Creative Industry Funding

Arts Council England (ACE) is the national development agency for creativity and culture in England, and one of the largest distributors of National Lottery funding. Its flagship open-access programme is National Lottery Project Grants, which funds arts, museums, and libraries projects for individuals and organisations.

Project Grants typically fund between £1,000 and £100,000 for individuals and between £1,000 and significantly higher amounts for organisations, depending on the programme strand. Grants are available for a wide range of creative activity including live performance, visual arts, literature, music, screen, combined arts, and museums projects. ACE assesses applications against two criteria: Quality (artistic or cultural quality and ambition) and Public Engagement (how many people will benefit and how they will be involved).

Applications are submitted online through ACE's Grantium portal. There are multiple deadlines throughout the year for individuals; organisations can apply at any time but decisions take up to six weeks for grants under £30,000 and longer for larger amounts. ACE publishes detailed guidance on what it funds, how to structure your budget, and what supporting materials to include. Reading the programme guidance carefully before applying is essential — grants are declined for technical ineligibility as well as for insufficient artistic quality.

ACE also funds a cohort of National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) — a range of arts and cultural organisations that receive multi-year funding through periodic investment programmes rather than project grants. NPO status is not available to new applicants outside the periodic investment rounds, which occur every three to four years.

The British Film Institute (BFI) is the UK's lead body for film and the moving image. It distributes National Lottery funding to support UK filmmaking at all stages — development, production, and distribution — as well as audience development and education. BFI funding programmes include:

• BFI Film Fund: The main fund for feature film development and production. It prioritises ambitious, original UK films with distinctive voices and cross-demographic audience potential. Applications are accepted throughout the year, with decisions taken by a commissioning panel.
• BFI Network: Supports emerging filmmakers (writers, directors, and producers) through talent development funding, short film commissions, and residencies. Delivered through regional partners including BAFTA, Short Circuit, and iFeatures.
• BFI Doc Society: Funds documentary film development and production with an emphasis on innovation and social impact.
• BFI Distribution Fund: Supports the theatrical distribution of independent and specialised films in the UK.

BFI funding is targeted at UK-based filmmakers with strong creative visions and evidence of previous experience. New entrants to the industry may find BFI Network more accessible as a starting point. The BFI website publishes detailed application guidelines, eligibility requirements, and example funded projects for each programme.

The UK Games Fund is a government-backed body supporting the growth of the UK games development sector, particularly early-stage studios and indie developers. Its main programmes include:

• Tranzfuser: A competition-based programme for recent graduates and emerging teams to develop a game prototype, offering up to £25,000 in development funding plus business support and mentoring. Teams compete for recognition at the EGX games show.
• UK Games Fund Prototype Funding: Grants of up to £25,000 for games studios at prototype stage, with a focus on innovative game concepts and commercially viable projects. Studios must be UK-registered and meet size and turnover criteria.

UK Music is the collective voice of the UK music industry. While UK Music itself does not typically distribute grants directly to artists, it advocates for funding for the sector and signposts members to available support. Individual artists and music businesses may access support through:

• Arts Council England's Project Grants (music is an eligible artform)
• Help Musicians — a charity providing financial support to professional musicians facing hardship or seeking career development
• PPL and PRS Foundation — the PRS Foundation distributes grants for music creation, touring, and international development, funded partly by PRS for Music

Creative Scotland is the national body for the arts, screen, and creative industries in Scotland, distributing Scottish Government and National Lottery funding. Its open fund for individuals and organisations operates on a similar basis to ACE Project Grants, with applications assessed against creative quality and public benefit. Creative Scotland also funds Screen Scotland, which supports Scottish film and television production and talent development. Scottish applicants with arts, screen, or creative industry projects should apply to Creative Scotland rather than Arts Council England, even for National Lottery-funded programmes.

Arts Council of Wales (Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru) is the official body for funding and developing the arts in Wales. It administers National Lottery and Welsh Government funding through programmes including Grants for the Arts (for individuals and organisations) and the Cultural Recovery Fund. Wales also has a strong bilingual funding ethos — projects that engage Welsh-language communities or support Welsh-language arts are particularly encouraged.

In Northern Ireland, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) is the main distributor of National Lottery arts funding. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland runs a range of project support and organisational funding programmes for Northern Ireland-based individuals and organisations.

Applicants should always check which national arts body covers their location. Cross-border projects that span two nations may need to discuss funding responsibility with both relevant bodies before applying.