Scops Arts Trust
Background
Scops Arts Trust was established in March 2019 with an endowment from the late Tony Wingate. Throughout his life, Tony enjoyed a love of the arts, particularly music, and as an inspirational English teacher, his other passion was education. In 2024, the Trust will be adopting a new approach to focus on a particular area(s) of the performing arts in each of the grant rounds. Further details will be announced at the end of August.
Objectives of Fund
The aim of the Trust is to give people of all ages a better quality of life by enabling them to understand, participate in and enjoy the arts, particularly the performing arts (music, drama, opera and dance).
Value Notes
- Grant awards generally start at a few hundred pounds.
- The Trust has previously awarded multi-year grants of up to £30,000 per annum, however, applicants are advised that the majority of grants awarded are considerably less than this.
- The Trust only awards a small number of grants each year.
Who Can Apply
- The Trust mostly supports registered charities.
- Applications will also be considered from social enterprises, community groups, and other third-sector organisations, as long as they are formally constituted and have clear charitable purposes.
- Priority will be given to small and medium-sized organisations.
Eligible Expenditure
The current area of interest is widening access to the arts in their various forms and having a lasting cultural impact on the community.
In 2023, the Trust is especially interested in supporting performing arts projects aimed at adults and projects which will benefit all ages across the generations. It is also keen to hear from organisations planning smaller regional festivals in areas where there is little arts provision, due to socio-economic circumstances or geographically remote locations.
While the Trust will continue to consider applications for music education projects for children and young people, priority will be given to projects this year that focus on adults and whole communities.
Most grants will be awarded for specific projects, but the Trust will also contribute towards the core costs of smaller organisations where a grant could make an impact.
In 2024, following a grant policy review, the Trust will be adopting a new approach where the focus will be on a particular area(s) of the performing arts in each of the grant rounds. The deadlines for each round are as follows:
Round 1 - 9 January to 30 April.
Round 2 - 14 May to 7 August.
Round 3 - 27 August to 30 November.
The application process is as follows: To start the application process, organisations should first complete the eligibility checks which can be accessed on the Scops Arts Trust website.
Organisations that fulfil the criteria will be invited to make a Stage 1 online application. A Stage 2 shortlist will then be drawn up and the selected applicants will be invited to complete a Stage 2 online application form. Contact Scops Arts Trust for further information.
