Arts Council of Wales opens five new funds to support arts projects

Author: Arts Council of Wales

The Arts Council of Wales (ACW) has today (13 April) opened five new funds to support arts projects as part of a previously announced change in the way it distributes arts funding from the National Lottery. 

These changes are rooted in recent feedback and data gathered from the arts sector in Wales, giving a clearer and refreshed understanding of where targeted support can make the most difference, and shaping the structure of the funds to better meet the sector’s needs. 

The five new funding schemes opening today are:

• Create & Engage 

  This is a streamlined update to ACW’s former Create programme, where the main beneficiaries are the people and audiences engaging with the arts activity. 

  
  

• Festivals  

  ACW’s new dedicated festivals programme, supporting focused, time-limited festivals that deliver vibrant, high-quality arts programmes and reach the widest possible audience.  

  
  

• Research & Development  

  This scheme supports the development and creation of high-quality and ambitious work to reach audiences in the future. 

  
  

• Creative Practice 

  A funding scheme dedicated to supporting artists and creative professionals in their development, enabling time for creative experimentation, professional growth and working in new ways. 

  
  

• Creative Steps for Individuals or Organisations 

  Creative Steps is open to artists, creatives or organisations that are led by individuals who identify as ethnically and culturally diverse, D/deaf, disabled or neurodivergent. 

All the details and deadlines can be found on the Funding pages here.