Lancashire arts partners unite to support access to funding and grow cultural activity across the county
Two new events at the University’s Media Factory in Preston will bring arts organisations, creatives, community groups and funding bodies together to support access to arts funding and help grow cultural activity across Lancashire.
An Introduction to Arts Funding (Thursday 22 January, 1–4pm) and Write the Bid! (Monday 2 February, 1–4pm) will take place at the University of Lancashire’s Media Factory and form part of a collaborative programme led by Arts Lancashire and the Lancashire Music Association.
Designed for all creative disciplines — including music, writing, visual arts, performance, community arts and applied creative practice — the programme aims to help increase the amount of external arts funding coming into Lancashire, support stronger and more strategic applications, and encourage greater collaboration between organisations, artists and communities.
The events are delivered in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders and funding bodies, including the University of Lancashire, Preston City Council, Lancashire County Council, Creative Lancashire and Funders, and are intended to support artists, creatives, and community members in developing and sustaining creative projects that celebrate and enrich local culture. It empowers communities to share, collaborate, and shape meaningful cultural experiences that go beyond events.
Together, the two sessions aim to address one of the most common barriers faced by creatives and community organisations — access to funding — and to help build the confidence, skills and knowledge needed to develop high-quality arts activity across the county. By shedding light on funding processes and encouraging collaboration, the programme seeks to support more ambitious, joined-up and sustainable cultural initiatives.
An Introduction to Arts Funding will offer practical insight from key funding organisations, including Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Crowdfund Lancashire. The session will explore who can apply for funding, what funders are looking for, and how to approach applications with confidence.
Write the Bid! follows with a supported co-working afternoon, offering guided writing time, real examples of successful bids, and practical advice to help participants make tangible progress on funding applications.
In addition to these events, participants will also be able to access one-to-one advice sessions, offered by arrangement, to help further develop initiatives, refine ideas and finesse funding applications, providing tailored support and practical guidance as bids move towards submission.
Tony Rigg, Music Industry Advisor and Founder of the Lancashire Music Association, said:
“The creative arts are closely connected to wellbeing and quality of life. They are not luxuries and, I would argue, are more important now than ever. They can be genuinely life-changing, and places with strong cultural activity are better places to live.”
Alex O’Toole, Director of Arts Lancashire, said;
“We want to see more high-quality cultural activity across Lancashire, and access to funding is a key part of making that happen. By bringing stakeholders together, we can demystify funding processes and give people the confidence and practical tools they need to turn strong ideas into deliverable projects.”
Both events are free to attend but require advance registration.
An Introduction to Arts Funding tickets @ https://www.skiddle.com/e/41495567
Write the Bid tickets @ https://www.skiddle.com/e/41495639