Golsoncott Foundation

Overview

Grants vary according to context and are not subject to an inflexible limit and are usually around £500 - £1,000, but they are unlikely to exceed £3,000 and are normally given on a non-recurrent basis.

Over a million pounds donated to the arts in the last 20 years. Supporting Music, Ballet, Theatre, Museums, Literature, the Fine Arts and Crafts, and Scholarship. Delivering audiences to the arts, and the arts to new audiences.

Funding Criteria

Many applications are received from organisations and other charities whose focus on the arts is part of their wider social, youth, educational, faith-based, or therapeutic work. Such work is laudable, though its primary concern is with participation in the arts rather than excellence and the promotion of the highest standards. Given the fierce competition for grants, the trustees favour applications from arts organisations whose raison d’être is the art form itself, and its perfection or excellence in performance.

Additionally where applications concern young people, the trustees are interested in a long-lasting connection between them and the art, rather than a project offering little scope for further involvement.

All applications for grants should be sent to the administrator at the registered office, at least four weeks before the scheduled trustees' meeting, i.e., by early February, May, August and November in advance of the March, June, September and December meetings. The volume of applications is often very high, and the trustees may close the nominal deadline before the end of the quarter (see Latest News). Applicants therefore are advised not to wait until the end of the quarter before submission, the earlier the application the more considered the first appraisal.

Applications (there is no set form) should include the following:

1. A clear and concise statement of the project, whether the award sought will be for the whole project or a component part. State what the status of the applicant/organisation is: charity, CIC, registered company, etc.
2. Evidence that there is a clear benefit to the public, i.e., does the project conform with the declared object of the trust as set out in the introduction.
3. The amount requested should be specified, or a band indicated. Is this the only source of funding being sought? All other sources of funding should be indicated, including those that have refused the applicant.
4. Is the grant requested part of the match-funding required by the Heritage Lottery Foundation (HLF) following an award? If so state the amount of that award and the percentage of match-funding required by the HLF and the completion date.
5. Wherever possible an annual report and accounts should accompany the application, as may any other supporting information deemed relevant.

Recent recipient organisations of grants can be found on the website

Notes:

Applications from individuals seeking funding for academic or vocational courses are not accepted, though applications from institutions for general bursary funds will be considered. Similarly applications from schools are not encouraged, neither are capital appeals from museums, galleries, theatres, arts complexes, or other projects, except by invitation.