Idlewild Foundation; Closing 15th March 2022

Idlewild Trust

Current Status

Open for Applications

Maximum value:

£ 5,000

Objectives of Fund

The Trust offers grants to registered charities working in the following two areas:

• Arts Grants: Nurturing Early Stage Professionals – Supporting programmes that improve opportunities for professionals working creatively within the arts at an early stage in their career.
• Conservation Grants: Objects and Works of Art – Supporting the conservation of historic or artistically important objects and works of art in museums, galleries, places of worship, historic buildings or their grounds.

Value Notes

The maximum grant available is £5,000.

The Trust has a small amount of funding that it awards twice a year. In 2020 the Trust awarded 33 grants totalling £128,055, with an average value of £3,880.

Match Funding Restrictions

Applicants are expected to show what other sources of funding have been sought and secured.

Who Can Apply

Applications are accepted from the following organisations:

• UK registered charities that are more than two years’ old (ie have two or more annual returns submitted on time to the Charity Commission).
• UK publicly exempt charities, which includes some museums and galleries.
• Churches that are excepted charities with an income of less than £100,000.

For Arts Grants eligible charities must be in the arts sector with the purpose of delivering high quality, professional arts or visual arts programmes including theatres, arts centres, galleries, orchestras, opera and theatre companies.

For Conservation Grants applicants must own the the object/work of art to be conserved. The Trust will consider applications from museums with charitable status where the object/work of art may still be owned by the local authority. Eligible applicants must provide a completed Conservation Report by an independent and accredited conservator or an in-house qualified conservator.

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Projects that have already been completed.
• Charities or projects based outside the UK or involving travel outside the UK.
• Projects in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
• Organisations in receipt of any category of grant from Idlewild Trust within 24 months of the last award.
• Charities with the sole or main purpose of making grants.
• Any organisation with income of £5,000 per year or under.
• Higher, secondary or primary education institutions including universities, schools, colleges and conservatoires, whether state or private.

Conservation grants will not fund:

• Structural repair of buildings or routine maintenance, cleaning and preventative work on objects or works of art.
• Conservation of organs and bells.
• Capital projects/new facilities including extensions, redevelopments, heating and lighting.
• Environmental projects or conservation of lands.
• Conservation reports.
• Large projects that are dependent on a major grant if that major grant hasn’t yet been secured.

Arts grants will not fund:

• Charities with a primary focus other than the arts.
• Programmes for under 18 year olds or gap year students.
• Programmes with the purpose of introducing people to the arts.
• Programmes helping people prepare for entry to graduate-level training or similar. We consider programmes at the next stage of their development.
• Management, outreach and administrative career development.
• Programmes for just one person.
• Commissioning of new works, touring programmes, performances, productions, festivals and exhibitions unless this is as part of a programme to nurture early stage professionals.
• Programmes involving amateurs, even if soloists are professionals.

Eligible Expenditure

Funding is available for the following types of projects:

Arts – Nurturing early stage professionals: Eligible projects should aim to improve the opportunities for professionals working creatively in the arts at an early stage in their careers. The Trust will consider programmes that:

• Encourage and nurture the talent of young professional musicians, dancers, actors, writers and artists in the performing, fine and applied arts aged 18 and over. Programmes need to be run by UK registered charities in the arts sector, delivering high quality and professional work with a strong track record. Programmes should be for talented early stage professionals with existing training or very relevant experience.
• Are for other early stage professionals working creatively within the arts including composers, curators and theatre-makers (eg directors and choreographers).

Conservation – Objects and works of art: The Trust supports the conservation of important works of art and objects that are being lost through the lack of funds to look after them. The Trust will consider programmes that:

• Conserve historic or artistically important objects and works of art including artefacts, textiles, furniture, metalwork, manuscripts, wall paintings, tombs and stained glass of high quality. Works must be in museums, galleries, places of worship, and historic buildings or their grounds, and be accessible to the public. (The Trust requires applicant organisations to own the object or work of art for which funding is being awarded and to have a completed Conservation Report available.)

How To Apply

The 2022 application deadlines are:

• 15 March (midday) for a decision by the end of May 2022.
• 7 September (application forms are available from early July 2022) for a decision by the end of November 2022.

Guidance information and online application forms are available on the Trust’s website – Click Here