GrantRadar

Fenton Arts Trust

Fenton Arts Trust grants

Grants from the Fenton Arts Trust for specific works, activities, performances or prizes in any field of the creative arts in the UK, with a particular focus on supporting artists at the beginning of their professional careers. Applications can come from organisations (groups, companies or institutions) running opportunities for early-career artists, or from individual artists who have already entered the profession; it does not fund education, training or community participation. The Trust funds around 30-40 beneficiaries a year, and trustees meet three times a year. The online application portal was closed on 28 Sep 2026 and is due to reopen 'later in the Autumn'.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £5,000
Deadline
Not published
no closing date given
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Groups, companies or institutions (for example arts charities, theatres, galleries, orchestras, festivals and literature organisations) whose activity supports early-career artists, and individual artists who have already made a professional entry into the arts and are based permanently in the UK
  • Applications must not involve support for an individual's education or initial professional training
  • Individuals must include a CV

What it funds

  • Individual works, activities, performances or prizes in any field of artistic endeavour, including drama, painting, sculpture, dance, music, poetry and architecture, that support or reward work or performance by individuals early in their professional careers
  • Grants to institutions or organisations that share these aims

Institutions wishing to support alumni after graduation or formal training may approach the Trust to set up projects that offer these individuals professional development opportunities.

Recent 2025-26 grants to organisations include early-career artist commissions, residencies, prizes, trainee directorships, choral scholarships, mentoring and showcase schemes for emerging artists.

What it will not fund

  • Support for an individual's education or initial professional training
  • Final-year or postgraduate scholarships and bursaries via educational institutions
  • Any level of academic study, tuition fees or associated costs, including living expenses, travel or accommodation
  • Education or participation projects for those who have not yet left formal education
  • Community participation or informal education projects or their costs
  • Medical, mental health or wellbeing projects
  • Bursary or scholarship funds run by other charities or education institutions
  • Work done outside the UK or by artists not based permanently in the UK
  • Individuals seeking travel, living or accommodation costs for overseas work, research or education
  • General rehearsal, touring, production or staging costs for performances or exhibitions
  • Costs for support staff or support activities
  • Continuing support for longstanding programmes or projects

How to apply

  1. Check the 'What we do' page carefully to make sure the request is something the Trust supports
  2. Complete the online application form on the 'Applying for a Grant' page when the portal is open, giving the essential project information (mandatory fields are marked)
  3. Upload any supplementary documentation (individuals must include a CV)
  4. Trustees consider applications at meetings in Spring, Summer and Autumn; successful applicants are notified soon after and sent a formal offer letter

On 28 Sep 2026 the application portal was closed and due to open again later in the Autumn.

Each meeting has an unadvertised deadline about three weeks beforehand. Plan at least six months ahead; most of each April-March year's funds are committed by the Summer meeting, and applications received after the end of June are unlikely to be funded in that financial year.

Unsuccessful applicants are not automatically told the outcome.

Have ready

  • Online application form
  • CV (required for individual applicants)

Other supplementary documentation is optional and uploaded with the form.

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