The Arts & Cultural Fund.
The Essex County Council Arts and Cultural Fund supports organisations and creative practitioners to deliver a broad and exciting range of work and activity to engage with communities in Essex and to support the development of creative and cultural talent in our region.
Since launching the fund in 2022, the Arts and Cultural Fund awards have supported 86 projects across the county which have helped residents in Essex to access arts and culture and to participate in creative activities. You can find out more about projects we’ve supported in this series of commissioned videos.
In addition to delivering social and wellbeing benefits, the creative and cultural sector is widely recognised as being at the forefront of economic and social regeneration. Find out more about our supported projects here.
Apply for Funding
The Essex County Council Arts and Cultural Fund provides grants from between £2,500 to £30,000 to support projects in our communities.
Applications to the Arts and Cultural Fund are now closed.
Applicants will be notified of an outcome in January 2026. Successful projects must be delivered over the following year from April 2026, completed and evaluated in full by April 2027.
Wildcrafting with Wyrd Flora. Photo: Realm Video.
How to apply
- Submissions to the Arts and Cultural Fund can only be made via an online portal, however, you can find a copy of the application form here. This includes details of questions and character limits.
- Before starting your application, you may find it useful to refer to our guidance notes.
- For an opportunity to learn more about the fund, you can also watch a recording of one of our previous Q&A session here.
Who can apply?
This grant offers awards to cultural organisations or arts and cultural practitioners of all types based in, or working in, the administrative boundaries of ECC to undertake outcome-focused commissions meeting ECC priorities.
If you have any additional questions, we are here to help! Please contact us via culture@essex.gov.uk. Please reach out well before the deadline to ensure we can assist you in time.
Legendary Essex Community Workshop. Photo: Realm Video.
Read the Arts and Cultural Fund FAQs here.
If you have any further questions, or require support or clarity on how to make an application to the fund, please contact us directly at culture@essex.gov.uk.
Register your Interest
Register for our newsletter where you will receive key updates relating to our funding support for arts and culture.
Creative Spotlights
Click on the images below to read Case Studies of some of the projects the Arts and Cultural Fund has supported.
Development Fund Projects
SIX arts and cultural organisations have been announced as the first successful recipients of Essex County Council’s Creative Industries Project Fund and the Cultural Development Grant Fund, which both focus on growing and supporting local talent and Essex’s creative industries. All the organisations will receive between £2,500 and £30,000 in funding. Creative Industries Project Fund WVE Studios Supporting a filmmaking programme that offers career pathways for student filmmakers, inspiring the next generation of the county’s creative professionals. CLIP Sound and Music CIC Developing the ‘Photon Smasher’, a pioneering microphone that allows users to listen to light. Aimed at young scientists, STEM and creative educators and musicians, the fund will support the products growth and innovation. Aura Films Will produce four proof-of-concept films inspired by Essex legends and folklores reimagined for modern audiences. They will also offer placements for young people aspiring to enter the film and television industry. Creative Colchester
Arts and Cultural Fund Projects
The following list details recipients of the Essex County Council Arts and Cultural Fund, supporting organisations and creative practitioners to deliver an exciting range of work and activity to engage with and bring communities in Essex together. Find out more about the fund here. Since launching in December 2021, the Fund has supported 86 projects across Essex and enabled approximately 300,000 Essex residents and visitors to get involved or benefit from creative and cultural activity across the county. Year 4 Recipients (2025) Eloise Pilbeam Multi-disciplinary artist Eloise Pilbeam will co-create a series of interactive public sculptures in Harlow that will act as communal spaces, inviting people to pause, reflect, connect, and engage in playful exploration. Situated in a public green space, the works will use be composed of reclaimed materials and will be created using traditional weaving techniques in reference to the county’s historic connection with the textile industry. The project
Summer of Culture Magazine Launch
Culture Essex and Explore Essex are delighted to launch the Summer of Culture Guide 2025! We are delighted to share the Essex Summer of Culture Guide 2025. Partnering with Essex arts and cultural organisations, in this years edition we showcase some amazing, low-cost and free activities, exhibitions and experiences taking place in the county this summer for everyone to enjoy. We’re pleased to confirm that the Summer of Culture guide will once again be available in print from Essex Libraries, Essex Country Parks and many attractions and organisations across the county, so look out for a print copy to share with friends. Click here to read an online copy of the Summer of Culture Guide.
Essex Creative Sector Survey
Essex County Council, through its Cultural Development Service, have launched a key piece of work to look at the needs of Essex’s creative industries as the landscape of local government, government spending reviews and devolution continues to rapidly change, and particularly in light of the government’s ‘Invest 2035: UK Modern Industrial Strategy‘ which identifies the creative industries as a key driver of economic growth and innovation in the UK. As conversations continue at a local and national level, Culture Essex is working to ensure that the cultural and the creative industries are recognized and represented as valuable and high potential growth sectors in Essex. To make sure this support reflects the real needs of creative professionals and businesses, Essex County Council has commissioned We Made That to run a survey for those working in the creative industries. Your insights into what it’s like to work in the sector – including