This is a summary of our grant-making criteria and should answer most of the questions you may have. Further guidance can be found on the FAQs page and our homepage is regularly updated with the details of the next grants round. Please read all relevant webpages carefully to help you decide if your organisation and project are a good fit for Scops Arts Trust. You can download these guidelines to read later if you’d prefer.
Who can apply
The types of organisation we support are generally registered charities, but we will consider applications from social enterprises, community groups, etc, if they are formally constituted and have clear charitable purposes. Whilst we do not exclude large charities, applications from small to medium sized organisations will be looked on more favourably.
Where are you located
We support organisations located in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What do we fund
The Trust has a focused grant-making approach to each of the three grants rounds per year, inviting applications for a particular area of the performing arts, different in each grants round. The categories will be advertised on our website. Music education and engagement projects for children will, however, be considered at every grants round.
When
We only support projects or programmes which have yet to begin; we do not fund retrospectively.
Why
Our overarching aim is to give people of all ages opportunities to understand, participate in and enjoy the performing arts. It’s important that you bear this in mind at each stage of the application process and try to communicate how your organisation and project will do this.
How
Most of our grants are for projects but we will consider contributions towards specific core costs of smaller organisations where a grant from Scops Arts Trust could make an impact. Grant awards start at a few hundred pounds and very occasionally we make multi-year grants of up to £15,000 pa.
Exclusions – what we do not fund
Grant requests which the Trustees will not support are:
- Projects with the primary purpose of health, therapy or social welfare
- Individuals
- Capital campaigns (construction of and fitting out of buildings)
- Sponsorship of fundraising events
- Contributions to general appeals
- Religious activity which is not for wider public benefit
- Public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations
- Schools
- Activities which have already taken place
- Grant-making by other organisations
- Privately owned and profit-distributing companies
Application and assessment process
This is what to expect if you decide to apply for a grant to Scops Arts Trust.
- Check the homepage to see if we are currently open to accepting applications
- Pre-application stage – applicants should complete our eligibility checks
- If you are successful, you will be invited to make an online Stage 1 application
- Your Stage 1 application will be reviewed by the Trustees
- A Stage 2 shortlist will be drawn up and the selected applicants will be invited to complete a Stage 2 online application form
- Applications must present a strong case for support, clearly explaining what you will do with the grant, who will benefit, how you know that the work you are proposing will make a difference to the beneficiaries and how you will be able to measure this
- During the assessment phase of Stage 2 applications, applicants may be contacted by one of our Trustees and/or the Administrator to request additional information; our Trustees may also conduct assessment visits or calls, as Scops Arts Trust aims to be an engaged funder
- A final shortlist of applications will then be presented to the Board of Trustees for their consideration
- Our decisions are final and unsuccessful applicants have no right of appeal
- Before paying any grants, we will make due diligence checks on your organisation’s governance and finance
- You will find a timeline for this process in our FAQs