The objective of the Thea Barnes Legacy Fund (TBLF) is to provide assistance through bursary funding and/or mentoring
The fund aims to support individuals in dance and the performing arts, researchers, and artists looking to accelerate their careers or make a career transition across the arts and creative industries by furthering their artistic or academic practice. The TBLF will award bursaries up to £2,300.
The bursaries help sustain dancers, performing artists, choreographers, researchers and scholars in the arts and creative industries.
SANE has a long association with the arts, and for many years held a successful awards scheme which provided grants to individuals wishing to further their artistic development. The SANE Creative Awards Scheme builds on this tradition and presents an opportunity for those affected by mental ill-health to take a step towards realising their creative potential.
The scheme aims to improve the quality of life for people with mental health problems, their families and carers. The awards may be used to help purchase materials, make a contribution towards course costs and, in the case of carers, offer support towards the cost of replacement care.
There are three levels of awards to apply for – £100, £200 and £300.
In time, the scheme may invite applications for proposals across all art forms, however, for this round we will be accepting applications for visual art only.
For the purposes of the scheme, visual arts encompass all forms of painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, mixed media and digital art.*
We’re here to support bold creative visions from disabled artists based in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Awards over £25,000 are a chance to get that almost-there piece in front of audiences. Perfect for artists who’ve had some funding but haven’t been able to get the work out there yet.
We want to help take it further, connect it with audiences, and make sure it’s seen in the places it deserves to be.
We’re looking to invest in work that will have a life beyond the initial commission. We expect all the work we fund to reach multiple audiences, as part of our wider mission to challenge and change the world.
The panel will consider:
Large awards available:
You’ll be expected to have a minimum of 10% match funding* from other sources (which can be cash or in kind) for our larger awards (over £25k)
*This match funding cannot be from your regional arts council.
At this expression of interest stage, you don’t need to supply a detailed budget or tell us about match funding. You just need to give an idea of the overall cost of your project.
We’re here to support bold creative visions from disabled artists based in England, Scotland, and Wales
Open Awards under £25,000 are ideal for testing, exploring, and playing with early ideas.
They’re designed to give you time, space, and support to take creative risks. We know powerful work doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with a spark.
These criteria will be used by our selection panel to assess your application. We’re looking to invest in work that will have a life beyond the initial commission. We expect all the work we fund to reach multiple audiences, as part of our wider mission to challenge and change the world.
The panel will consider:
Small awards available:
At this expression of interest stage, you don’t need to supply a detailed budget. You just need to give an idea of the overall cost of your project.
Match funding is not required for our small awards.
Applications are now open for the 2025-26 cohort of the Bridge the Gap Producer Programme!
Apply to be one of 10 emerging producers from underrepresented backgrounds to take part in this year long development programme; gaining skills in commercial producing through monthly workshops, a mentor, coaching sessions, tickets to shows, access to grants and more!
Deadline: 12 noon on Friday 9 May
Apply online via our website.
Not sure if it's for you? Find out some more info in our Should I Apply? guide.
Stage One created Bridge the Gap to diversify the current field of commercial theatre producers and therefore strongly encourages individuals from underrepresented backgrounds and outside of London to apply. We want to support people from a Global Majority background, who identify as working class or from a lower socio-economic background, are LGBTQIA+, those that have a disability and/or are neurodivergent and/or those from a culturally or religiously Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim or Sikh background.
