18th January 2021
Culture Recovery Fund 2 Urgent Update - Must Read.... Updates and clarifications from ACE on COVID guidance around their expectations for planning the CRF2 bids have been released. Please ensure you view the updated document within the resource library With thanks to LIVE and Lucy Stone...
16th January 2021
There was a great turn out for the CRF webinar (with grateful thanks to LIVE) on Thursday 14 January - over 500 people in the end. All documents listed below can be found within the resource library: 1. Presentation slides from Thursday 14 January 2. Making an application to CRF Guidance 2021 - contains an overview of the fund, the questions with some additional prompt...
14th January 2021
England Cultural Recovery Fund Grants The second round is now open for applications, the deadline is on Tuesday 26th January 2021 at midday. Webinars are being held on January 14th and 18th for those who want more information before applying. Tickets can be booked here. A number of aspects of this funding programme differ substantially from round 1 of...
12th January 2021
The Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) has been asked to provide evidence to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) of events businesses which have been unsuccessful in applying for financial support from their Local Authority during the pandemic. Any events business which has been unsuccessful in applying for support is urged to send evidence to the BVEP as soon as possi...
10th January 2021
Now you can apply to CRF 2, but if you need guidance and we recommend you do, read on…. A webinar has been organised for all Association Of Festival Organisers members on Thursday 14 January from 13:00 - 15:00. Lucy Stone (No Stone Unturned Fundraising) will run through the CRF Round 2 application process and give advice on how best to apply for a grant, alongside a live Q&A ...
9th January 2021
£ support from the chancellor/DCMS/ACE... read on… If you applied in the first round of Cultural Recovery Fund but got nothing this is your second chance. However, some members were entertained by ACE at a webinar on 8/1/21 which suggested Festivals should head in the direction of Project Grants. Well, when the first round told us £50,000 was the minimum you could apply...
9th January 2021
I met a man who thought the virus was being blown out of proportion.I met another who said he wouldn’t trust the vaccination, and another who said he had a flu jab and still got flu. I met a dozen people partying in the park and family who just arrived from the far east hugging their close family. I thought as I haven’t been out for months except to buy essentials and exercise perha...
8th January 2021
Please note that the guidance for Performing Arts working safely during COVID-19 has now been updated following the Prime Ministers announcement...
7th January 2021
UK Funding update ( with thanks to LIVE) England Cultural Recovery Fund Grants The second round is now open for applications, the deadline is on Tuesday 26th January 2021 at midday. Webinars are being held on January 14th and 18th for those who want more information before applying. Tickets can be booked here. A number of aspects of this funding programme di...
23rd December 2020
If you're planning to apply to the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund then please be aware that customer services will be closed till Monday 4 January but support is available to you online: Guidance for grants: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/CRFgrants?_cldee=bGlvdXhAZmVzdGl2YWxvcmdhbmlzZXJzLm9yZw%3d%3d&recipientid=contact-f3641b7885e0ea11a813002248070f4c-f2c13568c6fd480ca...
18th December 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced today (17 December) that the UK's furlough scheme will be extended for an extra month until the end of April 2021. Under the furlough scheme, employees placed on leave receive 80% of their pay, up to a maximum of £2,500 a month. Businesses will also be given until the end of March 2021 to access the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, Coronavirus Business Int...
16th December 2020
What are they doing with the £258 million left in the CRF ? Well here is a clue. Arts Council England has been in touch regarding the final rounds of the Culture Recovery Fund. A round of repayable finance is opening today (15/12), with criteria being posted on the ACE website shortly. It's a £100m round, and applications close on 7 January. The final grants&...
15th December 2020
Please read, support and share: This Tuesday, 420 creative sector jobs will be lost and 18,000 families who are excited about attending a Drive-In will face an even bleaker winter and Christmas period as the Scottish Government is not allowing Drive-In’s to take place in Tier 3 areas, despite England, Wales and Northern Ireland allowing them currently in far harsher equivalent tiers. D...
13th December 2020
Some of the crown jewels missed out in the first round of CRF. We then asked for support on insurance and this is the current response? They still have £258million to distribute so hold yer breath a bit longer. More than £165 million in repayable finance announced to support major arts and heritage institutions as Culture Fund marks £1 billion milestone...
12th December 2020
The Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Patrick Vallance and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jenny Harries, have given evidence to the Science and Technology and Health and Social Care Committees. This is the latest official guidance that has been given on the vaccine rollout. Unfortunately, their evidence suggested that the optimism that has re...
12th December 2020
NOW - a message from your government to remind you of their new rules on serving alcohol and food. Read this , run a Christmas quiz or write to your MP suggesting a total UK wide lockdown for the sake of the life of the nation’s people I honestly think two weeks of lockdown would be easier to observe than this lot of complicated rule and regs. (some of the opinions expressed i...
11th December 2020
Tracy Brabin MP (Shadow Minister for Cultural Industries): Research from the creative industries policy and evidence centre has shown there has been 55,000 job losses in music, performing, and visual arts in the last six months. Our creative workers are desperate to get back, but to do so they need a safety net – Germany has just announced an indemnity fund, ind...
10th December 2020
AFO members will be aware that our Gen. Sec. was prominent in the formation of Events Industry Forum (EIF). As publishers of the Purple Guide funds raised are often awarded as grants to projects that will benefit the outdoor events industry. However, this year the directors decided to engage a parliamentary lobbyist to keep our industries work up there. During the Covid-19 crisis Bingham and Bingh...
8th December 2020
For attractions (read festivals), then sell tickets now The following update is guidance on VAT reduction, extension and yes, it does cover festivals. The guidance on reduced VAT for hospitality, holiday accommodation and attractions has been updated to reflect the extension in VAT reduction to 5% until 31 March 2021 for certain supplies relating to hospitality, hotel and holiday accommodati...
6th December 2020
That's All Sorted Then? (Maybe) As many of us are now well into planning our 2021 festivals the questions on all our lips are 'will the vaccine save most of our season?' 'Will we be able to run normally, or is it Covid-19 in ’21? We will of course keep you up to date with everything we learn from the dozens of government zoom meeting that we are tied up with. J...
