Small and large grants are available for UK registered charities and Community Interest Companies for activities that enable live art, particularly performance art and live music, to flourish.
The Backstage Trust was established in 2012 to focus on encouraging live art - mainly the performing arts and music - to flourish, particularly in an environment where government support and understanding of the difficulties facing the sector is limited.
The Trust’s main areas of support are:
- Consultant advice to help with professional development of small-scale arts organisations.
- Assisting live arts projects involving disadvantaged children and young people.
- Feasibility studies for capital projects, and
- Consultant advice on fundraising/case for support, recruiting and the development of staff.
Although the Trust’s major investment in capital projects is restricted, it is able to help an organisation make progress with a project by funding aspects of the work which are critical but lack conventional donor-appeal, for example:
- Accessible toilets.
- Leaking roofs.
- Guidance on fund-raising, and
- Replacing worn-out but vital mandatory equipment.
The Trust has continued to promote schemes to assist the huge community of freelancers who are self-employed and mostly fall outside any government help scheme.
The majority of grants awarded since the Trust was established fall under one of the following headings:
- Assisting live arts projects (not all in the UK) which encourage community participation, and equality, particularly in under-represented areas.
- Encouraging new writing.
- Encouraging the involvement of young people in the performing arts.
- Giving advice on feasibility studies for capital projects, and guidance on project management.
- Funding elements (particularly the less appealing items) of capital projects.
- Providing advice on fundraising and helping to create a fundraising strategy.
- Providing help with professional development of small and medium-scale arts organisations, helping encourage diversity and remove barriers, and
- Providing support to the arts’ freelance community.
Applicants need to demonstrate the viability of their project clearly, and show that their organisation can evidence good management, and supportive governance to deliver the project. The Trust will want to see proof of a convincing and realistic fundraising strategy. Although Backstage might award funding, a matched funding contribution is often required.
A critical need for most small arts organisations — in addition to enthusiasm, energy and a determination to make a difference — is professional advice. Backstage can sometimes fund the cost of appropriate consultant advice, allowing an organisation to benefit from help which would otherwise be beyond their means. All applications that meet the funding criteria are considered carefully.
They do not have a website but there is further information on the Charity Commission website.