Arts Council England

04/06/2026

Now open for applications 📢

Developing Your Creative Practice supports individual creative and cultural practitioners to focus on career development.

📆 You have until 2 July to make your application.

Take our ‘Am I ready to apply?’ quiz to find out if now is the right time for you to apply and take a look at our guidance before starting your application.

Find out more and apply now 👇
https://bit.ly/4e1EuWx

Image credit: London Arts and Health / Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance

29/05/2026

From funded Friday writing sessions to award-winning success! 🙌

In 2023, Marcia Hutchinson received £13,100 through our Developing Your Creative Practice fund to focus on her debut novel, The Mercy Step.

Fast forward to today, she has won the 2026 Discover British Book Awards and has been shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, alongside being named one of the Observer’s best new novelists of 2025! 🥳

We were thrilled to meet Marcia and hear how this support helped her turn an idea into an extraordinary debut. Watch the video to find out more. 🎥

19/05/2026

Last year, we supported local museums to mark the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ Day, distributing over £400,000 in grants through the Museum Development network on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport .

Across the country, communities brought Second World War stories to life, sharing powerful experiences, culture and histories through inspiring local projects.

Take a look at what Museum Development South East’s awardees delivered…🔎

📼 Museum Development South East

14/05/2026

What happens when creativity brings out someone's potential? 🎈

Bamboozle Theatre Company is a Leicester-based NPO that has been providing creative opportunities for learning disabled and autistic young people and their families for over 30 years.

Their latest production, Airship, is an immersive, sensory show for children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. It’s inspired by Eye of the Storm, a book written by 22-year-old Amy Mayo.

Amy has been attending Bamboozle productions since she was 5 years old. She has severe cerebral palsy, complex medical needs and communicates by blinking. When she was growing up, her family were often told what she wouldn’t be able to do. But Bamboozle were different. They believed in her potential. And they created a space where she could feel heard, included and empowered to express herself creatively.

“Bamboozle will always hold a sentimental value for me as one of the first places that I felt understood with no judgment.” ✨ Amy Mayo.

Read Amy’s story: https://bit.ly/4u91R7n

thanks to the

📷 Bamboozle’s production of Airship which is designed for audiences who might be described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities. Photos by Darren Staples Photography

13/05/2026

Applications are now open for library services in England to join the Libraries Development Framework – a national recognition and celebration of outstanding and impactful practice in libraries.

The Framework highlights services delivering excellent work for their communities and supports continued improvement across the sector.

The deadline to apply is 12pm, 22 July 2026.

Find out more and apply 👇
https://bit.ly/4fjGrQt

Read more about the library services that joined the Framework in 2025 👇
https://bit.ly/4350iLX

31/03/2026

Immersive Arts UK have announced their second round of funded artists! 🥳

The scheme has awarded a further 142 artists over £2 million in funding – empowering artists of all backgrounds and experience to explore, experiment or expand how they make work that uses technology to actively involve an audience.

We are proud to support the programme alongside UK Research and Innovation, Arts and Humanities Research Council - AHRC, Creative Scotland, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Read the full announcement 👇
https://bit.ly/4s3f8g8

Explore the funded projects 👇
https://bit.ly/3PTBl2G

We’re excited to announce the second round of artists funded through Immersive Arts!

142 artists across the UK have been awarded over £2 million to Explore, Experiment, and Expand how they make work using technology to actively involve an audience.

We’re proud to support a wide range of artists exploring many different art forms, including sound, music, theatre, dance, game design, visual arts, sculpture, photography, animation, architecture and filmmaking. Working with a huge range of immersive technologies including; virtual, augmented and mixed reality, 360° film, spatial sound, haptics and tactile interfaces, artificial intelligence, biofeedback and responsive environments.

Led by UWE Bristol with Pervasive Media Studio as Lead Hub and Watershed as Executive Producer. In partnership with University of Bristol, Nerve Centre, Wales Millenium Centre - Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru, Cryptic Glasgow, Crossover, Unlimited, Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network, and XR Diversity Initiative.

Funded by UK Research and Innovation, Arts and Humanities Research Council - AHRC, Arts Council England, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Read the full announcement: immersivearts.uk/news/140-uk-projects-receive-2m

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Rydyn ni’n falch iawn o gyhoeddi'r ail rownd o artistiaid i gael eu hariannu drwy Celfyddydau Ymdrochol!

Mae 142 o artistiaid ledled gwledydd Prydain wedi cael dros £2 filiwn i Archwilio, Arbrofi ac Estyn sut maen nhw'n gwneud gwaith gan ddefnyddio technoleg er mwyn cynnwys cynulleidfa.

Rydyn ni’n falch o gefnogi ystod eang o artistiaid sy'n archwilio llawer o wahanol ffurfiau ar gelf, gan gynnwys sain, cerddoriaeth, theatr, dawns, dylunio gemau, celfyddydau gweledol, cerflunwaith, ffotograffiaeth, animeiddio, pensaernïaeth a gwneud ffilmiau. Maen nhw’n gweithio gydag ystod eang o dechnolegau ymdrochol gan gynnwys; realiti rhithwir, estynedig a chymysg, ffilm 360o, sain ofodol, rhyngwynebau haptig a chyffyrddol, deallusrwydd artiffisial, bioadborth ac amgylcheddau ymatebol.

O dan arweiniad Prifysgol Gorllewin Lloegr Bryste gyda Pervasive Media Studio fel Prif Hwb a Watershed fel Cynhyrchydd Gweithredol. Mewn partneriaeth â Phrifysgol Bryste, Canolfan Nerve, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru, Cryptic, Crossover Labs, Unlimited, Rhwydwaith Technoleg Ymdrochol Innovate UK, a Menter Amrywiaeth XR.

Wedi'i ariannu gan Ymchwil ac Arloesi'r DU, Cyngor Ymchwil y Celfyddydau a'r Dyniaethau (AHRC), Cyngor Celfyddydau Lloegr, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru, yr Alban Greadigol, a Chyngor Celfyddydau Gogledd Iwerddon.

Darllenwch y cyhoeddiad llawn: immersivearts.uk/cy/news/142-brosiectau-yn-cael-dros-2-filiwn

30/03/2026

Did you catch The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals on Saturday night? 🎭

It was fantastic to see such a spectacular celebration of theatre on screen – all made possible .

Watch the full show on BBC iPlayer 👇
https://bbc.in/48befe7

National Lottery Good Causes

03/03/2026

National Lottery Open Week is almost here, running from 7-15 March! 🙌

As a thank you to the players who raise £32 million each week for good causes, you can use your National Lottery ticket or scratchcard to enjoy special offers at hundreds of UK venues – the perfect opportunity to explore art and culture on your doorstep.

Search National Lottery Open Week or visit the link below to find offers near you. 👇
https://bit.ly/3MaT2tf


National Lottery Good Causes

19/02/2026

Empowering young people from the Black Country to shape the future 💛

Powered by CAN (PbC) has spent the last two years transforming the way they work. When the pandemic disrupted their funding model, they took the opportunity to pause, listen, and rethink their direction. 🚶‍➡️

By working closely with young people, staff, and the wider community, PbC reshaped its mission and built a stronger, more sustainable approach. Their goal remains the same: to challenge inequalities in Sandwell and create opportunities for young people through creativity and culture. 🎈

This new direction means clearer priorities, stronger systems, and a focus on long‑term impact, all rooted in the lived experience of local young people.

👉 Want to learn more? Read the full case study and listen to the podcast > https://buff.ly/o4eA7EF

Images provided by Powered by CAN

11/02/2026

We’re proud to support Creativity Collaboratives! 🥳

This programme champions schools putting creativity at the heart of learning in classrooms across England. 📚

Find out how Creativity Collaboratives are embedding creativity across the curriculum > https://buff.ly/6cbWxGE

A national pilot has shown that embedding teaching for creativity in classrooms can have a transformative impact on students and teachers.👩‍🏫

The Creativity Collaboratives programme involved over 100 primary, secondary, specialist and early years settings across eight regional networks in England.

Supported by universities and cultural partners, teachers embedded creativity across all subjects - not just the Arts.🎭

An independent evaluation by our School of Education at Durham University found measurable benefits for student engagement, teacher confidence and professional fulfilment.

The Creativity Collaboratives pilot was funded by Arts Council England and Freelands Foundation. Partner universities are: University of Birmingham, UCL, University of Wi******er, University of Nottingham, University of Exeter.

Read more about the programme: 👉 https://brnw.ch/21wZQHB