...all sorts of things

First things first - a big congratulations to Alder Hey’s Children’s Hospital Arts for Health service, which has been successful in securing £50,000 from the People’s Project Big Lottery Fund to deliver a comprehensive programme of music with children and families on the wards. The project, Music Matters, was competing with other community based programmes for public votes in order to win the funding and actually received the highest number of votes in England. The project will start in May 2017. Thank to all of you who voted for this remarkable work.

Culture, Health and Wellbeing

International Conference 2017

19th, 20th and 21st June 2017 Bristol UK

The conference will showcase inspirational practice, policy and the latest research in culture and arts in health and wellbeing. It will discuss the role of arts and creativity in healing, care and wellbeing across the life course. It will encourage discussion and shared learning, facilitating dialogue between researchers, policy makers and practitioners. I'm thrilled that Australian artist Vic McEwan and I have been invited to share our work with the conference. SEE YOU IN BRISTOL.

The Art of Dying Exhibition and Celebration Event

Thursday 11 May 2017, starting from 10am and running throughout the day

Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER

http://www.artofdying.co.uk/
To mark Dying Matters Awareness Week 2017, this exhibition and event will seek to raise awareness and promote more open conversations regarding death, dying and bereavement. Anyone wishing to attend, please register your free place as soon as possible so that we can gauge numbers for the event and workshops. For more details and to secure your free place, click here.

Comic Relief - #iwill
Youth Social Action Fund 

Comic Relief has announced that £2.4 million of funding has been made available through the #iwill Youth Social Action Fund. #iwill is a UK-wide campaign aiming to get 6 out of 10 young people involved in social action like campaigning, fundraising and volunteering, in communities across the UK by 2020. The programme will fund projects to seek out young people and encourage those from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in and lead youth social action. Projects will need to demonstrate effective ways to build relationships with ‘reluctant' young people in their own community and demonstrate how they will engage those people in creative, innovative and meaningful social action. The fund will offer grants of up to £150,000 over up to three years (with a maximum of £50,000 per year). The closing date for applications is midday on the 12th May 2017. Read more here. 

Funding to support disadvantaged young people at risk of offending 

The Weavers' Company, a textile-related, charitable and sociable organisation, has announced that the next closing date for its grants programme is the 31st July 2017. The Fund also aims to help young people (aged 15 - 30) at risk of criminal involvement to stay out of trouble and assist in the rehabilitation of offenders, particularly young offenders both in prison and after release. Grants are usually no more than £15,000 per annum, and to make sure grants of this size have an impact, the Weaver's Company will not fund large organisations. Grants are normally awarded to registered charities or organisations in the process of applying for registration. To be eligible for funding, local organisations such as those working in a village, estate or small town should normally have an income of less than £100,000. Those working across the UK should normally have an income of not more than £250,000. Grants are usually given for one year. Read more here. 

Grants to help new innovative visual arts projects 

The Elephant Trust has announced the next deadline for applications is the 10th June 2017. The Trust offers grants to artists and for new, innovative visual arts projects based in the UK. It aims to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when confronted by lack of funds. The Trust supports projects that develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the fine arts. Priority is given to artists and small organisations and galleries making or producing new work or exhibitions. The Trust normally awards grants of up to £2,000, but larger grants may be considered. Read more here. 

Rosa’s Woman to Woman Fund invests over half a million pounds in grassroots women’s groups 

Rosa, the UK Fund for Women and Girls has announced that they have invested £598,021 in 38 projects across the UK through the first round of the Woman to Woman fund. This fund, supported by the so-called ‘Tampon Tax', will support groups that work with women and girls from disadvantaged communities or in disadvantaged areas in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The next funding round of the Woman to Woman fund will open in the summer. Read more here.

Google Grants...The Google Grants UK programme supports organisations sharing Google’s philosophy of community service to help the world in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy, and the arts. Designed for registered charities, Google Grants provides free advertising on Google AdWords, to charities seeking to inform and engage their constituents online. Google Grants has given free AdWords advertising to hundreds of charitable groups whose missions range from animal welfare to literacy, from supporting homeless children to promoting HIV education. As a result of this free advertising many charities have experienced an increase in the recruitment of volunteers and sponsorship. Read more here.

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