The Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts: Start Programmme

Overview

Start enables children to experience the very best of the arts by introducing them to their local cultural venue. The programme gives children the opportunity to become familiar with their local venue and to begin to connect with the vibrant cultural life of the UK.

Any not-for-profit cultural institution seeking to work with local schools is eligible to apply.

Their aim, and that of their partners, is that pupils will develop the confidence and enthusiasm to continue their engagement with their local cultural venue beyond the life of the project.

Start provides funding and support to not-for-profit cultural venues (e.g. theatres, museums, galleries and orchestras) to enable them to build partnerships with selected primary and secondary schools in their local area.

Local authority venues can also apply as can non-venues so long as they can demonstrate a committed partnership with a venue that will last throughout the three years of the project.

At the heart of Start is their desire to make cultural venues accessible for a new generation. They aim to work with thier arts partners for three years and expect them to work with the same schools for the period of the project in order to build long-term, sustainable relationships.

The Start Programme is a framework that can be used by arts organisations to engage young people with all aspects of the arts. Start projects need to embrace four key themes:

• Introducing young people to the arts;
• Inspiring them to learn more;
• Enhancing their experience through critical analysis and participation; and
• Encouraging them to Create their own art.

The themes are explored by young people during visits to their partner cultural organisation and through workshops and educational sessions both in school and at the venue that link to and supports these visits.

Your application should clearly convey your ideas on how young people can engage imaginatively and creatively with your project.

Each Start project must contain the following elements:-

• At least two visits by each participant to the partner cultural venue to see a professional performance, concert or exhibition.
• Complementary educational work which strongly links to the cultural visits and supports the delivery of the national curriculum.
• This part of your project should include an element of critical analysis, helping participants to understand and express their responses to your artform.
• A creative response embedded into their project. This can be displayed or performed in school, in their venue or online, helping to capture what the participants have been doing and learning and making the project more accessible for other pupils, teachers or parents.
• Your project must also conform to their financial requirements as detailed below.

Children & the Arts will provide financial support to a maximum of £15,000 per project per year in years one and two, and a maximum of £10,500 in year three.

• They expect that most projects will cost £20 to £30 per child. Projects requesting a greater amount of funding are unlikely to receive support.
• They expect projects to continue working with the same schools and the same total number of pupils (though not necessarily the same pupils) across all three years
• They expect your partner school(s) to contribute at least a small amount of funding to the project.
• They can only guarantee that funding will be available for one year. However, they aim to work with all their partners and their partner schools for up to three years.

In some cases their funding provided will be sufficient for an organisation to run a complete programme of activities. However, where this proves difficult, you should seek additional funding to ensure they fulfil their joint goals.