What kinds of projects does the fund support?
Projects must demonstrate support and alignment with the East Devon Cultural Strategy.
We welcome a wide range of applications. Projects can be across any art form (music, dance, theatre, heritage, craft, digital and visual arts as well as literature, gardening and cookery), which celebrate everyday creativity. For example, projects which are looking to:
- Develop cultural events to celebrate local communities in East Devon
- Promote everyday creativity, bring people together and engage volunteers
- Tackle environmental, economic, social and cultural issues
- Improve access, restore or enhance cultural facilities or creative networks
- Improve happiness, health and wellbeing through art and culture
- Support people at risk of loneliness and isolation through art and culture
- Demonstrate innovation and best practice
- Develop initiatives to specifically improve the cultural offer for young adults (18-30 year olds) in East Devon
- Utilise empty or underused spaces for creative activities
- Test new collaborations or pilot new products that can support growth in sustainable cultural tourism
This funding is not for core operating costs, however, we may consider a proportion of the grant to go towards core operating costs that are essential for the project to go ahead.
Who is eligible to apply for the Creative East Devon Fund?
- have a business bank account
- be a not-for-profit organisation, charity, CIC, company or constituted group
- be a member of the ACED Network (you can sign up for free here)
- have a clear plan for a cultural project that can be financially complete by March 2025
- have appropriate liability insurance in place for the activity you are carrying out
- meet at least one of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund outcomes by March 2025 if requesting a grant over £1500
- be registered with an East Devon address or the majority of your activity must be in East Devon
- provide 10% match funding
Can grant recipients from Round 1 apply to Round 2?
Successful Round 1 recipients are welcome to apply for Round 2, however the UKSPF Panel are likely to prioritise those applicants who have not received CEDF funding in any previous round.
What are the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) Outcomes and how can I measure them?
If you are requesting a grant over £1500 you need to meet at least one of the below outcomes:
Improved engagement numbers – This is the increase in number of individuals engaged in creative/cultural activities as a result of your project. All engagement must be direct and could include people attending workshops, performances, or exhibitions. Increases in digital engagement can be included if these result from the project and demonstrate active participation. We recommend you monitor how many people engage before and after your funded project and then let us know what the increase has been in terms of numbers of people.
Improved perception of facilities/amenities – This is the increase in number of individuals who report their perception of the facility or amenity as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. This can only be tracked where the event existed previously and isn’t new. Amenity/facility means any service contained within a physical structure such as a town hall or cultural institution. To measure this we recommend surveying your audience asking the following questions:
- How did you perceive this facility (please specify, e.g.: Museum) previously: Very good/good/average/poor//very poor
- How did you perceive this this facility (please specify, e.g.: Museum) today: Very good/good/average/poor/very poor
Increased visitor numbers – This is the increase in number of visitor admissions to an event/venue. The count of attendance should be tickets / entry figures, where applicable. To measure this, you will need to know normal visitor numbers and only report the increase, not the total number.
Do projects have to be based within East Devon?
Yes (the borders of East Devon can be viewed on Google Maps).
Is there a maximum amount that can be applied for?
The maximum amount of grant funding that can be applied for is £3,000.
Is there a minimum amount that can be applied for?
The minimum amount of grant funding that can be applied for is £500. If you would like to request a grant less than £500, organisations can email aced@eastdevon.gov.uk to explore funding opportunities. We consider requests on a case-by-case basis and any funding awards will be dependent on our remaining UK SPF budget.
Will the Creative East Devon Fund finance projects in full?
No, for all projects applying to the fund a minimum of 10 % percent match funding contribution is required.
- In-kind contributions (time/venue etc.) will be considered.
How much funding in total is available in Round 2?
£25,000
How will the applications be scored?
Scores will be based on the following criteria:
- Creative Engagement
- Relevance to EDDC Strategies
- Deliverability
- Public Benefit
- Value
- SPF Outputs (only applicable to applications over £1500)
When can we apply?
ROUND 2: Applications closed in November 2024.
When will we be notified of the outcome for Round 2?
Applications need to be submitted by Friday 8 November 2024 (midday) for decision outcomes in December 2024.
When can projects start from?
For the current round, the earliest a project can begin is January 2025, once a funding agreement has been signed. Projects need to be completed by March 2025, unless an extension has been discussed.
Where can we read a more detailed policy?
We recommend anyone interested in applying reads the Creative East Devon Fund Policy in advance.
I’m interested in applying, what are the next steps?
We recommend anyone interested in applying to email aced@eastdevon.gov.uk with a brief outline of their proposal. Our Cultural Producer may then follow up with a telephone conversation to discuss the project’s eligibility of the fund. The application questions are outlined here.
Any tips for completing the online form?
There is no word limit on the online form, but we recommend keeping answers to no more than 200 words. It is not currently possible to save the online application and return to it at a later stage therefore we recommend preparing your answers in advance of completing the form. If you have any questions or feedback on the process, please don’t hesitate to contact Sarah, EDDC Cultural Producer, on aced@eastdevon.gov.uk.
Does ACED have other funding opportunities available beside the Creative East Devon Fund?
Organisations can email aced@eastdevon.gov.uk to explore funding opportunities. We consider requests on a case-by-case basis and any funding awards will be dependent on our remaining UK SPF budget.