ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND

Emergency
Response Fund:Organisations(outside the National Portfolio)

Guidance for applicants
Easy Read version
We can make grants to organisations during theCovid-19 emergency
This guide can help you think about yourapplication form
31 March 2020

Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy ReadArts Council Response Fund: Organisations
This is our fund for creative organisations
directly affected by the Covid-19
coronavirus emergency
We want to help organisations to keep
going. Our funding might help to support
your businessWe also want to support activities
delivered over the next 6 months. Thiscould be development activity…
…or it could be a public facing activity,
like a digital project
We can make grants of up to £35,000, tobe used within 6 months
If your organisation needs any extra
money for Access Support, contact us tofind out more.
1Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Read

Can I apply?
You can apply if:
Your organisation is not a National
Portfolio Organisation, Music Education
Hub or Creative People and PlacesYour main work focuses on one of theseareas:• Combined arts• Dance• Libraries• Literature• Museums• Music• Theatre• Visual arts
Your work has been funded by publicmoney over the last three years. Thismight be from the Arts Council, other
Lottery funders, a university or local
government, for example2Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Read18+

Your organisation has a responsible
person who is 18 or overYou must be based in England

You must apply as an organisation, notas an individual. Make sure you have aUK bank account in the name you’reapplying inPlan ahead
If you have enough money from anothersource, please don’t apply. Let us know if
you are applying to any other funds orsources of support.
This fund will be very popular. We won’t
be able to fund everyone who applies
Think about what you will do if wecan’t fund your application
3Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Read What can we use the money for?
Activities over the next 6 months that will help you
keep going. These might include:
Changes to your business model

Operational costs, like rent or staff costs

IT equipment or software, to help yourstaff do their job from home, or to deliver
digital work
Development activities to help yourorganisation get ready to restart

Public facing activities, like a digitalproject

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Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Read What can’t we apply for?
Projects we would normally fund throughProject Grants, like a tour or activities
taking place beyond the next 6 months
Costs, losses or debts that have nothappened because of the Covid-19
emergency
Individuals cannot apply. We have aseparate Response Fund for Individuals

Before you apply
Set up a profile on our online application
portal if you don’t already have one
Go to www.artscouncil.org.uk/welcomegrantium to find out more
If you need help, contact our Customer
Services team.
5

Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy ReadApplying
All applications must be made online. Use
our online application portal to apply
There will be two rounds in 2020.
You can only apply to one of theserounds. Don’t rush an application if you
think you need more time

Round one
Portal opens for Thursday 9applications
April 2020Round two
Thursday 16
April 2020

Portal closes for Thursday 16 Thursday 30
applications
April 2020
April 2020
12pm midday 12pm midday
We aim to start notifying applicants of the outcomeof their applications to Round one by the end ofApril.

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Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Read

What we will ask you
How much money do you need?
Up to £35,000Show us the losses your organisation
has faced because of the Covid-19
emergency
Keep any emails, contracts or bankstatements that prove you have lostmoney. We might contact you later to askfor evidence

Tell us about your organisation’s workin the publicly funded arts and culture
sectorTell us about any projects or work you
have done in the past that got moneyfrom bodies like the Arts Council, other
Lottery funders, universities, local
7

Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Readauthorities, public sector bodies or trusts andfoundations
We want to hear:• What you’ve worked on• Who you’ve worked with
• Who paid for the work

Tell us what difference a grant would
make to your organisation.
We’ll ask to see the following things:• A simple budget and cashflow• Your last year’s turnover• Your reserves position
We’ll ask you how you might use the funding overthe next 6 months
You don’t need to have match funding, but we’dlike you to tell us if you are expecting to receive
emergency funding from any other sources8Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy ReadTell us if you will be delivering any
activities that go towards our new
strategy, Let’s CreateUse the three outcomes in our new strategy toexplain how your work will deliver against them in
the next 6 months

Tell us how the funding will help you
contribute to Let’s Create in the future
Use the three outcomes in our new strategy toexplain how your work will deliver against thembeyond the next 6 months

9Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Read

How do we make decisions?
To decide which applications to fund, we will use:
The answers to the questions we ask in
the application form
The information on your applicant profilein Grantium
Our knowledge as the development
agency for creativity and culture

To help us make decisions we also think about thefollowing things:
Whether the organisation is disabled-led.
We want our funding to go to theorganisations that are most vulnerable
Whether the organisation is based in anarea of low cultural engagement. We
want to make sure that our funding
benefits the people who need it most10

Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Read

Whether our funding will be used to cover
the artforms and disciplines we support

Whether the organisation can help deliver
Let’s Create once the Covid-19
emergency eases

11Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy Read

What happens next?
Your application will be consideredalongside other applications at a decision
meeting

We’ll start to let people know the outcomeby the end of April for Round 1. Later forRound 2.

You’ll get an email asking you to log in tofind out your result
If you’re successful, you’ll need to provide
your bank details and ask for your firstpayment from us
Go to www.artscouncil.org.uk/welcomegrantium to find out more12

Arts Council Emergency Response Fund
Organisations - Easy ReadMore information:
More help on answering the questions isin the full Guidance for Organisations
Find out more about our response funds at:

 artscouncil.org.uk/covid-19
Need help?
Our friendly Customer Services team canhelp you with the form or talk about otherways we can help you.
The phones are closed right now so our staff canstay safe, but you can talk to us online: enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk

 artscouncil.org.uk/contact-us13