Creative Foundations Fund
The Creative Foundations Fund is an open-access capital fund that supports creative and cultural organisations in England in revitalising, restoring, retrofitting, or renewing cultural assets, including urgent work to address issues which prevent organisations from effectively delivering work for the public.
- Opening date:
- Closing date: (Midday)
Contents
Summary
About the Creative Foundations Fund
The UK’s cultural sector is significant for the economy, society, and local communities. However, many cultural and creative organisations are experiencing significant degradation of their buildings and equipment, which is impacting their operations, safety, and the attractiveness of their services.
The Creative Foundations Fund is an open-access capital fund that aims to support creative and cultural organisations in England in revitalising, restoring, retrofitting, or renewing cultural assets, including urgent work that prevents organisations from effectively delivering services to the public. This investment will result in organisations producing high-quality creative work, accelerate growth in the creative and cultural sectors, and make places more attractive to live, work, visit, and invest in.
The Creative Foundations Fund will focus on improving existing cultural buildings and equipment to improve the economic sustainability of the creative and cultural sector. Arts Council England, the fund delivery partner, expect organisations to take creative approaches with their current buildings to deliver outcomes such as, but not limited to, reducing operating costs and increasing revenue streams. The fund may support expanded cultural or creative facilities within an existing site that contribute to the venue’s financial viability, but not the development of new cultural buildings or the adaptive reuse of existing buildings for cultural purposes.
Organisations applying to this fund must demonstrate that the investment in buildings and equipment is business-critical to delivering creative or cultural activity, minimising the risk of asset failure, and sustaining economic sustainability without negatively impacting the environment.
The fund is split into two strands, and different application requirements apply:
Strand 1 – Grants from £100,000 to £1 million (Guidance – Strand 1)
Strand 2 – Grants above £1 million to £10 million (Guidance – Strand 2)
Arts Council England want to ensure that the projects we support are financially viable. Arts Council cannot provide additional capital or unplanned revenue funding if the project costs increase or your running costs are higher than anticipated. Applicants must consider the costs of operation, maintenance, upgrade, and eventual disposal of the assets and explain how they have budgeted for these costs in their applications.
All projects Arts Council England support must demonstrate that your organisation and its activities are valued by the community and that they meet the diverse needs of the community they work with. You must show you have consulted a wide range of people (e.g. children and young people, creative and cultural practitioners, workforce, volunteers, participants, visitors, and partners) and the feedback from any consultation has been considered in your project.
How much funding is available
Up to £76.8 million is available across both strands:
Up to £25 million is available in Strand 1 for grants from £100,000 up to and including £1 million.
Up to £51.8 million is available in Strand 2 for grants of £1 million to £10 million.
Subject to the quality of the applications Arts Council England receive, the fund is expected to support a mix of projects of varying sizes and art forms across the English regions. Grants near the maximum value are likely to be made only by exception.
Reduced offers may be made (i.e., grants for less than applied for) to help us get the maximum value from the available budget and support as many organisations as possible. Any reduced offers would focus on the most business-critical work. To help Arts Council England understand how business-critical work is costed, applicants must present how their project could be split into phases of activity, if relevant, and cost plans should clearly show how costs are calculated for each element of the project.
This is a competitive fund.
Arts Council England anticipate continued high demand in this funding round and expect to receive more applications than the available budget can support. Arts Council therefore encourage you to carefully consider the level of funding requested before applying, and to assess how well your project meets the fund’s aims and outcomes outlined in this guidance before submitting an Expression of Interest. Arts Council England also recommend that you put a contingency plan in place in the event that your application is unsuccessful.
Other capital funding
Capital funding is available through various other Arts Council programmes, including Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants, Museum Estate Development Fund (MEND) (for non-nationally accredited museums), and the Library Improvement Fund (LIF) for public libraries.
You may apply to other Arts Council funding programmes, providing you meet the eligibility criteria for those funds, but not for the same project outlined in any other application to us.
Advice and support
Arts Council England aim to support applicants in enhancing the quality of their applications and the projects they subsequently deliver, including additional support for organisations applying in the DCMS Cultural Priority Places and organisations that were underrepresented in Portfolio Development for the first round of the fund.
Arts Council England's website provides a Glossary of Terms used in this guidance, frequently asked questions about the fund and further information to help you manage your project. You can also get advice and support from our Customer Services team.
Eligibility
Before applying, please carefully read the eligibility requirements. If you do not meet any of these requirements, it will not be possible for Arts Council England to consider your full application for funding. You should also consider the Arts Council’s Standard Terms and Conditions for Capital Grants.
Please note: Detailed eligibility checks take place by at the full application stage, once you have provided more details about your project. While the eligibility questionnaire provides an indication of your project’s eligibility based on initial information, Arts Council England will conduct eligibility checks on full applications to confirm that the eligibility requirements in this guidance are met. This means that even if you are invited to make a full application after submitting an Expression of Interest, your project may still be considered ineligible based on the detailed information in your application.
Who can apply?
Not-for-profit cultural organisations based & registered in England. Organisations must demonstrate through their governance documents that their primary aims are cultural and that the activities they are applying for fall within the remit of Arts Council England.
Arts Council England will accept applications from organisations whose buildings are currently closed to the public, provided they can demonstrate that the project will make a strong contribution to the fund’s aims and outcomes.
For organisations whose buildings are currently closed, Arts Council will ask for evidence at the full application stage that cultural programming was delivered prior to closure, and/or further detail on your plans for reopening to the public, including evidence of plans to deliver such programming. Please note: This fund can only support capital expenditure and cannot provide revenue funding for the costs of cultural activity upon reopening.
The organisation submitting the application (or lead organisation in the case of a partnership as referenced below) should be properly constituted with a governing document.
Examples of the kinds of organisations that are eligible to apply include:
charities
charitable trusts
charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) registered with the Charity Commission
charitable companies registered with the Charity Commission
community interest companies (CICs) registered with the CIC regulator
limited companies registered at Companies House who do not distribute profit to their members or shareholders
statutory bodies and other public bodies who run or maintain cultural services
charitable community benefit societies, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), provided their governance documents can demonstrate that any profits are reinvested for the benefit of the ‘society’ instead of its members. (e.g. include an asset lock)
Cultural organisations can only submit one Expression of Interest to either Strand 1 or 2 for this fund (not both). Arts Council will accept more than one Expression of Interest from statutory bodies and other public bodies that run or maintain cultural services, but each must be for a separate project in a different location.
Partnership applications between properly constituted cultural organisations will be considered provided the following conditions are met:
One organisation must act as the lead organisation and submit the application, depending on who is most appropriate to meet the aims and outcomes of the fund.
The lead organisation must meet the eligibility requirements set out above.
If the project is funded, Arts Council England will enter into a legally binding grant agreement with the lead organisation. This organisation must accept the Arts Council’s Standard Terms and Conditions for Capital Grants and will be solely accountable to the Arts Council for all monitoring information, how all the money is spent, and for the successful delivery of the project. Before the project can start, the Arts Council must approve a partnership agreement between the lead organisation and the other partners . Further guidance about partnership agreements can be found on the Arts Council England website.
Who cannot apply?
accredited and non-accredited museums (national and non-national)
libraries
individuals
organisations that distribute profit to members or shareholders
organisations that are not properly constituted with a governing document
organisations that do not have a registered address in England
organisations whose primary aims are not cultural as set out in their governance documents
organisations applying for activities that fall outside the remit of Arts Council England
How much can be applied for?
Strand 1: More than £100,000 (minimum) – £1,000,000 (maximum)
Strand 2: More than £1,000,000 (minimum) – £10,000,000 (maximum)
Grants near the maximum value are likely to be made only by exception.
Minimum partnership funding from other sources
Arts Council England want to make the funding go further, and expect you to make the most of other income sources.
Strand 1: The minimum partnership funding requirement is 5 per cent.
Strand 2: The minimum partnership funding requirement for Strand 2 is:
at least 10 percent of the total project cost (grants above £1 million and up to and including £5 million)
at least 15 percent of the total project cost (grants above £5 million)
This minimum level of partnership funding must come from other sources. Arts Council will not accept funding already spent as partnership funding, with the exception of costs incurred in developing design drawings and specifications up to RIBA Work Stage 3 (or equivalent) noted below.
Eligible sources of partnership funding include:
grants from trusts and foundations
philanthropic giving, such as donations from individuals or companies
other public funding, including central government and local authority funding
grants from other National Lottery distributors
donations from individuals or companies
public appeals and fundraising events
a contribution from your organisation
loan finance
in-kind support – it is expected that no more than 50 per cent of partnership funding would be in-kind support
money already committed/spent to develop the project to RIBA Work Stage 3 or equivalent. This must be described as support-in-kind rather than cash in your income table. These costs must not appear as expenditure in your application and must not exceed 50% of your total Partnership Funding.
Any other costs, such as research and development or other Arts Council funds, will not be accepted toward partnership funding.
In your full application, please indicate the amount of partnership funding you have already secured, the amount expected, and your plans for raising the remaining funds required to start your project.
You must have secured 100 percent of the required partnership funding before you can start your project, and Arts Council England will require evidence of this as a condition of the initial payment.
When must the project take place?
Projects must not start before 1 April 2027. Projects must end no later than 31 March 2030 (36 months).
Additional Eligibility for building projects
Arts Council England define a building project as any building work, including fixtures, required to comply with the following:
building regulations. This includes approval required either by submitting a building control application or by using a Competent Person Scheme (more details can be found here).
outline planning permission
full planning permission
listed building consent
change of use
conservation area consent
lawful development certificate.
Strand 1: If your project involves anything other than the purchase of moveable furniture, equipment and vehicles, it will be considered as a building project, and you must meet the following requirements when submitting your full application.
Strand 2: As your project must be classified as a building project to apply for Strand 2 of the fund, you must meet the following requirements when submitting your full application.
If you do not meet any of these requirements, your full application will not be considered eligible for funding.
Relevant drawings and/or specifications accompanied by a cost plan or detailed expenditure document prepared by a suitably qualified professional. These documents must be included as mandatory attachments to the full application and should:
describe in detail the scope of work in your full application, including how the project will meet legal requirements, statutory approvals or quality standards, such as, but not limited to, materials, performance criteria or workmanship standards relevant to your project
show you have sought professional advice relevant to the scope of the works in your full application, including whether your project should follow the RIBA plan of work 2020
demonstrate you are ready to commence detailed specification and contractor/supplier procurement work, if funding is confirmed
show the project scope is fully established, including demonstrating coordinated proposals for architectural, structural and building services designs, if relevant
specify key materials and products
demonstrate they are comprehensive and sufficiently detailed enough for the project to be accurately costed
If you are following the RIBA Plan of Work 2020, drawings for architectural and engineering elements must be developed up to and including RIBA Work Stage 3 as a minimum, accompanied by a relevant cost plan by the time you submit your full application. If you are not following the RIBA work stages, your full application should include a written specification and/or drawings described in sufficient detail to meet the requirements above.
You must demonstrate that you own the land and/or buildings (either as a freehold or leasehold) on which you will spend the grant and that the land and buildings can be used for the project purposes. If you hold a leasehold interest in the land and/or buildings, the lease must be a registered (recorded in the official register at the Land Registry) and assignable (be able to be sold or transferred to another owner) lease and meet the following additional requirements:
Strand 1
grants up to and including £500,000 – a registered and assignable lease of at least 10 years; or
grants above £500,000 and up to and including £1,000,000 – a registered and assignable lease of at least 15 years
Strand 2
grants above £1,000,000 and up to and including £5,000,000 - a registered and assignable lease of at least 20 years; or
grants above £5 million and up to and including £10 million - a registered and assignable lease of at least 30 years.
In addition to the requirements noted above, the lease should not include a break clause (this is one or more parties’ right to end the lease in certain circumstances), should not include a forfeiture on insolvency clause (this is the landlord’s right to end the lease if the tenant becomes insolvent), and must have a permitted user clause that allows the property to be used for cultural and creative purposes. The number of years that need to remain on your lease will be calculated from the date of the grant agreement.
If your lease does not meet our leasehold requirements, you must liaise with your landlord and arrange for a deed of variation of the lease to be completed that complies with our requirements. You will be responsible for arranging a deed of variation, but you may include these costs in your full application. Arts Council England will require you to comply with additional conditions to evidence that these leasehold requirements have been met. These will be set out as conditions in the grant agreement.
What activity can be supported?
Strand 1 will support:
Equipment projects - moveable furniture, equipment, and vehicles that are not permanently fixed to a building
Building projects (existing cultural buildings or expanded cultural facilities within an existing site), where you can demonstrate you meet our additional eligibility requirements for building projects in this guidance
A combined building and equipment project in one application, where you can demonstrate you meet the additional eligibility requirements for building projects in this guidance
Strand 2 will support:
Building projects (existing cultural buildings or expanded cultural facilities within an existing site), where you can demonstrate you meet our eligibility requirements for building projects in this guidance
A combined building and equipment project in one application, where you can demonstrate you meet the eligibility requirements for building projects in this guidance
While the following list is far from exhaustive, Arts Council England will support the following types of activity, provided it can be capitalised on your balance sheet:
Upgrading or replacing portable equipment or vehicles, such as, but not limited to:
specialist equipment, including portable technical equipment, digital equipment, sound enhancement systems (inc. portable induction loops), and audio enhancement systems (inc. audio description, captioning and backstage communications)
portable items to enable inclusive cultural participation, such as height-adjustable furniture, lights or heaters
replacing vehicles with low-emission vehicles essential to enable sustainable production and touring.
Please note: As noted above, equipment purchases cannot be applied for in isolation in Strand 2 – they must be part of a Building Project, or the application will be deemed ineligible.
Building work, to existing cultural buildings such as, but not limited to:
external works such as roofs, walls, pointing and masonry works
external windows and doors, including widening or installing/upgrading power-assisted doors
upgrading existing building fabric to enhance thermal performance or insulating the building envelope to prevent the transmission of indirect solar gains
property protection measures to reduce the risk of flooding, such as floodproofing or flood-resilient works
upgrade of rainwater disposal systems
acoustic treatment work
provision of permanent access to carry out maintenance and inspection where this will make future maintenance works more practicable
internal works such as replacing ceilings, floor coverings and internal doors
replacement of life-expired sanitary facilities and plumbing
improvements to a building’s long-term sustainability and resilience to the effects of climate change
replacement or upgrading of facilities used by artists, workforce or audiences to improve comfort, increase economic sustainability or address health and safety issues such as auditoria seating, circulation spaces, and front-of-house or back-of-house areas
installation of measures to strengthen the security of public premises and reduce the risks from terrorist attacks.
Replacing essential building services, such as, but not limited to:
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, including replacement of fossil fuel boilers and heating systems with zero carbon options
building control systems
energy supplies (including renewable sources)
lifts
fire safety, detection and protection, CCTV, security, and alarm systems
lighting
IT cabling/infrastructure
installing or retrofitting sustainable technologies.
Addressing equality and accessibility issues to provide independent access for disabled people and welcome users with diverse needs such as but not limited to:
improvements to surfaces such as paths, landscaping, such as level or ramped access or level drop-off points near entrances
installing Changing Places facilities or increasing provision of accessible, ambulant disabled, or gender-neutral toilets
installing signage that meets best practice guidelines.
Other associated project costs, such as but not limited to:
professional fees related to the project providing these have not been incurred before accepting a grant agreement
time-limited costs that you may incur that are directly related to the project
VAT that you cannot recover from HM Revenue and Customs.
What activity cannot be supported?
This fund cannot support:
expenditure that will not be capitalised on your balance sheet
building projects that do not meet our requirements for ownership of land and buildings in this guidance
adaptive reuse of existing buildings for cultural purposes
development of new buildings for cultural use
increased costs for projects where building or construction work has started
training costs
replacement or upgrade to buildings or equipment covered by existing warranties, insurance, or contractual agreements
the purchase of leasehold or freehold land or buildings
projects that demonstrate little or no potential benefit to the public
costs you must pay for before accepting a grant agreement, including costs in developing your application or covered by other funding
projects that will not meet the time requirements for this fund, e.g. work that will not be carried out over the next three years
costs that are paid for by any other income
research, including developing feasibility studies, options appraisals, or surveys
development of drawings and specifications, including architectural drawings up to and including RIBA Work Stage 3 or equivalent
routine maintenance and minor repairs, which should form part of a maintenance and management plan
assets that you plan to sell
general running costs or overheads such as staffing, fundraising costs, rent, storage, and insurance
goods, works or services that have not been procured following the requirements in the Standard Terms and Conditions for Capital Grants
closure costs – costs resulting from temporarily having to stop your activities during the project
software such as, but not limited to, data and analytics, content strategy, digital marketing, customer relationship management, e-commerce or business systems
activities which directly generate income by offering goods or services on the market for a commercial fee
activities covered by statutory duties, including those for educational or other statutory purposes necessary by law.
any activity not included in your Expression of Interest
Objectives
Aims of the fund
The aims of this investment are to:
increase the economic sustainability of cultural and creative organisations through improving existing cultural buildings and equipment
decrease the risk and financial impact of abandoned or cancelled performances, exhibitions, or events caused by equipment or infrastructure failure
grow audience engagement and access by underserved communities to high-quality creative work and cultural infrastructure.
Outcomes of the fund
The outcomes we expect to see from this investment are:
improved value for money through decreasing the amount of expenditure on maintenance and repair of cultural assets
reduced loss of high-quality cultural work from creative and cultural organisations as a result of asset failure or degradation
cultural organisations develop more sustainable financial and business models, adapting to the changing environment and needs of the communities with whom they work
improved energy efficiency and environmental performance of cultural buildings and equipment.
Dates
Key dates for Strand 1
June 2026: If you’re new to our funding application portal, you’ll need to create a user account and applicant profile. Approval of your profile can take up to 10 working days, so you should register early.
June 2026: Watch the pre-recorded Creative Foundations Fund webinar.
13 July 2026: Online Expression of Interest form opens. First, complete the initial eligibility questionnaire to determine whether your proposal appears eligible for this fund and then complete the Expression of Interest step.
Noon on 7 August 2026: Deadline for submitting the online Expression of Interest form.
July/August 2026: Arts Council reviews the Expressions of Interest. Following the review, applicants are notified of the outcome.
7 September 2026: Applicants whose projects have the potential to make the strongest contribution to the aims and outcomes of the fund, as detailed in the guidance, are invited to submit a full application.
September 2026: Join the Creative Foundations Fund webinar for applicants or watch the recording.
Noon on 23 October 2026: Deadline for submitting a full application, including providing the mandatory supporting documents as detailed in this guidance.
9 November 2026 to 15 January 2027: Arts Council conducts Eligibility Checks. We will conduct eligibility checks on full applications to confirm that the eligibility requirements in this guidance are met. We will notify applicants if their full application isn’t eligible.
By the end of March 2027: Arts Council makes Award Decisions on all eligible applications and applicants are notified of the outcome of their application.
Key dates for Strand 2
June 2026: If you’re new to our funding application portal, you’ll need to create a user account and applicant profile. Approval of your profile can take up to 10 working days, so you should register early.
June 2026: Watch the pre-recorded Creative Foundations Fund webinar.
22 June 2026: Online Expression of Interest form opens. First, complete the initial eligibility questionnaire to determine whether your proposal appears eligible for this fund and then complete the Expression of Interest step.
Noon on 17 July 2026: Deadline for submitting the online Expression of Interest form.
July/August 2026: Arts Council reviews the Expressions of Interest. Following the review, applicants are notified of the outcome.
17 August 2026: Applicants whose projects could significantly contribute to the aims and outcomes of the fund, as detailed in this guidance, are invited to submit a full application.
September 2026: Join the Creative Foundations Fund webinar for applicants or watch the recording.
Noon on 23 October 2026: Deadline for submitting the full application, including providing the mandatory supporting documents as detailed in this guidance.
9 November 2026 to 15 January 2027: Arts Council conducts Eligibility Checks. We will conduct eligibility checks on full applications to confirm that the eligibility requirements in this guidance are met. We will notify applicants if their full application isn’t eligible.
By the end of March 2027: Arts Council makes Award Decisions on all eligible applications
How to apply
Full eligibility details in the guidance and details of how to apply have been published by Arts Council England here.