New possibilities in funding
I’m writing this with one eye on the sky, which is a luminous soft blue with such little variation in tone that it just seems to go on and on. I’m desperate to be outside but, in a flash-back to all school exams and university finals, I have to stay in and work. You see, I’ve given myself the task of making an Arts Council funding application and if I don’t chip away at it I won’t meet my self-imposed deadline.
This is my first application, and it’s a bit daunting. Mostly it’s the finance stuff that’s worrying me – pinning down the budget, trying not to think about how much money I might be responsible for soon. Luckily the writing and the explaining about the project doesn’t worry me too much. I know what we’re trying to do with this project, I know what it’s all about, who it’s for and what it will hopefully offer makers and participants. But still, it’s a big document and they don’t make it easy for you.
Luckily, I’ve found lots of helpful people willing to chat about their experiences making ACE applications, and there are even lovely people who have translated the somewhat confusing online forms into a handy cheat-sheet. I’m fortunate that the venues I’m partnering with are experienced at making applications and can offer me support once I’ve done all the groundwork. But what has been most helpful so far, is the chance to talk to ACE Relationship Manager for the SW region, Andrew Proctor. I popped to Bristol yesterday to have a chat with him about the project and get some advice about the application process. As well as discussing my project, we also talked about the changes to the funding streams that ACE introduced last month, and the possibilities they offer craft makers.