Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts in England, distributing public money from Government and the National Lottery and supporting a wide range of activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital arts, carnival to crafts.
Between 2008 and 2011, Arts Council will invest in excess of £1.6 billion of public money from the government and the National Lottery to create new opportunities for as many people as possible across the country.

GRANTS FOR THE ARTS

Grants for the arts are for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. They are for activities carried out over a set period and which engage people in England in arts activities, and help artists and arts organisations in England carry out their work.

Grants to individuals:

Grants are available to individuals including: artists, performers, writers, promoters, presenters, curators, producers, groups of individuals, other individuals working in the arts.

Grants to individuals normally range from £1,000 up to £30,000, and can cover activities lasting up to three. The Agency can award larger grants for major projects. The average grant to individuals in 2006/07 was £5,825. The agency can’t give grants of less than £1,000.
An application to Grants for the arts must include a number of items to be eligible to be assessed, including a written proposal and a filled-in application form. The “How to apply booklet” has full details about what makes an eligible application and it is available by following this link:

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/gfta2006_electronicfiles.php

Grants to organizations:

Grants are available to organisations including: arts organisations, local authorities an, other public organisations, partnerships, regional and national organisations, organisations whose normal activity is not arts-related, including voluntary and community groups, groups of organisations (one will need to take the lead and have the main responsibility for managing the application and any grant)

Organization means a single group of people working towards a shared or common goal. This can take many forms (for example, a limited company, a charity or an unincorporated group).

Grants to organisations range from £1,000 up to £100,000, and can cover activities lasting up to three years. The average grant to organisations in 2006/07 was £24,696. In special circumstances the Agency can assess applications for grants over £100,000 for more major projects. The Agency do not give grants under £1,000.

An application to Grants for the arts must include a number of items to be eligible to be assessed, including a written proposal and a filled-in application form.
The “How to apply booklet” has full details about what makes an eligible application and it is available by following this link:

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/gfta2006_electronicfiles.php