Paul Hamlyn Foundation Opens with New UK Grants Strategy

One of the UK’s largest independent grant-making foundations has launched its new strategic plan which will run from 2015 to 2021 and increased its funding by £5 million per year.

The Foundation which closed to applications last October has reopened with a new strategy which focuses on six new priorities relating to the changes it wishes to see in the UK.

The Foundation's work in the UK will focus on achieving the following six strategic priorities:

- Supporting imaginative people to nurture exciting ideas.
- Widening access and participation in the arts.
- Improving people's education and learning through the arts.
- Showing that the arts make a difference to people's lives.
- Supporting the development and growth of organisations investing in young people and positive change.
- Improving support for young people who migrate, and strengthen integration so that communities can live well together.

The Foundation has designed some new funds to support its new priorities and plans to give £25 million in grants (an increase of £5 million) each year to not-for-profit organisations in the UK working toward these new priorities. Some of the funds have opened this week and some will open in the Autumn. It is also continuing with many of its existing programmes.

The following new funds are now open:

Shared Ground Fund offers grants for not-for-profit organisations to test new approaches and explore ways of addressing new migration challenges. There are two different grants: Explore and Test grants open now; More and Better Grants open in the Autumn.

Youth Fund offers core-cost support (grants of between £10,000 and £60,000 for up to two years) to developing not-for-profit organisations working to enable young people to reach their full potential. It is particularly interested in young people aged 14-25 who are in precarious positions and struggling to make critical life transitions because of disadvantage and lack of resources, social exclusion and stigma. Applications can be made at any time.

Access and Participation Fund provides grants for not-for-profit organisations to widen access to and deepen participation in the arts. There are two different grants: Test Fund and Development fund.

Ideas and Pioneers Fund is for individuals and teams, including those working within small organisations, which have ideas for improving the life changes and opportunities of individuals and communities.

Arts-based Learning Fund is for arts organisations (charities, community organisations, social enterprises and not-for-profit companies active in the arts) working with schools, further education colleges and teachers. Applications can be made at any time with three application deadlines per year (beginning of November, March and June).

The Teacher Development Fund (expected to open in the Autumn) aims to help teachers develop their skills to deliver arts in schools.

Full details can be found on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation's website

For more information visit http://www.phf.org.uk/