Arts, Culture and Heritage grant for Busking event or festival

Bradford Council has a fund of £8,000 to support a busking event or festival taking place between Monday, 9 March 2026 and Sunday, 31 May 2026. This funding is provided by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

We are inviting applications from creatives, groups and or organisations that have experience in running music based busking events or festivals that attract visitors and support our local economy showcasing our diverse cultures, communities, heritage and places. Event(s) will need to take place in Bradford City Centre and may include other town centers such as Keighley, Shipley and Ilkley. Please note private limited companies are not eligible to apply.

Please read details of our Busking Guidelines when considering your application. 

These proposals need to support and align with the Culture is Our Plan strategy.

Applications should demonstrate strong community support and engagement, including audience participation at the event.

How much is the grant?

There is one grant to the value of £8,000 available. All events must take place, along with all related expenditure by Sunday, 31 May 2026.

All grants are for revenue costs only.

How to apply

This funding application window opens on Wednesday, 11 February 2026 and closes on Monday, 2 March 2026.

Applications must be submitted by 10 am Monday, 2 March 2026.

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their submission by Friday, 6 March 2026.

Late applications will not be accepted. Applications without a granular budget and relevant experience will not be accepted. Each question in the application form will be scored up to 5 points by a mixed staff panel with extensive experience of grant programmes. The panel’s decision is final and cannot be challenged.

Applications should only be made on the form that you can download below and then returned the completed form to [email protected].

Grants will be paid upfront to successful applicants. Please note if your application is successful you will be required to provide, within a week from notification, multiple (ideally three) quotes for as many aspects of your budget as is reasonable to show value for money has been sought. Estimates may be accepted for some lines. Robust financial procedures must be followed.

All monies given to an organisation must be accounted for in full, and successful applicants are required to provide copies of all receipts and invoices detailing how the money was spent, as well as a bank statement evidencing those amounts being paid, within two weeks of the event delivery. Successful applicants are also required to submit a short report on the project following delivery.

Any subsequent applications from an organisation will not be considered by Bradford Council if the above condition is not complied with.

Applicants must, as part of the application process, provide the organisation’s constitution, insurances, safeguarding policy (if applicable), and bank statements in the applicant’s name, in addition to full details of the project to be funded including a budget on the application form below.

Applicant organisations are encouraged to use local artists, suppliers, musicians and others who are based within the Bradford District.

Eligibility criteria

Applications will only be considered from creatives, groups and or organisations that are based in, or benefit people who live in the Bradford District. They must also be registered within Bradford District.

The grant will be able to pay or contribute towards the costs associated with events and activities such as entertainment, artists, performers etc. Events can be commercial or community-led, but must show how they support arts and culture, the local business economy and audiences.

Your activity must take place between Monday, 9 March 2026 and Sunday, 31 May 2026, there are no exceptions to this. Purchases before and after this date will not be accepted.

Organisations applying for grants should ensure that they have a bank account in their organisation’s name as grant payments can only be made into that organisation’s bank account. Applications need to be made by a registered charity, community or voluntary group or a sole trader. The event or activity must be run by the organisation submitting the application.

Applications from individuals will not be eligible, though sole traders are eligible. You will need to send a CV and evidence of your sole trader business account. If you are not known to the Bradford Councils Culture Team, you will also be required to send a letter of support from a registered business such as one of Bradford Councils Regularly Funded Organisations.

It is a condition of the grant that you must display the official Council logo and UKSPF logo prominently on all marketing and publicity material, and that you give permission for the event to be more widely publicised if appropriate via Bradford Council’s social media and through sharing your information with other media platforms and promoters. If you are successful in your application, branding and logos guidance will be issued to you to use.

Projects should support Council Policy Guidelines in areas of equality of opportunity (i.e., no discrimination of membership on ground of sex, race, religion, occupation or opinion).

The organisation should be one where membership is open (i.e., no discrimination of membership on grounds of sex, race, religion, occupation or opinion).

Grant funding cannot be applied retrospectively. This means grant awards cannot be made for any events or activities which have taken place before you have received confirmation that your application has been considered and approved.

This funding cannot be used to fund religious or political activities.

This funding should not be used to enable fundraising for a secondary body.

Applicant organisations must be experienced in delivering arts and cultural events or projects and / or public facing activities.

Applicant organisations must have relevant insurances including public liability to a minimum of £10 million.

Management costs must not exceed 20% of the project proposal.

Completed application forms (by 2 March) must be submitted to this email address: [email protected]

Application form