GrantRadar

Sir Barry Jackson Trust

The Sir Barry Jackson Trust Funds

Grants, seldom exceeding £3,000, for small-scale, touring and educational theatre in the West Midlands, from money left by the founder of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Three funds run from one application: the County Fund for touring productions, the Hornton Fund for developing young people's talent in theatre, and the Sir Barry Jackson Trust Fund for promoting the art of theatre more widely. Applications run in rounds - the autumn round opens on 22 October 2026 and closes on 1 December 2026.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £3,000
Deadline
44 days left
1 December
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Theatre companies and organisations working in the West Midlands, with a company bank account - grants are never paid to private individuals
  • For the County and Hornton Funds the work must be based in or touring predominantly in the metropolitan districts of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton
  • The Sir Barry Jackson Trust Fund has a wider area of benefit: applications from Birmingham and the historic, pre-1974 counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire, including Stoke-on-Trent, are considered
  • Where funds have a geographical focus, the Trust accepts applications for projects taking place in those areas and may prioritise work from artists, producers and companies based in them
  • Trustees require companies to demonstrate financial strength and an ability to control grant expenditure
  • All grants are assumed to be one-off; a grant does not imply any continuing responsibility for a company's work
  • Successful applicants must acknowledge the Trust in publicity, display its logo where appropriate, invite trustees to performances, and supply an evaluation report and final project budget on completion

What it funds

  • The County Fund supports high-standard theatre productions that expand awareness and appreciation of live theatre, suit audiences with little or no previous theatre experience, are intellectually challenging and artistically inventive, and tour predominantly or extensively in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton
  • The Hornton Fund develops the abilities and understanding of young people in the art of drama through educational work based in schools and colleges in those areas, particularly enabling children and young people aged 25 and under from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop talents in the theatre crafts, including acting and writing
  • The Sir Barry Jackson Trust Fund, the smallest and with the widest area, has financed purchases connected with Sir Barry's memory and legacy, education work with new writers, and the commissioning of new work

What it will not fund

  • Grants payable to private individuals - you must have a company bank account
  • Educational establishments directly
  • Student companies still in training
  • Individual student fees
  • The redevelopment or re-iteration of a project already funded by a previous application
  • Losses sustained on the programme - the trustees' policy is not to increase a grant to cover them

incomplete or unclear applications may be deferred or refused

How to apply

  1. Wait for the round to open - the autumn round opens on Thursday 22 October 2026
  2. Read the Application Guidelines and download the Budget Template from the Apply page
  3. Use the Printable Application Form to prepare and draft your bid
  4. Submit the completed bid through the digital application form - all applications must be made this way

the autumn round closes on Tuesday 1 December 2026

applications and contact details forms must be completed clearly and comprehensively; trustees reserve the right to defer or refuse incomplete or unclear ones

Have ready

  • A completed digital application form
  • A completed contact details form
  • A project budget, using the Trust's Budget Template

on completion of a funded project, an evaluation report and a final project budget are expected

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