LWMA Micro-grants Programme:
Invitation to Apply
Context
Live Well Make Art (LWMA) is an informal network of arts professionals and activists, health professionals and activists, academics and people who care passionately about the health of Greater Manchester.
We have been working together for two years as a social movement. We want a healthier Greater Manchester, where all its people can share the benefits of engaging in and enjoying the arts and creative activities with each other and we want to make our streets, neighbourhoods and communities better places to live. All our work is under-pinned by the knowledge that there are considerable health and cultural inequalities across Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester has been selected as a national pilot area for Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England’s innovative Great Place scheme. LWMA has received funding from Greater Manchester Combined Authority, through the Great Places initiative, for a programme of work over the next 18 months.
This is all part of Stronger Together, which will see ‘all ten Greater Manchester districts work together to create a genuine shift in the way Greater Manchester approaches culture, ensuring greater parity of provision throughout the ten boroughs, improving engagement and access, developing and diversifying our cultural workforce, encouraging greater movement between the ten boroughs and improving health outcomes for our residents’
Micro-grants
As part of our programme of work, Live Well Make Art is able to offer a number of micro-grants (about 25) to support the development of ideas for projects and programmes. The funding is intended to support preliminary discussions, early research and planning time which might then lead to a funded project or to unfunded action. Grants can be in the region of £300-£500. Please note it is not intended as project delivery funding.
The programme will operate between September 2018 and March 2019 and will be administered for Live Well Make Art by Cartwheel Arts. Successful applicants may be asked to present as case studies at the final event in this programme, in March 2019.
Criteria
1. Micro-grants are intended to support people with health expertise working together with people with arts expertise to explore new ideas. This could include individuals, community-based arts or health groups, groups of people who are experts by experience (e.g. with a chronic health condition), small health/cultural organisations and larger health/cultural organisations. We are particularly interested in applications which come from the enthusiasm and vision of individuals, even if they are applying as part of an organisation
2. Some examples of how the funding could be used are: to hire a meeting space, to contribute to transport or childcare costs, to allow someone to spend a bit of time researching practice nationally or internationally on-line, to pay a facilitator or note-taking fee, contribute towards a trial event or workshop e.g. exploring ideas with partners.
3. We are interested in applications that have an activist focus1 although we are prepared for applicants to interpret that in many different ways. We are looking for creative and imaginative/innovative approaches to issues and challenges
4. We hope that micro-grants will be given to individuals/groups from different boroughs in GM. Applications which link more than one borough of GM will be of particular interest, although we understand this may not be possible for most people.
5. During these 18 months, we are exploring the following themes in our events:
• Building stronger social connections through the arts (and hence addressing social isolation and loneliness)
• Arts and Healthier Working
• Arts, Motherhood and Early Years
• Addressing inequalities through cultural participation and civic action
Applications might address one or more of these themes – but this is not absolutely essential
How to Apply
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Applications should be made on the Live Well Make Art micro-grants programme application form (attached)
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The following questions must be answered:
1. Who are you? (please supply your name, contact details and a bit about your back ground and experience)
2. What are you proposing to do?
3. Why do you think your idea is important
4. Who are you proposing to work with? Are these new partners or existing partners? Why is the parnership important?
5. What difference might a project or programme that led on from your micro-grant proposal make?
6. How much money are you asking for asking for and how will you spend it?
7. Are you willing to present a case study at LWMA's March event. if asked to do so, and/or be involved in our evaluation (e.g. by giving an interview to our evaluator?)
8. What are your bank detals details (sort code and account number)
Deadlines and Requirements
- There are two deadlines for applications, October 26th and December 14th
- Applications should be sent to microgrants@cartwheelarts.org.uk
- You will be required to sign up to the Live Well Make Art mailing list, if you have not already done so
- Applicants will be asked to contact Live Well Make Art by email, two months after receiving their grant, to give an up-date on progress. We are building a website and hope to log progress with micro-grants on this.
- After the application deadlines, we will let you know as quickly as we can whether your application has been successful or not. Please note that we do not have the administrative resources to offer feedback on unsuccessful applications.
If the link above does not work please contact admin@cartwheelarts.org.uk to get a copy of the application