Arts Council England application review

Are you applying for Arts Council England funding through National Lottery Project Grants?

We review your finished application and send you back clear, practical feedback before you submit. This is for artists, charities, CICs and CIOs who have already written their application and want a second, expert set of eyes on it before it goes to Arts Council England.

Please note: we do not support Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) applications. Our review service covers National Lottery Project Grants and other ACE organisational funding streams only.

Alira Arts is an independent consultancy. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Arts Council England.

Who this is for

  • Individual artists and creators

    Across all art forms: visual arts, theatre, music, dance, literature and combined arts for anyone seeking project funding. Whether you're applying to fund a new creative project, a performance, an exhibition or community engagement work, we'll help you strengthen the application you've already written.

  • Arts and culture organisations, charities, CICs and CIOs

    If you run a theatre company, gallery, festival, community arts group or any non-profit arts organisation, this service is built for you too. Organisational applications tend to involve more partners and bigger budgets, and we adjust our feedback to match. We check that your proposal clearly sets out your project's public value and meets Arts Council England's requirements for organisations.

Before you book: what your application needs to be

We only review finished, submission-ready applications. This keeps our feedback focused and useful, rather than spent on early drafting.

To book this service, your application must:

  • Be finalised. This is a pre-submission review, not a drafting or development service. We're not able to work with early drafts, partial answers, or an application that's still being shaped.

  • Be sent to us as a Word document (.docx). We can't review applications in the Arts Council portal, as a PDF, screenshots or in any other format.

  • Be complete in full, with every section filled in, including your budget.

We'll decline any application that doesn't meet these three points. If we open a submission and it isn't finished, isn't in Word format, or is missing sections, we'll let you know and ask you to rebook once it's ready, rather than starting the review.

Need help writing the application itself, not just reviewing it? That's a different kind of support. Get in touch via our contact page and we'll talk through what you need.

How the review works

Why Arts Council England funding is worth getting right first time

  • Arts Council England Funding Is Highly Competitive

    Only around 10–20% of applications to Arts Council England are successful. Many strong projects miss out due to unclear answers or common errors, not because the ideas aren't valuable. A professional review gives your application a sharper edge and helps avoid last-minute mistakes.

  • Rejections Reasons

    Applicants often struggle to explain their project clearly or miscalculate budgets. Arts Council insiders recommend getting someone unfamiliar with your work to review your draft, a fresh, expert eye can make all the difference. That's exactly what we provide.

  • We Help You Meet ACE Criteria Effectively

    Arts Council assessors use four key criteria: Quality, Public Engagement, Finance, and Management. We review your application line by line to ensure you address each one convincingly, while echoing ACE's strategic language and showing clear evidence of planning and readiness.

Why work with Alira Arts

  • Led by experienced fundraising consultants

    Alira Arts is led by an experienced fundraising consultants with a strong track record of securing public and trust funding for arts and cultural projects across the UK.

  • Specialist in Arts Council England applications

    We specialise in Arts Council England applications, with in-depth knowledge of the National Lottery Project Grants process, assessment criteria, and common pitfalls.

  • Experience supporting charities and independent artists

    We have supported both charities and independent artists, tailoring our approach to suit different structures, budgets, and levels of experience.

  • Deep understanding of National Lottery Project Grants criteria

    We understand what assessors look for, from public benefit and impact to finance clarity and strong project planning to help you align your application with funding priorities.

What our service includes

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One-on-one Consultation

A 20-minute initial video call with our lead consultant to discuss your project and pinpoint any concerns or areas where you want feedback. This helps us understand your application's context and your specific needs from the review.

Detailed Application Review

We conduct a thorough examination of your entire draft application. Our expert will read every section (project summary, artistic vision, public engagement plans, budget, etc.), checking for clarity, completeness, and alignment with Arts Council guidelines.

We approach your application as a critical friend, highlighting unclear sections, checking for consistency, and spotting any errors or omissions (for example, budget inconsistencies or missing information).

man typing on his mac laptop

Written Feedback Report

After reviewing, we compile our feedback into an organised report. This document will praise the strengths of your application and clearly explain the weaknesses or issues we found. For each key section of the form, we provide practical suggestions for improvement. You’ll receive concrete advice on how to refine your wording, strengthen your project rationale, improve your budget breakdown, and more. We make sure you understand what to improve and how to improve it.

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Tailored advice

Every project is unique. We tailor our review to the specific Arts Council fund you're applying for and the art form or community your project involves.

Whether you're applying to the National Lottery Project Grants or other ACE programmes, we adjust our feedback to suit the application form and criteria of that funding stream.

We also take into account your experience level, first-time applicant or seasoned grant recipient, and provide guidance appropriate to your context. Our goal is that you come away not only with a stronger application but also with greater insight into the Arts Council's expectations for future applications.

What we won't do

Our focus is on helping you make the strongest possible case for your own project. We won't rewrite your application for you. What we will do is give you clear, honest feedback and practical suggestions so you can strengthen it yourself.

If you'd rather have support writing the application from scratch, contact us to talk through what that would involve.

What's included

One package

£230

Pre-submission review of your ACE application with consultation, written feedback.

This covers Arts Council England applications under £30,000, for individual artists, charities, CICs and CIOs alike.

  • 20-minute initial consultation with your consultant

  • Full review of your finished draft application

  • Written feedback report with clear, actionable recommendations

  • A second review included, if you revise the same application after your first report

Further reviews of the same application: £150 each

BOOK Now

Applying for over £30,000 ?

If you're applying for Arts Council England Project Grants over £30,000, your application will need a deeper level of review. These bids vary a lot in scope and documentation, so we offer a tailored quote rather than a fixed fee.

To get a personalised quote, contact us or email info@aliraarts.co.uk, and we'll come back to you with a clear fee and an outline of how we'd support you.

Missed this round? Join the priority waitlist

We limit the number of review slots each round so every application gets proper attention. If you couldn't get a space this time, join our priority waitlist and we'll let you know when the next round opens.

jOIN OUR WAITING LIST

FAQs

  • A pre-submission review of your finished Arts Council England application. We check it against ACE's assessment criteria and send you a written feedback report with practical suggestions, plus a 20-minute initial call to talk through your project.

  • Individual artists and arts and culture organisations in the UK applying to Arts Council England for National Lottery Project Grants, whether you're a solo creative or part of a charity, CIC or CIO. It suits first-time applicants and people who've applied before. We don't currently support DYCP applications.

  • It needs to be finished. Every section filled in, including the budget, and sent to us as a Word document. We can't work with drafts, partial applications, or anything sent in another format, and we'll decline reviews that don't meet this.

  • At least one week before your appointment, so we have time to plan around your submission deadline. We'd also suggest booking two to three weeks before your actual ACE deadline, to leave room to make changes after our feedback.

  • £230 for the full package: the initial call, the review, the written report, and a second review if you revise the same application afterwards. A third review of the same application is £150. For applications over £30,000, we provide a tailored quote.

  • No, we do not currently support Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) applications. Our expertise and service focus is on National Lottery Project Grants and other Arts Council England organisational funding streams.

  • No. We review and give feedback on the application you've written. If you need help writing the application itself, get in touch and we can talk through what you need.

  • Book your consultation for a Monday to ensure you receive your written feedback by Friday the same week. This gives you ample time to revise your application before the ACE deadline.

    We recommend booking at least 2-3 weeks before your final submission deadline to allow time for revisions.

  • Professional feedback can significantly strengthen your bid before submission.

  • While we cannot guarantee that Arts Council England will fund your project (no one can, as final decisions rest with ACE's assessors), our service will significantly strengthen your application.

    Arts Council funding is highly competitive and only around 10–20% of applications are successful on average. Our expert feedback helps you avoid common pitfalls and present your project in the best possible light, which maximises your chances of success.

    Many applicants make simple mistakes or fail to clearly meet ACE's criteria; we help you correct those issues so your application stands out. Ultimately, we aim to give you the best shot at securing funding, but the outcome is decided by the Arts Council.

  • Improving clarity, measurable outcomes and alignment to funding priorities are key areas we address.

  • Yes, we specialise in reviewing National Lottery Project Grants funding applications.

Need different support

Please can contact us via email us at info@aliraarts.co.uk or by submitting your enquiry via our contact form.