Applications for Funding

If you are involved with a project which you would like the Trust to consider supporting please see the guidance below.

Below are the Trust’s General Criteria for Support which outline the aims of the Trust and provide an indication of the sort of projects with which it would like to become involved. Any applications which closely match the criteria or fulfil them imaginatively will be favourably considered. 

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to read the Guidelines for Funding Decision (presented below) and ensure that their applicant falls within these guidelines.

There are two main types of financial support: grants and underwriting.  Grants are single payments for projects that have no income.  Underwriting is a loan of money that is paid back on a proportional basis from any income generated on the project. 

Clearly other considerations will be taken into account such as the extent of Trust’s available funds, the quality of the production team and the quality of other applications.  In all cases, the Trustees' decision is final.

General Criteria for Support

Within the range of projects that meet the above criterion, the Trust will favour projects which:

• Are unlikely to get support from other sources
• Have budgets in which the Trust can make a significant impact (our minimum share of the budget would normally be 10%)
• Will benefit groups rather than individuals
• Have clear artistic and social benefits

The Trust will endeavour to support projects based in the City of Oxford and the University of Oxford where possible and, specifically, projects from Brasenose College.

The Trust can give ‘in-kind’ support in the form of knowledge and advice as well as financial support in the form of grants and underwriting.

In the event of several applications of equal quality, the Trust may choose to select several which represent a wide range of arts activities and/or beneficiary groups. 

Guidelines for funding decisions

Note: these guidelines are used by the Trustees as part of the process for considering funding applications, but the Trustees are not bound by them and may exercise their discretion as appropriate. In all cases, the Trustees’ decision is final.

The guidelines are shared on our website to help potential applicants ensure that their funding applications are likely to fall within the Trust’s normal parameters.

Type of project – the project must have an artistic or creative focus. This includes theatre, film and music but all art forms will be considered.

New Material - there is a particular willingness to support new work such as new writing, musical composition, etc.

Education elements - educational (formal or informal) aspects to the project will be of particular interest. This includes learning and development for those delivering the project, but does not include course fees or training costs for the applicants.

Location - projects which partly/wholly take place in or around Oxford are of interest, but the Trust will consider any project taking place in the UK. Overseas projects are unlikely to be considered.

Individual benefit - projects should benefit a wide group of people, including participants and audiences, rather than for the benefit of one or two individuals. Other than specific schemes promoted directly by the Trust (e.g. bursaries), projects to fund one individual will not normally be considered.

Financial impact - we only support projects where we believe our funding will make a meaningful difference. Projects with a budget of over £10,000 are unlikely to be considered, and we strongly prefer that our funding is at least 10% of the total budget.

Grants vs Underwriting - grants will not be considered for projects with a meaningful source of income (e.g. ticket sales); in these cases, the Trust will underwrite costs and require this funding to be returned plus/minus a share of the project's profit/loss.

Funding amount - grants are made for amounts up to £500, and average £250. Underwriting for theatre productions and similar projects are typically up to £600 and average £400.

Projects to support other charities – we are unlikely to support projects where it is intended that some/all income is to be donated to another charity, unless the Trust first gets back its funding; this is because the Trust is a charity itself and we do not normally expect our funding to be passed onto other charities.

Disclaimer

These criteria are guidelines only. The Trustees reserve the right to make a final decision as a group or by electing an officer to decide on their behalf.

How to Apply

To apply for funding, use the secure form below. If this is not possible because you need to send multiple files or a file over 2MB please use Dropbox, Google Drive or something similar and send us the link. Please note that we cannot read large amounts of material.

Applications should be as succinct as possible while including at least the following information:

• Practical details of the project (e.g. title, dates, venue)
• A description of your artistic vision
• Details of the educational value of the project (for team members and/or wider public)
• A budget including predicted income and expenditure
• Details of the key team members (e.g. director, producer, set designer)
• How you will attract an audience

If we required additional information to inform our decision, we will contact you. If you have any queries about how to apply, please feel free to email us.

When to Apply