Arts-based Learning Fund

Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Arts-based Learning Fund makes grants of between £30,000 and £400,000, of which the majority are in the region of £150,000 to £250,000, over two to three years to organisations enabling pupils in formal education settings (Early Years, Primary, Secondary, Alternative Provision and Further Education) to thrive through engagement with high quality, arts-based learning.

Funding is to support work which focuses on the following areas (not all applications need to include all of these aspects):

• support for pupils who experience systemic disadvantage to access and make progress in their learning;

• creating more opportunities for high quality arts-based teaching and learning in education settings,

• especially in those which have not had this work in the past;

• exploring the role of arts-based learning in addressing issues of inclusion, especially racism, in education;

• effective practice in digital and blended arts-based teaching and learning; and enabling arts-based learning to be embedded in curricula and practice for the long-term.

Through their learning to date, the Foundation has identified the following principles of effective practice and partnership which they want to see demonstrated in the work they fund:

• work which responds to specific pupil and/or education setting needs;

-approaches which are evidence-based;

• work which is co-constructed by arts/cultural organisations and education settings;

• work which is high quality in terms of expertise and resources;

• commitment to reflection and continuous improvement; and

• supporting development of the cultural education workforce.

Projects working taking place outside of London that is for the benefit of primary-age children will be prioritised.

Deadline: Continuous rolling programme.

We are particularly interested in applications with a focus on the following areas (not all applications need to include all of these aspects):

• support for pupils who experience systemic disadvantage to access and make progress in their learning -creating more opportunities for high quality arts-based teaching and learning in education settings, especially in those which have not had this work in the past
• exploring the role of arts-based learning in addressing issues of inclusion, especially racism, in education
• effective practice in digital and blended arts-based teaching and learning enabling arts-based learning to be embedded in curricula and practice for the long-term.

Through our learning to date we have identified the following principles of effective practice and partnership which we want to see demonstrated in the work we fund:

• work which responds to specific pupil and / or education setting needs approaches which are evidence-based
• work which is co-constructed by arts/cultural organisations and education settings
• work which is high quality in terms of expertise and resources
• commitment to reflection and continuous improvement
• supporting development of the cultural education workforce.

At a time of challenge and uncertainty, we recognise the importance of offering a flexible funding approach. We wish to support proposals which align closely to the purpose of the Fund and the principles of effective practice, and we can provide funding in one or more of the following ways:

• support which underpins specific programmes of work
• support for core costs
• support to develop and test new approaches

What we will not fund In addition to PHF’s general exclusions, we cannot accept applications for this fund directly from:

schools or other formal education settings (n.b schools can be the lead applicant for our Teacher Development Fund) All applicants must be working in partnership with schools or other formal education settings – i.e. primary and secondary schools, further education colleges, alternative provision, special schools and early years

We will not support:

• work taking place in independent or fee-paying education settings
• activity that we judge is, or should be, a statutory entitlement.

We are unlikely to fund newly registered organisations that have yet to produce independently audited/examined accounts and recommend you speak to a Grants Manager first.