GrantRadar

Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland (on behalf of Newcastle City Council)

Newcastle Culture Investment Fund (rolling projects programme)

The Newcastle Culture Investment Fund gives project grants of £1,000 to £12,000 to independent not-for-profit organisations delivering cultural and creative activity for residents of Newcastle upon Tyne. Projects must start in the 2026/27 financial year and support the city's Cultural Strategy (Newcastle Creates 2022-2030), including its Health & Wellbeing theme. Community organisations as well as arts organisations can apply if they have strong partnerships with artists or cultural organisations. An independent panel decides every two months, and the fund stays open until its £100,000 a year is spent.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,000 – £12,000
Closes in
19 days left
6 November
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Independent, not-for-profit cultural and community organisations delivering cultural activity in the Newcastle City Council area
  • Community (non-arts) organisations must show a creative ethos and strong partnerships with artists or cultural organisations
  • Organisations registered outside Newcastle for admin reasons can apply if all their work is in the city; those with a commitment and presence in the city are considered at lower priority
  • Applicants must have been running for at least one year and have at least one set of audited or independently examined accounts
  • They must be independent of local and national government, including schools and other education bodies
  • The Community Foundation also requires a governing document, a board of at least three unrelated people with equal control, a bank account in the organisation's name with two unrelated signatories, and safeguarding policies
  • CICs and other social enterprises must contact the Foundation before applying, need three unrelated directors and an asset lock, and must upload a business plan and CIC 36 or Community Interest Statement
  • Organisations awarded NCIF core funding for 2025-28 cannot apply
  • No income limit is published

What it funds

Project costs for creative and cultural activity in the Newcastle City Council area that enables the creativity and imagination of people in Newcastle and grows the contribution of culture to social, educational and economic wellbeing. Projects must start in the 2026/27 financial year. Most costs should be for activity, but proportionate extra salary costs are accepted.

  • Every application must show how it contributes to the Cultural Strategy's Health & Wellbeing theme and one other theme (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
  • Prosperity
  • Opportunity
  • Place
  • Climate)

Repeat funding is considered only where the project has developed significantly (e.g. new delivery models, capacity building such as CPD for teachers, or responding to newly identified needs).

What it will not fund

  • Organisations awarded NCIF core funding for 2025-28
  • Organisations with a public venue based outside the Newcastle City Council area
  • Applications from individuals and freelancers
  • Activities or core costs already paid for by other funders or earned income
  • Capital work
  • Organisations run by local or national government, including within the education sector
  • Second applications (organisations can only apply once)
  • General appeals, advancement of religion, animal welfare, grant-making by other organisations, statutory obligations of public bodies, activities already completed, profit-distributing companies (Community Foundation general exclusions)

How to apply

  1. Read the NCIF rolling-programme guidelines and the Community Foundation's general eligibility guidance (CICs: also the CIC guidance)
  2. Contact the fund manager, Jo Cundall (jc@communityfoundation.org.uk, 0191 222 0945), for a preliminary conversation about your application; this is mandatory
  3. Register on the Community Foundation's grantee portal (allow 2 working days)
  4. Complete the online application form
  5. Upload a supporting statement of no more than one A4 page (font size 12) making the case with explicit reference to the Cultural Strategy's Health & Wellbeing theme and one other theme
  6. Submit by the next bi-monthly deadline (6 November 2026) for the independent panel

2026 deadlines were 27 February, 1 May, 6 July, 4 September and 6 November; the fund accepts applications until the annual £100,000 is spent

Applications missing the preliminary chat or the supporting statement may be rejected

Have ready

  • One-page supporting statement referencing the Newcastle Cultural Strategy (Health & Wellbeing plus one other theme)
  • Most recent annual accounts (audited or independently examined)
  • Governing document
  • Safeguarding policies (children and adults)

CICs and non-charity social enterprises must also upload a business plan and a CIC 36 or Community Interest Statement; micro-accounts are not accepted from them

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