Applications will open at 2:00pm on Friday 25th September 2020.

Who can apply: Freelance creative practitioners based in Northern Ireland who work in the visual arts and are experiencing severe financial hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
What: Grants of £1,500 – £2,500
Applications open: 2pm, Friday 25th September 2020.
Deadline for applications
: 3pm, Thursday 10th December 2020. Decisions will be made on a monthly basis. Applicants will be informed of decisions within approximately 5-6 weeks of submitting an application. We encourage applicants to make a submission early due to the limited funds available

Enquiries: Please contact us by email at [email protected]


Overview

The Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund is supported by the Freelands Foundation, as part of a landmark commitment of £3m towards emergency funds for artists and freelance creative practitioners across the UK affected by the Covid-19 crisis. Funds will be available for Northern Ireland based practitioners.

Applications open: 2pm, Friday 25th September 2020.
Deadline for applications
: 3pm, Thursday 10th December 2020. Decisions will be made on a monthly basis. Applicants will be informed of decisions within approximately 5-6 weeks of submitting an application. We encourage applicants to make a submission early due to the limited funds available


How to apply

Applications are to be submitted via an online application form. Click here to submit an application.

Please read Further information and Application guidance below before starting your application.
We advise you to first write your application offline and to then transfer your answers to the online form. Please note that you will not be sent a copy of your submitted application, therefore we encourage you to save your own copy offline.

You will be asked for the following:

  • Your contact details
  • A link to your website, online portfolio or other means of viewing your work online
  • Upload your current CV in pdf format (maximum 2 pages no larger than 5MB). Use the following filename FIRSTNAME_SURNAME (eg JOHN_SMITH)
  • Amount applied for (£1,500 – £2,500)
  • Additional disability access costs, if required
  • Whether you have previously made an application to the a-n Bursaries: Time Space Money; Arts Council of Northern Ireland Artists Emergency Programme; Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund and if your application was successful.
  • Your area of visual arts practice
  • Tell us about what you do, the range and type of your work, and any important achievements that you want us to know about (150 words)
  • Please tell us how COVID-19 has affected your financial situation, for example due to the cancellation of existing and future work, such that you are experiencing severe financial hardship (150 words)
  • Equal opportunities monitoring information (this information is separated, anonymised and does not form part of the selection process).

Further information

1. Who can apply?

Freelance creative practitioners based in Northern Ireland who work in the visual arts and are experiencing severe financial hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Those on multiple short-term PAYE contracts may also apply. Previous applicants to the Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund who were unsuccessful are eligible to apply. We encourage applications from artists and arts professionals working in all visual arts disciplines. You must have a UK bank account to apply.

We are not accepting applications from:

  • Students (directly or indirectly) in statutory education, further education or higher education (undergraduate or postgraduate) for activities directly linked to their formal course of study or those who are undertaking any full-time study.
  • Applicants living outside of Northern Ireland.
  • Previous applicants to the Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund who were awarded and accepted a grant.
  • Applications from those who do not work in the visual arts. For example, those who work in the fields of television, film, dance, music, theatre, drama etc. unless these are used as mediums as part of your visual arts practice.

2. What does the funding programme support?

The Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund is intended to support freelance creative practitioners based in England and Northern Ireland who work in the visual arts and are experiencing severe financial hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is short‑term emergency funding to enable individuals to survive financially. The Fund helps individuals to meet their most urgent financial needs while they explore the other ways of sustaining themselves.

Please note that no part of the grant will be used in a way that attempts to influence legislation, or for travel or study. This does not prevent you in any way from expressing your views on any social issues in connection with your work or otherwise.

3. How much can be applied for?

£1,500 – £2,500

4. What is the selection process?

Applications will be reviewed by a selection panel on a monthly basis and grants will be awarded at their discretion based on financial need and not on any project proposed/activity outcome expected. Applicants will be informed of decisions approximately 5 – 6 weeks after submitting their application.


Application guidance

We anticipate a large number of applications for the Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund. Please find some notes below to support you when you fill out your application form:

Your contact details

You must be based in Northern Ireland to apply.

A link to your website, online portfolio or other means of viewing your work online

If you do not have a website, alternative ways to share examples of your practice could be a Dropbox folder of images or a link to a video sharing website such as YouTube (if applicable).

Please do not include links to personal social media accounts, unless they are solely dedicated to your practice and present only your own work.

Current CV in PDF format

Upload your current CV in pdf format (maximum 2 pages no larger than 5MB). Use the following filename FIRSTNAME_SURNAME (eg JOHN_SMITH)]

Amount applied for

You can apply for between £1,500 – £2,500

Additional access costs, if required

You may apply for additional costs relating to disability access requirements of up to £500. Please explain what your requirements are and outline what the costs would be.

Whether you have made an application to the a-n Bursaries: Time Space Money, Arts Council of Northern Ireland Artists Emergency Fund, or Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund and whether your application was successful.

Please indicate whether you have applied for any of the emergency funding programmes listed and the status of your application.

Your area of visual arts practice

Please select one option that represents the majority of your practice

Tell us about what you do, the range and type of your work, and any important achievements that you want us to know about (150 words)

This should communicate the most important aspects of your proposal. Don’t assume the panel is familiar with your work. This is a space to introduce what you do, and how and why you do it. Share your interests, motivation and process in a clear and concise way, avoiding art jargon.

Please tell us how COVID-19 has affected your financial position, for example due to the cancellation of existing and future work, such that you are experiencing severe financial hardship (150 words)

Tell us what your current employment circumstances are and why this particularly challenging time for you. We would like to know why this is a critical time and how a grant may help stabilise and alleviate the impact on you, to enable you to thrive in new ways in the future.

Equal opportunities monitoring information.

This information is separated, anonymised and does not form part of the selection process.