aims, not a museum and a community group brought together for the application. If that relationship doesn't exist yet, build it first.
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