Centre for Cultural Value set to open next round of Collaborate funding
Collaborate funds joint projects between academics and cultural sector organisations, with awards ranging from £5,000 to £20,000.
The Centre for Cultural Value, based at the University of Leeds, will invite expressions of interest from the cultural sector on October 17, and is keen to see applications from individuals and organisations across the UK.
The fund supports innovative new research partnerships between cultural sector practitioners and academics that ask new questions about the difference culture makes to people’s lives.
Collaborate adopts a dating-agency style approach to its application process, taking place in small stages over several months, meaning less admin for applicants and giving project concepts and partnerships time to develop.
Talking to the academics about some of the models we've used before and them getting really excited was very reinvigorating. It gave a legitimacy to what we were doing.
Cultural sector applicants are asked to submit a short, open-call expression of interest specifying an issue of relevance to their practice – these are then assessed by a panel made up of the Centre’s team and an independent academic and cultural sector partner.
Successful bids are then matched with academics to co-develop the concept and write a funding proposal, supported by the Centre.
The first round saw funding given to national organisations including the Crafts Council and National Museums Liverpool and smaller players including Bristol’s Rising Arts Agency, Manchester’s live performance company Quarantine and Leeds-based Compass Live Art.
Jess, from Rising Arts Agency, is exploring how marginalised creatives navigate institutional power imbalances with Dr Andreana Drencheva from King’s College London.
She told Alice Chandler - a postgraduate researcher in the University’s School of Performance and Cultural Industries - in an article for Arts Professional: “Talking to the academics about some of the models we've used before and them getting really excited was very reinvigorating. It gave a legitimacy to what we were doing.”
Jess added that applicants should genuinely want to look at something from ‘a different perspective’ - using Collaborate as an opportunity to explore something which might challenge the way their organisation works – or the cultural sector as a whole.
Find out more about Collaborate
The Centre for Cultural Value is running a series of online support events for applicants considering applying for the next round of Collaborate funding.
More information and details of the progress of this year’s project can be found on the Centre’s website.
