Ikigai Journal #008
5th August 2020
On 5 July, in response to a growing outcry from arts organisations, the UK government announced £1.57 billion of emergency grants and loans for ‘Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues’
“To bail out arts organisations to stagger on for a few more months, without being honest about the fact that public gathering will remain illegal, without any acknowledgement that the semi-privatised model cannot return, and without any real desire to see these places of collective culture reopen, is a vast evasion of responsibility. In the meantime, millions are spent, but not on artists, and not on art.”
J.J. Charlesworth in ArtReview
Millions spent, but not on artists, honestly I am not surprised. In the past 8 weeks since launching this newsletter I have discovered over £5M worth of funding opportunities for creatives. The generosity of these funds is often at odds with the effort they put into outreach and their subsequent obscurity. Whats the good in creating vital funding opportunities and not telling you about them?, it definitely feels like an evasion of responsibility.
With each obscure opportunity I discover the fundamental purpose of this project is renewed. Hopefully as we continue to publish this newsletter you will be able to finally secure the funding you need to make your ideas happen.
Solomon.O - Editor
Global Nonviolent Film Festival
Deadline – 22 August 2020
Funding range – N/A
Best Feature Film 2019 Winner - The Descendants (Iran)
The Descendants produced by Mitra Roohimanesh and directed by Yaser Talebi. The plot concerns an Iranian Jewish man Jacob, played by Hasan Rostamani, who travels to Sweden to look for his son.
Global Nonviolent Film Festival is the most important and renowned international film festival of NON-VIOLENT films. The Festival offers the best virtual platform to showcase your films, documentaries and music videos to distributors, media executives, your contacts and the general public, while competing for awards and recognition!
Cinedanza Festival by Screendance Films
Deadline – 24 August 2020
Funding range – Up to €800
Cinedanza Festival is an international Screendance Contest and Festival taking place in Modena and is organized by Drama Teatro, Supercinema Estivo, and Circolo Ribalta. The Aim of Cinedanza Festival is to promote screendance in Italy through a competition and a three-day festival. You’ll see films from all over the world and talk with dancers, choreographers, directors, video-makers and artists from Italy and Europe.
Deadline – 1 September 2020
Funding range – N/A
Our goal is to promote video art in public space and attract new audiences by organizing exhibitions in galleries and unconventional spaces and locations around towns. Why Split? Split has a specific tradition in film and video art and with its rich history and mediterranean spirit it makes a perfect choice for this new and specific festival.
Homebrew for Somerset Artists from the Brewhouse
Deadline – 31 August 2020
Funding range – £1,000
HomeBrew’s commission strand invites local artists to produce work that will inspire, inform and entertain audiences online.
We will be awarding five £1,000 commissions to Somerset-based digital artists, who will create new work that is proudly and inherently digital. Each project will explore an unseen, unknown or unexpected side of Somerset, works that can be submitted include video and film.
Women Makes Music by PRS Foundation
Deadline – 5 October 2020
Funding range – Not announced
Notable Awardees
Emma-Jean Thackaray
Emma-Jean Thackaray is an award winning composer/ producer/ arranger/ instrumentalist/ singer and as a recent RBMA alumni, has been described by RBMA as “one of the UK’s most exciting new jazz artists”, as “somewhere between Madlib and Ornette Coleman” by Djam La Revue, “one to watch” by the London Evening Standard and as “supremely talented… the sound of South London” by Sounds Of The Universe.
Women Make Music is in association with AWAL and Glastry and supports the development of outstanding women, trans and non binary songwriters and composers of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career. The fund can support projects by women, trans and non binary songwriters, composers, artists, bands and performers who are writing their own music.
Take It Away Scheme by the Arts Council
Deadline – N/A
Funding range – N/A
The Take It Away scheme is an Arts Council Initiative that allows musicians to apply for an interest-free loan of up to £5,000 for the purchase of a musical instrument. You must purchase this instrument from a registered member of the scheme. To be eligible, you must be 18-25, a UK resident and working at least 16 hours a week.
The Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund by The Arts Council
Deadline – 3 August 2020
Funding range – £1,000 - £80,000
Venues whose main focus is to present live music events for a public audience in the grassroots part of this sector should apply. All live music venues across all music genres, and also multi arts venues that host other events and entertainment other than music, but with music comprising a major part of their activity.
MAS Records - Artist Development Programme by River Studios
Deadline – Rolling
Funding range – N/A
MAS Records are funded by the Government Education budget to encourage young people 16 to 30 to get involved in developing their music careers.
You do not need to pay for any of the great opportunities through MAS Records – plus you work towards a Diploma that can fit in around other education or work commitments.
The DM Thomas Foundation Grant for Young People
Deadline – 6 October 2020
Funding range –Up to £30,000
We are dedicated to helping disabled, sick and disadvantaged young people and children (from 0-25) to transform their lives. Under our ABLE banner, our priority is to make a difference through targeted grant support, helping local and regional community groups and charities across the UK and Europe to deliver projects which provide access to opportunities and improve wellbeing.
Across our grant making processes, we prefer to fund projects which provide and facilitate access to education; provide tools and opportunities through equipment, facilities and training; and relieve suffering, improve treatment, care and wellbeing.
Funding for Performance Arts by The Wolfson Foundation
Deadline – Rolling Basis
Funding range – Up to £250,000
We support performing arts organisations with an outstanding artistic programme to improve their performance and training facilities.
Grants are generally awarded towards refurbishment of artists’ facilities such as dressing rooms or other backstage spaces, refurbishment of auditorium facilities such as seating, and rehearsal spaces; teaching and education facilities; and, less often, specialist equipment.
Coronavirus Recovery and Stabilisation Grant by the Quartet Community Foundation
Deadline – N/A
Funding range – Up to £10,000
This grant programme aims to support local charitable organisations whose work have been significantly affected by the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown restrictions, so they can continue to deliver services that improve the lives of local people.
To be eligible to apply, the work of your organisation must be addressing specific needs and disadvantages within communities living in the West of England.
The Albe Art Visual Exhibition by The Albe Art Gallery
Deadline – 31 August 2020
Funding range – N/A
Karen Grosman (Toronto, Canada)
Karen’s work Memento Mori is the current exhibition on display with The Albe Art Gallery. This collection of memento mori and vanitas use the symbolism of butterflies, meat, shells, skills and flowers to signify impermanence - death, decay, the body, fertility, and the afterlife.
Daniele Bongiovanni (Palermo, Italy)
Daniele is an Italian painter, receiving a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts with honors at the Academy of Fine Arts of Palermo. His paintings focus on the natural space and the human figure. His subjects, although inspired by the reality, have an idealised and rarefied configuration, characteristics motivated by a deep conceptuality.
The Albe Art Gallery is made for artists to highlight selected works online. You can reach a global audience to offer a unique experience and use the flexibility and reach of the online platform Albe Art Gallery to host an exhibition, that enables the audience to interact, access, and to explore artworks, installations and works on sale in the comfort of their homes.
Digital Artists Open Call by Sacrebleu
Deadline – 31 August 2020
Funding range – $400
All interested professional or amateur artists, graphic designers, illustrators, architects or anyone able to build a digital object in 3D, are eligible to submit work and could be selected.
Sacrebleu has grown and has also become a New-York based commercial agency, promoting modern art. While Sacrebleu France intends to promote contemporary art through creation and the organization of pop-up//ephemeral museums, Sacrebleu New-York offers multiple services, including the creation of cultural and promotional events and/or exhibitions, and an activity of Artists' agents.
Call for Artists by Art Hole UK
Deadline – 25 August 2020
Funding range – N/A
Andrew Binder will be featured on the front cover of Art Hole:2. In his work, he looks to create imagery that conveys a sense of atmosphere, emotion or metaphor. His goal is to speak to the subconscious of the viewer or simply leave an emotional impression, allowing room for the viewer to interpret their own personal meaning.
The Art Hole is an independent artist run and ad-free international print and online publication dedicated to showcasing and promoting experimental and progressive contemporary art, which reflects modern society and its environment, provokes conversation and action; fosters innovation and diversity of mediums which make today’s art scene so intriguing and versatile.
Light: Call for Entries by A Smith Gallery
Deadline – 17 August 2020
Funding range – Up to $350
Submissions are open to all photographers both professional and amateur working in all photographic mediums and styles. International entries are welcomed. Work that has been previously exhibited at A Smith Gallery is not eligible. Rich McCabe will be the juror for ‘light’. He is a curator, photographer and writer. McCabe was born in England, and grew up in the American South where he teaches photography.
Move to Change by MODArts Dance Collective (MADC)
Deadline – Rolling
Funding range – N/A
Notable awardee –
Kayla Yee was chosen in 2019 to be part of the Move to Change Dance Festival, presenting her dance work. Kayla is a dancer and choreographer who is trained in classical ballet and modern jazz.
James MahKween and his dance company Eternity Dance Theatre were chosen in 2019 to be part o the Move to Change Dance Festival presenting their work “Door of No Return,” which is a dance piece about slavery, dealing with slaves who are reliving the moments prior to being captured.
MODArts Dance Collective (MADC) is elated to announce its Third Annual Move to Change Dance Festival. The purpose of Move to Change is to use dance as a form of social justice and arts activism through the lens of people of color. The goal of Move to Change is to create cultural and gender affirming spaces for artists of color (African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, Native American [ALAANA]), MENA (Middle East & North Africa), & SWANA (South West Asia & North Africa) to educate, empower, or illuminate issues that reflects their histories and cultures through their unique and rich movement aesthetics.
Global Dance Circle (Part 4) by Mark DeGarmo Dance
Deadline – 17 August 2020
Funding range – Not stated
MDD is now seeking submissions for our next “Global Dance Circle” video! Professional and recreational dancers are all invited to submit a clip. To be included in MDD’s next "Global Dance Circle" video, email a 10-second clip of your best moves to info@markdegarmodance.org!
BOND 2020 International Virtual Live Performance Festival by BONDfest
Deadline – 23 August 2020
Funding range – Not stated
What do you miss the most from the pre-COVID times? For many international artists whose regions have been influenced by the pandemic, the estrangement between people feels deepened than ever since the in-person performances and gigs are being canceled and postponed. You may feel stuck at the current stage with no place to showcase your works and you may desire the quality communications with artists who are sharing your emotions. Therefore, the B·O·N·D International Virtual Live Performance Festival was born. It aims to bring works from creators like you to broader audiences from all around the world; It also enables audiences to enjoy these performances while staying at home.
Apply For Help by The Actors’ Benevolent Fund
Deadline – Rolling Basis
Funding range – Depends on applicants’ needs
The Actors’ Benevolent Fund is here for professional actors and stage managers who are in need due to illness, injury, or old age. The ABF can help you manage your household expenses until you get back on your feet, supporting you with a weekly payment as well as small grants for household bills, such as utilities, home insurance, and car insurance. The ABD can also offer you advice on which benefits you may be eligible for, to ensure you are receiving all the support you are entitled to.
I remain humbled and grateful to be part of a community of creators actively trying to build their boldest visions, always ready to solve problems and deliver urgent works of creativity. If you ever want to talk through your project or need any further assistance don't hesitate to get in touch
- Solomon O