Applicants to the Art Council’s Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) program can receive a grant of £2,000-£10,000 from the total budget of £18 million. There will be four rounds of applications in the period from now until October 2021, with the first round of applications closing on 5 November.
2020 has been a difficult year for creatives and especially those in the nightlife industry, where many have been without work since March. To provide support as the pandemic continues, the Arts Council England has allocated a budget of £18 million to its DYCP program.
This program has been running for some time but for the first time, it has expanded to include DJs, performer/creators, arts and cultural educators, community practitioners/engagement specialists, movement directors, cultural conservators, creative enablers and creative technicians.
The initial criteria for applicants is one year’s work experience in one of the supported fields, while also being over the age of 18 and living in (or being based in) England.
The grant is not, however, a direct financial support payment and requires applicants to submit a plan about how they intend to use the money over a maximum period of one year. The Guidance for Applicants has listed the below examples of such plans:
- building new networks for future development/presentation of work
- creating new work
- experimenting with new collaborators or partners
- international travel to explore other practice or work with mentors
- professional development activities
- research and development time to explore practice and take risks
- taking time to reflect on the impact of COVID-19 on your practice and practical steps to support your work to be more sustainable in future
The total of £18 million will be distributed over four rounds of applications over the next year until 2021. What’s more, if your application is rejected you can keep applying over all four periods.
To learn more and apply, head to the DYCP page.