| Funding the future |
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Here at the UKP-Arts offices, we regularly hear from our readers about how excited they are to have been offered a place to train at a drama school or how they are planning a career as a musician or dancer.
However, they also tell us about their concerns over funding their particular dream. One source of help is the BBC Performing Arts Fund. You will need to visit the Fund's website for the most up-to-date information, but here is an overview of what the Fund can do to help you reach your goal.
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The BBC Performing Arts Fund is a charity committed to developing new performing arts talent from across the UK. Through grants, mentoring and advice, it aims to seek out and support aspiring individuals and community groups who, for reasons of lack of existing support, personal background or circumstance, would not have been able to achieve their full potential without the Fund's help.
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The BBC set up the charity in 2003 (originally named the Fame Academy Bursary Trust) and since then, the Fund has awarded nearly £3.5m worth of grants. In total, 1,013 individuals and 149 community groups have received a grant from the Fund, over 900 musicians have been helped to purchase instruments and equipment, 14 community choirs have received funding to commission new music and, to date, the Fund is the UK's biggest funder of musical theatre training in the charity sector, having supported 162 students. The results of all this work speak for themselves, with previous winners going on to produce a Mercury Prize-winning album, perform at the Glastonbury Festival, appear on Later with Jools Holland and land starring roles in the West End.
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| The charity is funded through revenue from the voting lines of BBC One entertainment programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing and Over the Rainbow, and is run by a high-profile and experienced Board of Trustees. |
| What kind of grants does the Fund offer? |
Each year the Fund's work focuses on a different art form - dance, music or theatre - and grants are distributed via two schemes, one for individuals and one for community groups. This will be an ongoing cycle which enables each sector of the performing arts to know when support for their particular art form will be available. In 2011, for example, the focus has been on dance, with applications to the schemes open during June and July.
The Community Dance scheme is designed to encourage groups to take on more challenging projects by allowing them to carry out training, attract new audiences, encourage new members and raise their profile in their communities. The Dance Fellowships will support talented individuals through the early stages of their dance careers, helping to establish themselves in the professional world through bespoke Fellowship placements within dance organisations.
In 2012, the Fund will focus on supporting music and turn the spotlight on theatre in 2013. Particulars of schemes are yet to be confirmed but details will be announced on the website, in the newsletter, and on social networks, so it's worth keeping an eye on these.
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| Who can apply? |
Grants are aimed at either performing arts individuals or community groups, but the terms and conditions are different for each individual scheme that's launched so it's recommended that you read the T&Cs and all other information available on the website in full before submitting an application.
The easiest way to find out if you might be eligible to receive a grant from the Fund is to use the online Eligibility Checker at www.bbc.co.uk/performingartsfund/eligibility.
Where can I find more information about the Fund?
Everything you need to know about the BBC Performing Arts Fund can be found on the website:
www.bbc.co.uk/performingartsfund
From there you can sign up to the newsletter to receive regular updates on all the work, including the launch of new schemes as they are announced.
You can also get in touch via:
the Fund's Facebook page www.facebook.com/bbcperformingartsfund
and on Twitter www.twitter.com/bbc_paf
The BBC Performing Arts Fund is a registered charity (no: 1101276)
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