For specialist arts institutions or registered charities to provide training opportunities across the fine and performing arts: music, drama, dance, film, fine art, etc.
The Trust welcomes applications from all sectors of the fine and performing arts, including (but not exclusively) music, drama, dance, film and fine art. The scheme will support arts training at any level, from school-age children, to undergraduates and postgraduates.
Individual scholars or students may not apply directly to the Trust.
Grants will run for three or four years in this round of the competition.
Before beginning your application, please read the information below.
Grants will be offered across the full range of the performing and fine arts. Eligible organisations will be specialist arts training institutions or registered charities which can demonstrate outstanding quality within their field.
Institutions may make only one application for funding within each round.
Within its one application, an institution may request funds for more than one type of artistic activity or form of financial support, for example:
- weekend/after-school and summer school scholarships
- undergraduate or postgraduate scholarships
- structured programmes of outreach to aid the search for excellence
The applying organisation will be responsible for the selection of scholarship recipients.
University departments which teach fine and performing arts are not eligible to apply to this scheme.
Individual students may not apply directly to the Trust.
Funds are not available for:
- Continuing Professional Development, for example simply to provide a bridge between formal study and professional employment for recently graduated students
- PhD studentships
- Architecture or Design courses
For institutions that do not already hold an Arts Scholarship award
The Trust recognises that the Arts sector is under considerable strain as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and so the 2022 competition will offer a fast-track pathway for institutions that do not currently hold an Arts Scholarship award to apply for funds to start on 01 September 2021 and run until 31 August 2025. These awards will run for four years. All scholarship costs must be between these dates only.
For institutions that already hold an Arts Scholarship award
Existing Arts Scholarship award holders can apply for a new award for the period 01 September 2022 – 31 August 2025. These awards will run for three years. All scholarship costs must be between these dates only.
Arts Scholarships may be in the form of:
- scholarships to enable excellent individuals to develop their talent, and/or
- scholarships to enable excellent individuals to access the arts or to continue their studies during financial hardship, and/or
- awards which support the search for new talent and excellence via structured outreach activities
Eligible costs for scholarships may include some or all:
- relevant tuition fees
- maintenance
- travel costs
Applications should be made by a Principal Applicant who will take responsibility for the administration of the award and for providing annual progress reports to the Trust.
Applications will also require Institutional Approval of the content of the application, including the finances requested by the organisation. This approver may not be the Principal Applicant.
An expert panel will be convened to assess requests for funding and will consider the case that each application makes for quality and need. The Trust may fund a bid in full or provide partial funding if support for more than one activity is requested.
The principal applicant should contact the Trust (grants@leverhulme.ac.uk) to enable access to the Leverhulme Grants Management System.
When completing the application form, please refer to the Application Help Notes.
Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications for this scheme, it is not possible to provide feedback to individual applicants regarding unsuccessful applications.
