Currently 3 active design grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the UK. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Two paid residencies inside working factories (Crown Paints and Fox's Burton's Companies), with the resulting work shown at the National Festival of Making in Blackburn in late June 2027. ELIGIBILITY: artists and makers, individuals or collectives, based in the UK or Ireland. OFFER: GBP 8,000 commission per residency plus up to GBP 600 travel and accommodation. APPLY by emailing an expression of interest to applications@festivalofmaking.co.uk; video and audio proposals are accepted. Shortlist notified by 2 December; interviews 9 to 14 December 2026. DEADLINE: 23 November 2026, 12:00.
A public art commission for a 12 x 12 metre public garden beside a new affordable almshouse opening in early 2029. The brief is open on form, including lighting, text and paving. ELIGIBILITY: artists, designers and interdisciplinary teams at any career stage; Southwark connections welcomed. OFFER: a commission budget reported at about GBP 200,000 to 300,000, with paid shortlisting for up to five artists. APPLY by sending an expression of interest by email as described on the call page. DEADLINE: 4 January 2027.
The Bradford Textile Society, which has run its design competition since 1893, awards a collective GBP 17,000 across textile categories in the 2027 cycle. CATEGORIES: weave, knit, print, embroidery, combined textile processes, mixed media and new technologies, the last being a natural home for e-textile and smart-textile work; a new Coldharbour Mill Award for Tartan is added for 2027. ELIGIBILITY: all UK-based students and independent designers are welcome to enter. KEY DATES: entries open 22 March 2027 and close at midnight on 7 May 2027; the entry portal is currently closed between cycles, but the deadline and categories are published now. No entry fee is stated on the competition page.