Currently 18 active paid grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the UK, across AI, arts, film, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. 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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Needs-based fellowship from the Artists' Futures Fund bridging the gap from graduation to professional visual-arts practice. ELIGIBILITY: recent BA or MA visual-arts graduates (within two years of October 2026) from an AFF partner institution (Cardiff School of Art & Design, Chichester College Group, Liverpool Hope, Loughborough, Manchester Metropolitan, City of Portsmouth College, Sunderland, Swansea College of Art UWTSD), or a relevant Level 3 UAL Diploma/A Levels from City of Portsmouth College; must be eligible to live and work in England or Wales, facing socio-economic, mental and/or physical health barriers, and able to commit fully to the 10 months without additional formal study. Applications open 15 May 2026. Apply via the Artists' Futures Fund support page.
UK & Ireland Pathfinder track of the 2026 AWS Imagine Grant. For registered nonprofit charities with strong data practices, in the planning phase of incorporating frontier AI (generative AI, agentic AI, autonomous systems) as a core workload during the grant term. Up to $100K cash + $50K AWS credits, plus AWS technical and training support. Round One closes 12 June 2026; notifications 14 July; Round Two open 10 August to 2 October 2026. Eligibility: registered nonprofit charities based in the UK or Ireland. NOTE: this is a charities-only programme and is not open to individual artists, researchers, or for-profit studios.
Four grants of up to GBP 70,000 from Future Observatory (the Design Museum's national design research programme) and the AHRC, awarded to UK architecture and design practices for prototype development and second-stage design research in more sustainable supply chains. Open to small-to-medium sized practices across all architecture and design disciplines, including fashion, product design, material research, systems thinking and interdisciplinary practices. Proposals should focus on sustainable supply chains, with particular interest in bioregional, biomaterial and regenerative approaches; relevant themes include retrofit, regenerative materials and systems, circular design, waste reduction and reuse, low-carbon housing, agricultural byproducts, and data-led tools and approaches. ELIGIBILITY: UK-based small-to-medium architecture and design practices. Opens 6 May 2026, 10:00am; closes 12 June 2026, 4:00pm.
Sixth year of Visual Arts Scotland's residency in partnership with Bothy Project, offering a week at Sweeney's Bothy, an off-grid, purpose-built artist residency space on the Isle of Eigg in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. As the residency is only a week long, there is no expectation to produce a body of work; the purpose is time to reflect on practice, develop ideas and engage with the island's environment and culture. ELIGIBILITY: open to any creative discipline (visual arts, craft and design, music, literature, performance, and researchers/thinkers), but applicants must be a VAS member at both the time of application and the time of residency. Applicants are asked to be mindful of the island community's ethos of environmental sustainability and to travel sustainably (cars are not permitted for non-residents). The successful applicant undertakes a VAS Instagram takeover and documents their experience. Apply by email to admin@visualartsscotland.org plus the online form, with six images of recent work on a single PDF.
Open call for the 5th edition of Peckham Digital, a festival celebrating creative computing. This call is for the PROGRAMME track: artists, creative technologists and creative coders to facilitate workshops, present talks, provide demos, or deliver performances (the separate Artwork Open Call covers exhibition pieces). Emerging applicants explicitly welcomed; over half of past Peckham Digital artists had this as their first paid professional exhibition. Selected facilitators/speakers paid at Artist Union England rates. Workshop facilitators are asked whether their software will be open-source. Application requires: type of contribution (demo/workshop/talk/performance/other), 200-word description (text or video), 250-word facilitator statement on experience, 200 words on professional development impact, sample images or video, technical requirements, and any access needs. Equal Opportunities form also requested. Important caveat: festival is contingent on Peckham Digital's own funding being confirmed; if their funding application is not successful the festival will not go ahead.
Open call for the 5th edition of Peckham Digital, a festival celebrating creative computing in all its shapes and forms. This call is for the ARTWORK EXHIBITION track only (the separate Programme Open Call covers talks, workshops, demos, performances and films). Looking for artists, creative technologists, creative coders and performers to exhibit artworks. Emerging applicants and early-career creative technologists explicitly welcomed; over half of past Peckham Digital artists had this as their first paid professional exhibition. Submission to the open call is free; selected artists receive a fee. Important caveat: festival is contingent on Peckham Digital's own funding being confirmed (decision expected early July 2026); if funding is not received the festival will not go ahead. Read the Application Guidelines before submitting.
Accelerator Fellowship Programme at the University of Oxford's Institute for Ethics in AI, supporting impact-driven projects addressing the urgent ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence, grounded in philosophical inquiry, academic independence and a collaborative ethos. 3-4 fellows recruited for the 2026/27 cohort. NOT FOR: early-stage, proof-of-concept, or blue-skies-only proposals. PROJECTS MUST: be already on a clear path to creating meaningful impact, with established or clearly identified partnerships, a well-defined delivery roadmap, and clear indicators of how impact will be achieved and measured. POTENTIAL IMPACT INCLUDES: policy or governance innovation in AI; new professional-development opportunities in the AI industry; commercial or technical innovation in responsible AI; strategic networks/alliances; transformation of public discourse on AI ethics. ELIGIBILITY: practising professionals and academics from any discipline, holding a continuing role within a university, not-for-profit research organisation, industry, or who are otherwise professionally established and engaging with AI. Open worldwide; proficiency in English required. PhD applicants: 2+ peer-reviewed publications and a rising trajectory of research including at least one grant as PI or Co-I. Non-PhD applicants: 7+ years equivalent professional standing with advanced expertise, original contributions, peer/professional recognition, and significant impact. WHAT FELLOWS GET: GBP 2,000/month stipend; economy UK travel and visa costs covered; intellectual engagement with Oxford researchers; visibility through seminars, public discussions, collaborative events; flexible self-directed structure (no formal supervision); induction meeting plus a one-day retreat. FORMAT: remote with short visits, or up to 6 months in-person in Oxford (subject to UK immigration eligibility); in-person stays should align with university term dates. NOTE: this is NOT an employed position with the University. APPLY: (1) complete the online application form; (2) email the three documents (Project Statement max 500 words including impact pathways and any project-cost proposal; Motivation Letter max 500 words; CV max 2 pages) as PDFs to aiethicsafp@philosophy.ox.ac.uk with subject line 'AFP Fellowship Application' and the naming convention 'Surname_Name_Month_Year_AFP_filetype'. TIMELINE: applications opened 25 May 2026; deadline 15 June 2026 23:59 UK time (programme reserves the right to close applications early). VISA: if needed, allow 6 months before intended visit; 3 months otherwise.
Summerhall Arts Studios are dedicated residencies for the early development of new theatre and cross-disciplinary live performance work, giving artists and collaborators time and space to test ideas, explore approaches, and begin shaping work intended for live audiences. They are about experimentation, exploration and play rather than finished scripts or fully realised productions, and are especially suited to projects that benefit from working in real space: testing form, staging, sound, movement, liveness, audience relationship or collaborative process. Applications are welcome from artists working across theatre, movement, performance, interdisciplinary practice and other hybrid live-performance forms. INCLUDES: up to GBP 3,100 project budget; five days in a dedicated space (Tech Cube Zero, or the Anatomy Lecture Theatre if more suitable); technical support and access to simple lighting, sound and AV; advice from the Summerhall Arts creative, producing and technical team; and an informal end-of-week sharing with peers and/or invited industry colleagues. WHAT THEY SEEK: early-stage work that benefits from practical, collaborative or technical exploration, intended for live audiences, with clear and achievable plans for the five days; they are less likely to support purely desk-based script development or projects already substantially resourced by other major development funding. Apply via the online form by Sunday 21 June 2026 (11pm); outcomes notified by 3 July; studio dates 12-16 October 2026. Access requirements or alternative application formats: imogen@summerhallarts.co.uk.
Gasworks residency open call for an early-career contemporary visual artist based in the Caribbean. The 11-week, fully funded residency takes place at Gasworks in London 6 January - 24 March 2027. Self-led, non-prescriptive and process-based programme supporting professional development, cultural exchange and experimentation. Selection by panel of Gasworks reps + external advisors with specialist knowledge of the Caribbean and UK contemporary-art scenes; priority for artists who have not previously worked in London; shortlist of four invited to a short online interview before the final decision. ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES/TERRITORIES (per the UN Geoscheme for the Caribbean): Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire/Sint Eustatius and Saba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands. Applicants must have at least moderate spoken English; no duos/collectives, partners or children supported on-site. APPLY: one PDF (max 15MB) with cover sheet, 250-word practice statement, 250-word residency-plan statement, up to 15 images/video/sound clips of recent work (captions, up to 100 words per work), CV (max 3 pages), and any relevant documentation; spoken responses via embedded video/audio links accepted. Deadline 29 June 2026, 1pm UK time. Supported by Suzanne McFayden + The Nelumbo Collection.
The ESRC Digital Good Network is commissioning an artwork or visualisation that represents its research on the question 'what does a good digital society look like, and how do we get there?' The final piece must be simple, visually engaging and effective for multiple audiences, and will be shown in physical exhibitions (first in June 2027), online (interactive elements possible), and on a Z-fold leaflet. Two-stage process: submit an Expression of Interest (a portfolio link plus an optional one-page PDF on your approach) by 1 July 2026, 4pm UK time, to applications@digitalgood.net; up to five teams are shortlisted and paid GBP 1,000 each to develop full proposals (Aug-Sep 2026); one is commissioned in October 2026 to make the final work iteratively with two Network team members (Nov 2026-Feb 2027). Artists may visualise the Network's funded projects, its 'building blocks' of a good digital society, the values behind the Digital Good Index, or any aspect of the work. Reference points include Kate Crawford's Anatomy of AI and Calculating Empires, Dear Data by Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi, and the OECD Better Life Index. ELIGIBILITY: artists or visualisers worldwide, working alone or in teams; an optional online Q&A is held 10 June 2026. NOTE: the final output is expected NOT to use AI; if AI is used in the process, applicants must disclose how. 2D artworks have panel production and transport covered; 3D artworks must cover their own production, transport and installation.
Biannual works-in-progress grants from the Society of Authors. The Authors' Foundation supports writers contracted with a British publisher across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama and scripts. The K Blundell Trust adds a parallel stream specifically for writers under 40 working on socially aware or politically engaged projects. Both schemes share the same two-round-a-year schedule: 1 February and 1 July deadlines. ELIGIBILITY: writers (UK or international) with a contract for the next book with a British publisher; for K Blundell, also under 40 and writing on a contemporary socially aware theme.
Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) supports individual creative and cultural practitioners in England to take time to develop their practice, across all disciplines including digital and media arts. The funding is for practice development (research, training, mentoring, travel, experimentation) rather than producing or presenting finished work. ELIGIBILITY: England-based independent creative practitioners with a track record who work outside the major-funded organisations. Round 24 opens 4 June 2026 (12:00) and closes 2 July 2026. Apply via the Arts Council England DYCP page.
ARIA is seeking proposals for opportunity seeds, funding of up to GBP 500,000 for early-stage research that explores new pathways for climate adaptation and resilience. Decarbonisation is the only sustainable route out of the climate crisis, but environmental changes are outpacing current mitigation efforts, and if an abrupt alteration in a climate system were to unfold we would have no tools to mitigate the effects; scientific, engineering and social science research could provide practical and responsible intervention and adaptation options. WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR: ideas ranging from early-stage, curiosity-driven research through to advanced translational science. Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to: carbon dioxide removal (novel concepts to accelerate the drawdown of atmospheric carbon); extreme weather forecasting (breakthroughs in predicting extreme weather events to better prepare vulnerable systems); and new ideas related to solar geoengineering, strictly excluding proposals specifically designed to investigate altering the Earth's surface temperature by affecting planetary albedo, incoming solar radiation, or the atmosphere's emissivity (the core focus of the main Exploring Climate Cooling, ECC, programme). OUT OF SCOPE: ideas that squarely fit within the ECC programme; emissions reduction projects and improvements to the energy efficiency of buildings or vehicles; and commercial products or research likely to be funded by traditional venture capital or grants. CONSTRAINTS: any proposal for outdoor experiments must demonstrate conformity to ARIA's governance framework for outdoor experiments, and all successful applicants must sign ARIA's Intellectual Property Pledge to ensure findings are accessible for the public good. Application deadline: 31 July 2026, 14:00 BST.
Twelve-month postdoctoral fellowship from the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh, in partnership with the British Council, marking the Council's 90th anniversary. Up to two fellowships per year as part of the 2025-2027 partnership. Fellows spend ten months residential at IASH (January to October 2027) followed by up to two months of knowledge-exchange and dissemination work in their home country in collaboration with the British Council. ELIGIBILITY: postdoctoral researchers based in an ODA-recipient country where the British Council operates (full list of ~60+ countries published on the IASH page, spanning Albania to Zimbabwe and including the Occupied Palestinian Territories); PhD completed within the last seven years (career breaks excluded from the seven-year window); applicants must not hold a permanent university position and must not have held a prior IASH Fellowship. Research themes should align with British Council priorities across Arts, Education and English language, plus cross-cutting interests in international relations, soft power, international development, peace building, and cultural relations and diplomacy. NOTE: applicants are required to contact relevant University of Edinburgh researchers before submitting; informational webinar 26 May 2026. Decisions communicated late September 2026. References (minimum two, maximum three) must be emailed by referees directly to iash@ed.ac.uk by the deadline.
Project grants from the Hugo Burge Foundation supporting individual creatives across all disciplines based in the UK, with a focus on craftsmanship, creative communities and education. The Creative Individuals stream awards up to GBP 5,000 and can cover up to 100% of a project budget under GBP 10,000. ELIGIBILITY: practitioners in all creative disciplines based across the UK. Applications open 1 June 2026 via Submittable and close 31 July 2026.
Restless Egg is a London-based incubator for "artist-founders", an emerging genre of creative people whose work sits between art, technology and building commercial products. It invests in creative founders and runs a six-month, high-touch accelerator program to help them build commercially successful and scalable companies at the bleeding edge of culture and technology. BATCH 2 (LUXURY TECHNOLOGY) is open for applications, seeking founders building luxury technologies: commercial products that use AI and other emerging technologies to unlock richer, stranger, more meaningful forms of human experience, not just more efficiency. For this batch Restless Egg has doubled its initial investment to USD 100,000 for 5% equity, and increased its follow-on investment to up to USD 175,000, aiming to give founders more runway, more support and more room to build the most ambitious companies. The program supports rapid learning, sharper product and narrative development, and real investability through close engagement with Restless Egg and its network of subject-matter experts, collaborators, operators and investors; the follow-on is released when predefined performance metrics are met. NOTE: this is a dilutive equity investment (it takes a 5% stake), not a non-dilutive grant or fellowship. Applications are open (no fixed deadline stated). Apply at https://apply.restlessegg.com.
Creative Debuts' Black Artists Grant (BAG) is a small, fast, recurring and unconditional cash grant for UK-based Black artists, deliberately barrier-free with no outcomes or reporting required. ELIGIBILITY: UK-based artists of Black heritage who self-identify as Black, across all creative disciplines (visual art, music, film, jewellery, sculpture, choreography and more); no age limit. One recipient is selected each month; apply once and the application is retained for future months. Apply via the Creative Debuts BAG page.
Monthly £500 grant for a different working-class creative practitioner based in the UK. Open to anyone making stuff: art, writing, performance, sound, music, craft, comedy, games. Money can be used for time, materials, equipment, research, subscriptions, development, travel, or rent and bills. Apply by emailing funding@thewhitepube.com with a brief intro, contact and a work sample. Rolling, no deadlines, no reporting expected. Non-recipients stay in consideration for future months without re-applying.