About the Fund

Camden Council’s Cultural Education and Learning Support Fund enables Camden-based cultural organisations to deliver cultural education and learning projects that promote engagement in free to access high-quality cultural experiences in the borough through grants of up to £25,000 cash per project.

The fund runs from June 2023 to March 2026 and will open for applications across 3 funding rounds, with a total pot of £100,000 available within each round. Organisations can apply in all 3 rounds, however projects cannot run concurrently and the maximum combined grant total across all 3 rounds will be £45,000 per organisation.

The grants are open to Camden-based cultural organisations with a track record of delivering outreach in community or school settings in the borough. Successful applicants will be required to commit match funding of at least 10% (this can be a mix of cash and in-kind, with a minimum 5% cash match).

We expect to make no more than one award of £25,000 per round, and welcome applications of all sizes. The fund is likely to be oversubscribed and organisations that are applying for the maximum award will need to demonstrate impact, outcomes and legacy commensurate to the size of award.

Read about some of the projects we have funded in the past.

Application Guidance

Priority Aims

1. To increase participation and engagement in cultural experiences in Camden for children and young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds
2. To create more accessible opportunities for learning, career pathways and talent development
3. To nurture and cultivate sustainable delivery models embedded within cultural organisations

Priority Outcomes for Camden’s Children and Young People

• More children and young people will have opportunities to experience and participate in the arts, particularly those who currently do not engage in arts and culture projects
• More creative projects in schools and youth settings
• Cultural projects that are informed and influenced by children and young people and address their needs and interests
• Projects create opportunities for career pathways in the cultural and creative sectors or ignite an interest in developing a career in the arts and culture sector
• Participants learn new creative skills and gain knowledge and confidence to seek and access cultural experiences, training and mentoring
• Participants benefit through personal enrichment and wellbeing from participating in arts and cultural activities

Priority Outcomes for Camden’s Cultural Organisations

• Projects will have a reach beyond organisations’ current established audiences and will engage children and young people from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds who may currently experience barriers to participation
• Organisations will have an ongoing strategy for sustaining engagement with newly engaged children and young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds beyond the life of the project
• Organisations will have developed deeper relationships across school, community and youth settings and a clearer understanding of local needs, to inform future delivery
• Organisations will embed learning this project into their audience strategy to strategically nurture diverse audiences going forward, including both community outreach and on-site participation at cultural venues

Application FAQ

ORGANISATION ELIGIBILITY

Who can apply to the Cultural Education and Learning Support Fund?

The fund is open to Camden-based cultural organisations (including Private Limited Companies, Public Limited Companies, Unlimited Companies, registered charities, CICs and CIOs) either based physically in the borough or with a demonstrable track record of delivering arts and cultural projects for children and young people in school or community settings in the borough. 

Who cannot apply to the Cultural Education and Learning Support Fund?

The following bodies are not eligible for this fund:

• Sole Traders, Individuals or unincorporated bodies 
• Schools (as lead applicant)
• Organisations (as lead applicant) who do not have a cultural or creative offer as their core activity

How do you define a cultural organisation?

This fund is aimed at organisations whose core activity is delivery of a cultural or creative public offer which may include (but is not restricted to) museums, galleries, theatres, live-music venues, festivals and creative agencies.

Does the cultural organisation have to be Camden-based?

Your organisation must be either based physically in Camden or have a track record of delivering outreach in the borough. Freelancers and facilitators hired to deliver elements of a project are not required to be Camden-based. The beneficiaries of the project must be children and young people either living or studying in Camden.

Can we apply in partnership with another organisation?

Yes, you can apply with another Camden-based organisation, if you can demonstrate how the partnership will add value to the project outcomes for children and young people and to the participating organisations. One organisation will need to act as the designated lead applicant for all communication and fund administration.

PROJECT ELIGIBILITY

What types of projects can be funded through the Cultural Education and Learning Support Fund?

The project must have a strong creative/cultural/arts element, and can include (but is not restricted to) the following:

• Workshops or performances at your venue or in a school, youth provision setting or community setting
• Visits to your venue (e.g. to view an exhibition)
• Online projects
• Events, performances or festivals co-produced with or for young people
• Continued Professional Development (CPD) / training for staff in Camden maintained schools, youth centres and community organisations (with a demonstrated link to outcomes for children and young people)
• Creation of new learning resources (print or digital) with a strategy for how these will be shared/used and by whom.
• If your activity does not fit into any of these categories, please contact us to discuss eligibility.

What types of projects cannot be funded through the Cultural Education and Learning Support Fund?

• We will not be able to fund the following:
• Retrospective projects (projects that have already started at the time of applying)
• Projects due to finish after March 2026
• Projects that do not have a significant arts and cultural element
• Activity taking place outside of the London Borough of Camden
• Commercial projects, or projects that are not delivered free of charge to schools and/or project participants
• Projects that do not include Camden children and young people as the main beneficiaries
• Core staffing salaries or organisational overheads/running costs not related directly to the project (in-kind match can come from core staff)
• Capital works

How do you define ‘education & learning?’

• A project with education and learning outcomes could offer participants:
• Access to new cultural experiences
• Increased confidence in accessing cultural venues
• Gaining skills relevant to accessing roles in the arts sector and creative industries
• Knowledge about cultural sector roles and career pathways
• Access to cultural sector networks or professional contacts
• Professional development and training
• Mentoring
• Work experience

Can I apply with a current project model?

Projects that are a continuation or scaling-up from a previous project are eligible for funding if it is demonstrably a new iteration of the project and fits within the Aims & Outcomes of the fund. We cannot fund any activity that has already taken place.

Which artforms and disciplines are eligible?

Your project could involve (but is not restricted to) visual arts, curation, museums and collections, music (tuition, performance or composition), poetry, literature, creative writing, film & digital media, design, festivals, theatre, dance and other performing arts. Applications for projects that work across artforms are welcomed.

Who can participate in my project?

All projects funded through the Cultural Education and Learning Support Fund must be free to access for children and young people living in Camden or studying at Camden-maintained schools and colleges.

Is there a minimum or maximum number of participants required to take part? 

No, we will assess each proposal on the quality and level of impact, not solely on the number of participants. You are welcome to propose a project for a small, targeted cohort or for a wider group across a community or setting.

How do you define ‘Children and Young People’ and is there an age limit for participants?

Projects can be targeted for people aged between 0 and 25 years. You will be required to specify the intended cohort age range in your application.

What are the safeguarding requirements?

All successful applicants must submit a detailed and relevant safeguarding policy and plan before receiving funding and beginning activity.

When does the project activity need to take place? 

Successful applicants can commence development of project activity as soon as contracts are signed and exchanged. Projects can be delivered across more than one fiscal or calendar year, however the maximum award to an organisation for any one project per funding round will remain at £25,000.

We encourage applicants to aim for completion within 12 months of receiving funding, where possible, but single projects taking place over a longer timeframe will be considered, with a clear rationale for necessity or value added by the extended timeframe. All projects, including those funded in Round 3, must be completed by March 2026.

Do children and young people need to be involved in planning the project?

We will require successful applications to demonstrate how community guidance from children and young people representative of the target cohort has been sought and reflected in developing the specific project and how the project will meet their stated needs. You will also be clear about how children and young people’s input and feedback will influence the development, delivery and evaluation of the project throughout.

GRANT AMOUNTS

How much can I apply for in each round? 

The maximum an organisation can apply for within each round is £25,000.

How much can I apply for across all three rounds?

The maximum each organisation can receive is £45,000 across the three rounds

Do I need to apply for the full £25,000? 

No, you are welcome to apply for a lower amount sufficient to deliver your project.

Is there a minimum amount I can apply for in each round?

No. Only apply for the amount of funding you require to deliver the outcomes required for your project.

Is match funding required?

Applicant organisations must, at the time of making the application, demonstrate and commit match funding for the project. Match funding must be at least 10% of your grant request, of this a minimum 5% must be committed in cash. For example, if you are applying for £10,000 you will need to match-fund with £500 in cash and £500 either cash or in-kind. In this example the total value of the project would be £11,000.

What do you mean by ‘in-kind funding’?

In-kind match is a non-cash contribution and can be the value of, for example, premises, staffing and equipment directly used for the delivery of your funded project. This can be provided either by your organisation, or from a partner organisation. Please contact us if you are unsure whether any elements of you match are cash or-in kind.

Can the funding be used for staff salaries?

The grant funding cannot be used for core staffing costs within your organisation, but it can be used for fees to artists and freelancers for direct project delivery, and for backfilling the costs for a core member of staff directly involved in overseeing the delivery of the funded project.

APPLICATON PROCESS

Can I discuss my application with someone ahead of applying?

We will be holding two online guidance sessions for prospective applicants: 16:00 to 18:00 on 9 January 2025, and 14:00 to 16:00 on 16 January 2025. If you would like to attend a session, please email culture@camden.gov.uk to receive a Teams link. Please specify which session(s) you would like to attend.

Can I apply more than once?

Applicant organisations will be eligible to make more than one application over the life of the Cultural Education and Learning Support Fund, but only one application can be submitted per round (if two applications from an organisation are submitted in a single round we will only consider the first application submitted). Organisations will not be able to receive more than £45,000 combined across all 3 rounds. Grant funding provided in one round will not guarantee or indicate that future applications in later rounds will be funded.

ASSESSMENT PROCESS

How will the applications be assessed?

Applications will be assessed and scored by a panel consisting of Camden Council officers and learning specialists, against the Assessment Criteria outlined below, and with reference to the Aims and Outcomes and fund details outlined above. When arbitrating between proposals achieving equally high scores, the panel will make balanced funding decisions in each round to ensure that a broad range of young people are able to benefit from a wide variety of cultural opportunities.

When will I know if my Round 2 application is successful? 

We aim to notify you of the outcome by Friday 28 March 2025.

FUND ADMINISTRATION

When will the funds be paid? 

We will agree an appropriate schedule of payments with successful applicants based on the value of the award and timeframes of the project. However, organisations in receipt of larger awards should anticipate 3 scheduled payments at the beginning, mid-point and end of the project on receipt of the required milestones, outcomes, evaluation and monitoring report.

What evaluation will be required? 

Recipients of larger awards will be required to submit a mid-point progress report to unlock the second grant payment. To release the final payment, all grant recipients will be required to submit an evaluation form describing the delivery and outcomes of the project, a monitoring form with participant data (template to be shared at the beginning of the project), a selection of quotes and evaluation from some of the participants, and a set of photographs (cleared for promotional use) evidencing the activity. The Lead Applicant will also be required to conduct an evaluation interview with our fund evaluators after submission of final evaluation documents.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Applications will be assessed and scored guided by the following 5 main criteria, and with reference to the Priority Aims and Outcomes stated above:

• Project Proposal: Quality, originality, creative ambition, feasibility and deliverability of the project.
• Participants and Impact: Outcomes for Camden’s children and young people, impact for the borough of Camden.
• Outreach and Engagement: Marketing and outreach, audience development plan, outcomes and legacy for cultural org, youth voice, commitment and approach to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion,
• Project Delivery: Experience of project team, track record of organisational delivery, appropriate diversity and representation within delivery team and freelancers, project assurance and evaluation. Approach to project management and risk management (including approach to safeguarding).
• Finance and Budget: Budget realistic to scale of project, achievable, value for money, ethical payment policy 

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