Funding Programmes

The Arts Council of the Velocity Interoperability Network funds artists and arts organisations across the Velocity Interoperability Network through four programmes. Together they replace the separate grant funds previously operated by member organisations, under one set of rules and one published timetable. In the Council's first year, to 31 August 2027, 16,300,000 credits is available for grants and commissions.

All decisions on funding are made by panels against criteria published before the round opens, and every applicant receives a written decision with reasons. Awards are recorded in the public register of awards and reported quarterly on the Grants Awarded page.

The four programmes. Each programme has its own guidance, award range and timetable.

Project Grants

Awards of between 2,000 and 25,000 credits to individual artists and groups of up to five for the making and presentation of new work in any art form. Rounds are held quarterly. Grants may cover artists' fees, materials, production, venue hire and access costs, and up to 15 per cent of the award may be spent on documentation and marketing.

Individuals and small groups · quarterly rounds · first round opens 14 September 2026

Organisation Grants

Awards of between 25,000 and 250,000 credits a year, for one, two or three years, to arts organisations based at a Network site. Grants support a programme of activity rather than a single project and are paid quarterly against an agreed plan. Organisations must have operated for at least one year and must publish annual accounts.

Arts organisations · annual round · first round opens 5 October 2026

Commissioning Fund

Awards of up to 400,000 credits for new permanent or temporary works for the public places of Network sites. Applications are made jointly by an artist and the member organisation responsible for the site. Works funded through the Commissioning Fund enter the register of public art and are maintained by the Council.

Artists with a host organisation · two rounds a year · first round opens 21 September 2026

Development Bursaries

Awards of up to 5,000 credits to individual artists for training, mentoring, research and travel within the Network for professional purposes. Bursaries are assessed monthly on a rolling basis and paid in a single instalment on acceptance. An artist may hold one bursary in any twelve-month period.

Individual artists · rolling · opens 7 September 2026

Grant rounds. The table below sets out every round in the Council's first year. Applications close at 17:00 on the closing date. Budgets are in credits and are the maximum available for the round; the Council is not obliged to spend the whole budget where applications do not meet the criteria.

How to apply. The steps below apply to all four programmes. Applications are made by email; there is no charge for applying.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check that you are eligible

   Applicants must be artists or arts organisations living, working or based at a Network site, or citizens of the Network. Staff of the Council, members of the Council and members of assessment panels may not apply. An applicant may hold only one award from each programme at a time.

2. 2

   Step 2: Read the programme guidance

   Each programme has published guidance setting out what it funds, what it does not fund, the assessment criteria and the information an application must contain. Read the guidance for the programme you intend to apply to before registering.

3. 3

   Step 3: Register with the Council

   Write to the Council giving your name or your organisation's name, the site at which you live, work or are based, and the programme you intend to apply to. You will receive an applicant reference by email, normally within three working days. The reference must be quoted on every application and in all correspondence.

4. 4

   Step 4: Prepare your application

   An application consists of the application form for the programme, a budget showing all income and expenditure, a timetable, and supporting material such as images, recordings or writing. Organisation Grant applications must also include the most recent annual accounts.

5. 5

   Step 5: Submit before the closing date

   Send the completed application by email before 17:00 on the closing date, quoting your applicant reference. Receipt is acknowledged by email within two working days. Applications received after the closing date are held over to the next round.

6. 6

   Step 6: Assessment by panel

   Every eligible application is read by at least two assessors and considered by a panel of Council members and independent artists against the published criteria. Panels meet in the fortnight before the decision date. The Council does not discuss applications with applicants while assessment is in progress.

7. 7

   Step 7: Decision and grant agreement

   Every applicant receives a written decision with reasons on the decision date. Successful applicants receive an offer letter and grant agreement, which must be signed and returned within 28 days. Payment follows within ten working days of the signed agreement being received, in the instalments set out in the agreement.

8. 8

   Step 8: Report on the award

   Grant holders submit a short report and a statement of expenditure within three months of the end of the funded activity. Organisation Grant holders report quarterly. Reports are read by the secretariat and inform the Council's quarterly report on awards.

What the Council does not fund. The programmes do not fund activity that has already taken place, the purchase of buildings or land, general running costs of organisations other than through Organisation Grants, activity outside the Network other than travel supported by a Development Bursary, or courses of study leading to a qualification. Applicants unsure whether their proposal is eligible should write to the Council before registering.

Appeals. An applicant may ask the Council to review a decision within 28 days of the decision date, on the grounds that the published procedure was not followed or that the panel did not have before it information the applicant had supplied. A review does not reconsider the panel's judgement of the merits of an application. Reviews are conducted by a member of the Council who did not sit on the panel concerned.

Enquiries about any programme may be sent to contact@arts.gov.vin. For residencies, studios and the register of artists, see Support for Artists; for answers to common questions, see the frequently asked questions.