Scops Arts Trust

Overview

The goal of Scops Arts Trust is to help people to understand, participate in and enjoy the arts, particularly the performing arts. They are keen to find projects which widen access and have a lasting cultural impact on the community.

Changes for 2025

The Trustees have again reviewed their grant-making policy and in a continued effort to ensure that they only receive good quality applications which fit closely with their grant-making priorities, they have decided to focus each of the three grant rounds per year on a different area within the performing arts. A significant change in 2025 is that children’s music projects will not be considered at every grants round as they have previously done.

In 2025, these will be as follows:

• Round 1: Opens 14 January for decisions by 15 April
  • Local music festivals (music performances specifically for children are excluded)
• Round 2: Opens 20 May for decisions by 19 August
  • Early career musicians – programmes offering performance opportunities (applications from individuals are excluded)
  • Stage 1 Application Deadline: 5pm on Tuesday 3 June
• Round 3: Opens 9 September for decisions by 9 December
  • Children’s and young people’s instrumental music education (choirs are excluded)

If your project does not fall within their focus, it will not be considered. If your answers to the eligibility questions are not accurate, your application will be rejected.

Please note they do not support projects or organisations where the main focus is health, therapy or social welfare; nor do they contribute towards the costs of construction, fit-out or repairs of arts venues.

The Trust is particularly keen to help small-to-medium-sized organisations, although large charities are not excluded from applying. Most of their current grants support projects run by registered charities, but in exceptional circumstances, they will consider applications from established community groups as long as they have clear charitable aims. 

They award one-off grants and also consider multi-year funding. The majority of grants awarded are in support of projects, but contributions towards specific and restricted core costs of smaller organisations where a grant from Scops Arts Trust could make an impact, will be considered.

Who

The types of organisation they support are generally registered charities, but they will consider applications from social enterprises, community groups, etc, if they are formally constituted and have clear charitable purposes. Whilst they do not exclude large charities, applications from small to medium sized organisations will be looked on more favourably.

Where

They support organisations located in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What

The Trust has a focused grant-making approach to each of the three grants rounds per year, inviting applications for a particular area of the performing arts, different in each grants round.

The categories will be advertised on their website.

Music education and engagement projects for children will, however, be considered at every grants round.

When

They only support projects or programmes which have yet to begin; they do not fund retrospectively.

Why

Their overarching aim is to give people of all ages opportunities to understand, participate in and enjoy the performing arts. It’s important that you bear this in mind at each stage of the application process and try to communicate how your organisation and project will do this.

How

Most of their grants are for projects but they will consider contributions towards specific core costs of smaller organisations where a grant from Scops Arts Trust could make an impact. While they have previously awarded multi-year grants of up to £30,000 per annum, applicants should be aware that the majority of grants they make are considerably less than this.

Applicant Notes

This is what to expect if you decide to apply for a grant to Scops Arts Trust.

• Pre-application stage - applicants should complete the eligibility checks on the website
• If successful, you will be invited to make an online Stage 1 application
• Your Stage 1 application will be reviewed by the Trustees
• A Stage 2 shortlist will be drawn up and the selected applicants will be invited to complete a Stage 2 online application form
• Applications must present a strong case for support, clearly explaining what you will do with the grant, who will benefit, how you know that the work you are proposing will make a difference to the beneficiaries and how you will be able to measure this
• During the assessment phase of Stage 2 applications, applicants may be contacted by one of their Trustees and/or the Administrator to request additional information; their Trustees may also conduct assessment visits or calls, as Scops Arts Trust aims to bean engaged funder
• A final shortlist of applications will then be presented to the Board of Trustees at one of their 4-monthly meetings for consideration
• Their decisions are final and unsuccessful applicants have no right of appeal
• Before paying any grants, they will make due diligence checks on your organisation’s governance and finance
• You will find a timeline for this process in the FAQs document