Emergency funding information for freelancers and micro-companies in the creative and cultural sector in England.
Here at SWCTN we aim to keep our network informed and supported through the current upheaval that many of our members have found themselves in. As we enter, for many, another month of possible lockdown, it is a challenge to navigate the bombardment of information for freelancers and small businesses.
To help businesses and individuals we have waded through the noise, creating a simple list of schemes aimed at helping creative and cultural workers in the short term, breaking them down by category. The list below has been carefully selected based on three criteria:
They provide funds,
Memberships are not required,
Aimed at primarily freelancers and micro-companies (0 – 10 employees)
Limited Companies:
UK Government job retention scheme
Prince’s Trust and Natwest Young Entrepreneur Relief Fund
The Creative Growth Finance Debt Fund (Creative Industries Federation / Creative England)
Start Up Loan for your business
Self-employed or Partnerships:
UK government self-employment income support scheme
Ineligible for Self-Employment Income Support Scheme:
Apply for a ‘business interruption loan’
Government Cash Grants for Small Businesses
Any business currently in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate relief may be eligible for a £10,000 cash grant. Any retail, hospitality or leisure business with a rateable value above £15,000 and below £51,000 may be eligible for a £25,000 cash grant.
You may be able to access universal credit in full
For more information see moneysavingexpert.com
Charities and social enterprises:
Resilience & Recovery Loans – for social enterprises and charities.
Artists and Arts Organisers:
Creative England – Creative Growth Finance Loans of between £100K – £500K for creative industries.
Creative England – New Ideas Fund Grants of £1K to £25K
Aimed at screen based storytelling entrepreneurs & businesses (tv, film, animation, games & immersive tech). Individuals & companies can apply.
Support for artists and arts organisers who make exhibitions happen
Financial support for artists, creative practitioners and freelancers
Artists Relief Tree (waiting list for funding)
Outdoor Arts Sector Support Fund:
Culture in Quarantine – The Space
Music:
Help Musicians Financial Hardship Fund
Royal Opera House Benevolent Fund
Creative technology / Digital:
Mozilla COVID 19 Solutions Fund
Tech support for self isolating from UK Government
UKRI open call for research and innovation ideas to address COVID-19
Film:
Film and TV Charity ( read through until the end)
Theatre:
Fleabag ( The TV Show) Support fund
Support for Theatre Professionals
Heritage:
Authors:
Other useful resources:
COVID-19 Makers UK
A community of makers, engineers and doctors working together to build medical equipment for the NHS.
3DCrowd UK
Calling on people with 3D printers to manufacture face shields for the NHS
CORD-19
COVID-19 Open Research Dataset – free resource of more than 7,000 scholarly article about the novel coronavirus for use by the global research community.