Published: Wednesday 17 March 2021
Kensington and Chelsea Council is awarding local community organisations and residents £60,000 in funding as part of its annual Arts Grants scheme.
Divided over two periods, Spring and Autumn, the first round of funding will open for applications on Wednesday 17 March 2021 with a pot worth £30,000. Those who apply will have the opportunity to be awarded up to £3,000 to support local art projects that can take place online or in person if it follows Covid-secure guidelines.
The funding will go to individuals and organisations looking to produce innovative and engaging art projects across the borough that include activities such as poetry, dance, painting and storytelling.
Cllr Emma Will, Lead Member for Culture:
“This funding couldn’t come at a more crucial time as the arts, cultural and entertainment sector has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. I hope our Arts Grants can empower and help local artists to continue to do what they love.
“Arts and culture are one of the things that makes our borough special. We’re able to enrich our community while also welcoming others to experience the sights and sounds and beloved institutions in our borough.”
Past winners of the Autumn 2020 round of funding were able to put together one-of-a-kind cultural experiences that were Covid-safe and brought the community together online to explore their artistic side.
One of the organisations funded by the Arts Grant scheme last Autumn, The Nucleo Project, has been able to carry out online workshops with musical youth in the borough who’ve collaborated with their line-up of artists and UK singer songwriter Ella Knight as part of The Musicians of Tomorrow project. The next phase of this project will include recording and streaming the musical performance to an audience in July 2021.
Sophie Drysdale from The Nucleo Project said:
“The funding has proved to be a great help for us, providing a huge source of motivation for the children and young people we teach.
“It has been challenging to keep everyone inspired and interested during a whole year of online learning but this project and the opportunity to meet these artists has been a real inspiration.”
Additionally, 24 Hearts has been able to use their grant funding to put on a successful Winter project called Wish Up On A Star. 100 participants took part, following their online tutorials to make a wishing star out of willow and wet strength tissue paper. The stars were installed in the canopy over Portobello market and lit with UV light to bring some much-needed colour to the end of a dark year.
Sophie Lodge from 24 Hearts said:
“With the help of the Arts Grants scheme we were able to give North Kensington residents a chance to participate in a community art project from the safety of their homes. People appreciated a project that all ages could take part in and enjoyed seeing their work displayed in a safe, weatherproof outdoor space.
"There is so much creativity in North Kensington and each project has surpassed our expectations. We will definitely be applying to the grant again.”
The Arts Grants scheme is one of the items outlined in our one-year Culture Plan which is focused on helping the borough bounce back from the pandemic and provide a variety of interactive events for our community.
New applications for the first round of funding for the Arts Grants closes on Friday 30 April 2021.
Apply to the Arts Grants scheme here.