The West Midlands Combined Authority’s Activate Skills Development Grants launched in August 2024. The programme supports freelancers and small organisations in the West Midlands creative and cultural sectors to fund skills development projects and support the development of skills across the region.
Grants of between £1,000-£9,000 were made available to support a range of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) needs. The grant programme considers all types of skills development or CPD from any specific discipline within the creative and cultural sectors. The funding could cover: tools to enable delivery of a new or enhanced creative practice, work experience to learn new skills, training courses to develop new skills in an existing or new practice, creative project work or attending workshops or seminars.
The CPD activity requested should offer applicants the opportunity to take a step towards unlocking skills which will provide future growth and development opportunities.
Please note: Applications for this Grant programme have now closed.
Key Dates
Applications Open: Friday 30th August 2024
Applications Close: Wednesday 18th September 2024 at 11.59pm (amended to 19th September at noon)
Grant Award Notifications: Friday 4th October
All Activity to be Completed: Friday 13th December 2024
Project Delivery
Applications
The application process and questions were designed in partnership with Smarter Society and Culture Central, working with members of the Inclusive Network to ensure this fund would be targeted towards, and benefit those traditionally excluded from sector opportunities. The following questions were asked as part of the application and answers could be submitted as either text or video responses.
Tell us about your creative practice or work
Provide a brief overview of the type of creative work you do, this might include your art form, your experience and who you work with.
(Maximum 100 words or 1 minute of video)
How have you identified your development needs?
This might be a skills gap in what you know or what you can currently deliver. You may have found this out though feedback from the people you work with, advice and recommendations from a mentor or a block in a project where you’re unable to move forward without specific equipment or training.
(Maximum 250 words or 2 minutes of video)
How will this grant help you develop your skills, practice and/or organisation?
Tell us how it will change the work that you are able to offer and take the next steps in your work or practice. This might be how it helps you to increase capacity (for example understanding project management) or develop your practical skills (for example training in a new creative technique or software) or build your knowledge (for example learning about best practice).
(Maximum 250 words or 2 minutes of video)
Why is this development important for you now?
You might want to explain what this opportunity will do for you/your organisation at this point and how you will make the most of this opportunity. You could tell us how this fits with your or your organisations milestones, goals or activity, and why it is appropriate at this time.
(Maximum 250 words or 2 minutes of video)
Completion Timescale
Please confirm how your funded activity will be completed by 13th December to allow for enough time to provide evidence of completion and 2nd stage payments to be made to you before 20th December 2024
Funding Request (Between £1,000-£9000)
Please provide details of each cost item. Example headings could include: Training course costs, Materials, Travel, Expenses, Costs to cover time spent training/in unpaid work experience (This should reflect the expected loss of income), Software license cost.
(Please note access costs can be submitted in addition to any maximum activity amounts)
FAQ Guidance
A set of frequently asked questions and further information is available below.
Briefing Webinar
We held a webinar on the application open date to offer insight into the programme and look at how applications are assessed. You can now watch the recording below:
Grant Activity
The application form is now closed. Applicants have been notified of the outcome of their applications and funding is being distrubuted for activity to be completed by 13 December.
This programme is still ongoing but we look forward to updating on the outcomes once it has been evaluated.
If you have any further enquiries, please email: wmca@smartersociety.org
