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
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Creative Spotlights
Click on the images below to read Case Studies of some of the projects the Arts and Cultural Fund has supported.
Case Study : Matt Jewson
Background Matthew Jewson is a neurodiverse theatre director, producer and practitioner with over twelve years of professional experience across Essex and East Anglia. His work centres on the belief that creativity drives meaningful change, with a practice grounded in collaboration, listening and creative support. For five years, Matthew was the Creative Director of TWAS Theatre and has also served as Engagement Producer at the Mercury Theatre Colchester. Since 2012, Matthew has taught young people at the University Centre Colchester and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He now focuses on championing dyslexic and neurodiverse artists, providing specialist support and advocacy within theatre. The Story Behind Dyslexia and Me Dyslexia & Me was a collaborative project for young neurodiverse people in Colchester and Tendring with dyslexia, offering a space to explore and take ownership of their identities in a creative way. The project encouraged participants to express their experiences on their own terms
Essex Cultural Steering Group
A Landmark of Possibility: Colchester’s Cultural Assets and the Jumbo Water Tower On Wednesday 11 March, Tom Walker joined members of the Essex Cultural Steering Group and representatives from Culture Essex and the Cultural Development Service at Essex County Council for a special visit to Colchester. The visit began with a rare opportunity to step inside ‘Jumbo’, Colchester’s iconic Grade II* listed water tower. Standing proudly above the city skyline, Jumbo is one of the last intact water towers from the Victorian “Golden Age” of industrial water engineering. Built in the 1880s using locally made bricks, it originally supplied water for the city’s first fire service and played a pivotal role in transforming public health by providing clean drinking water at a time when cholera was devastating communities across England. With its imposing brick structure and exceptional heritage significance, it remains one of Essex’s most distinctive cultural assets. From there,
Development Fund Projects
SIX arts and cultural organisations have been announced as the first successful recipients of Essex County Council’s Creative Industries Project Development Fund and the Cultural Development Project 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 Development 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.
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 100 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 5 Recipients (2026) Inclusion Ventures: A creative programme designed to support vulnerable children and young people aged 7–21 across Jaywick, West Clacton, and the Bluehouse estate. Participants facing the complexities of poverty, low aspiration, and educational barriers often linked to trauma will take part in a programme that offers inclusive, arts-based pathways. Kate Austen: Writer Kate Austen and Producing Company House of Carney will be supported to deliver 8 movement workshops with