Want support to work internationally but not sure where to begin? Here’s a quick rundown of funding opportunities that you can apply for
Trina Haldar'collaborates with Thespo Theatre in Mumbai. Photo: Thespo Theatre
One of the questions we're most often asked by UK creatives is: how can I get my first break working overseas? Over the past few years, new initiatives have sprung up, with the British Council and others like us committing to help artists, producers and organisations build international links. Here's a quick guide to the regular funding schemes to help you get started.
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UK wide
See a list of all current British Council international opportunities for artists, creatives, professionals and organisations.
The Aziz Foundation is an independent grant giving independent organisation that supports disadvantaged communities in the UK. If offers grants to charitable activities that support community empowerment, leadership development and public engagement. They usually award grants to registered charities or charitable community groups. However, they also award grants to bodies or individuals in exceptional circumstances.
Next deadline: to be confirmed.
China Now is a British Council online resource for UK arts and creative professionals who are interested in working in Hong Kong and China, with exclusive access to opportunities, news, and reports.
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is an independent grant giving organisation that offers funding for projects across five main sectors – arts, children and young people, environment, food and social change. You can apply for a small grant (£60,000 or less) for one-off projects or to test out new ideas, or for a larger grant across one to five years.
Deadline: you can apply for this grant at any time.
Foundation for Arts Initiatives gives grants to organisations and individuals for project funding or research that requires travel overseas.
Deadline: you can apply for this grant at any time.
Our IETM bursaries offer UK d/Deaf, disabled, and minority ethnic practitioners the chance to attend a major performing arts networking event twice a year in a city in Europe. IETM is a network of over five hundred performing arts organisations and individuals working in contemporary performance in Europe and all over the world.
Next deadline: 22 July 2019.
The Goethe Institut's International Cooperation Fund gives grants to support artistic collaboration internationally in performing.
Deadline: 15 October 2019.
The Lisa Ullmann Travel Scholarship provides financial support to individuals who wish to travel abroad or in the UK to attend a conference, to pursue a research project or undertake a short course of study in the field of movement or dance.
Deadline: the next application round will open in November 2019.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship awards bursaries to travel overseas for up to two months to research a topic of your choice. They welcome applications from artists and makers to learn from other countries and to spread the global insights that you bring back.
Deadline: the next deadline is 17 September 2019.
UK-Taiwan Connections through Culture Grants is a rolling grants scheme from the British Council that launched in 2019. The programme aims to develop exciting cultural collaborations and long-lasting relationships between artists and arts organisations in Taiwan and in the UK. You can apply for up to £2,500 (or equivalent monetary value in Taiwan Dollars) for projects with a counterpart arts organisation in the UK or Taiwan.
Deadline: 2 August 2019.
UK-China Connections through Culture Grants is a rolling grant scheme from the British Council. The scheme offers development grants for artists and arts organisations in the UK and China to support long term cultural collaboration between the two countries, as well as advice, support and networking opportunities.
Deadline: 2 August 2019.
England
You can apply for the Arts Council England's Develop Your Creative Practice Fund. Individual artists and/or creative practitioners can apply for a £2,000–£10,000 grant to build new networks, create new work or pursue research and development opportunities – including overseas.
Next deadline: to be confirmed.
Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants is an open access fund for artists and organisations across the arts – including museums and library projects. You can apply for £1,000 to £100,000 to support your project.
Deadline: you can apply for this fund at any time.
Northern Ireland
Arts Council Northern Ireland support artists and arts organisations from theatre and literature to art in the community. If you'd like to know more about their funding opportunities you can visit their website or e-mail them on: info@artscouncil-ni.org
The Artists' International Development Fund is a joint initiative between the British Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland that supports new international collaborative projects. Artists who work in any artform, who have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for at least a year, can apply for up to £5,000.
Deadline: 15 August 2019.
Scotland
The Federation of Scottish Theatre’s placement programme is designed for those working in producing roles across dance, opera and theatre. It focuses on the professional development of producers and supports successful applicants to undertake a placement with established producers in the UK and overseas.
Deadline: 26 April 2019
Creative Scotland’s Open Project Funding is open to Scottish-based artists and organisations looking to tour or collaborate internationally. You will need to demonstrate the benefits it will bring to you and your work, and how this will feed back into future activity benefiting the people of Scotland. Applicants from outside Scotland looking to looking to apply will only be eligible if the project is able to demonstrate that it provides significant benefit to Scottish-based artists and/or audiences.
Deadline: you can apply for this fund at any time.
Find out more
Wales
Wales Arts International’s International Opportunity Fund supports Wales-based professional arts practitioners and organisations to undertake international visits aimed at the development of international work, and to present and deliver artistic work outside the UK.
Deadline: you can apply for this fund at any time.
Find out more
Europe
Creative Europe’s Culture programme mainly supports collaborative projects between organisations from the creative, cultural and heritage sectors in different countries. There is also support for publishers to translate European fiction. Creative Europe Desk UK is England’s team of specialists – it organises workshops, seminars and networking events across the country and offers free guidance to prospective applicants.
Find out more
Find more funds:
> Research international funding with IETM’s Fund Finder
> Sign up to MAKE Online – a community of Black British artists that provides resources and lists opportunities
> See funding and advice at On the Move
> Find funding for research with AHRC’s Research Beyond Borders blog
> Explore residency opportunities with Transartists
Talk to us:
> Email us to tell us about more international funds and resources for UK practitioners
