Two funding pots held by Gloucester City Council worth a combined £77,000 have launched to support people and organisations in Gloucester to create, take part in and experience high quality creative activities and events next year between April 2025 and March 2026.
The grants are part of a city-wide initiative called Together Gloucester, a three-year programme with £500,000 investment from Arts Council England. Together Gloucester’s goal is to put communities at the heart of decision making for arts and culture. The initiative connects people through creativity as well as empowering them to create and be part of the events and activities that reflect Gloucester’s unique identity.
Financial support on offer ranges from small grants up to £1,000 to explore new ideas for the city’s cultural programme or develop the activities organisations and communities are already doing; to larger project Grants up to £12,000 for creating or developing significant events, projects or programmes that enable residents and visitors to Gloucester take part in and experience exciting cultural activity.
For the Together Gloucester partners, successful applications will be ideas that: celebrate and amplify Gloucester’s unique culture and identity; bring people together in fun shared experiences; boost community pride, health, and well-being; and will help make Gloucester a more vibrant and creative place to live, work, and visit.
The funds are held and distributed by Gloucester City Council who are one of ten Together Gloucester strategic partners. The annual grants were formerly known as: The Outdoor Events Fund; New Projects and Commissions Fund; and Communities Fund.
The funds have previously enabled ideas from communities ranging from a day festival celebrating Filipino heritage in Kings Square to people taking part in creative activities in local allotments. The pots have been streamlined as part of Together Gloucester to open up the availability of funding to a wider range of projects and ideas.
Together Gloucester is keen to receive applications from grassroots organisations, community groups and individuals with ideas to animate the city with new events and creative projects.
People can find all the information, guidance and how to apply online at: www.gloucesterculture.org.uk/funding
Councillor Caroline Courtney, Cabinet member for Culture and Leisure at Gloucester City Council, said: “The Together Gloucester programme is a great opportunity for local people and organisations to bring fresh and exciting cultural projects to life. By empowering residents to actively shape the city’s cultural scene we will be celebrating Gloucester’s unique identity and adding to the already vibrant calendar of festivals and events. I encourage anyone with a creative idea to get involved and look forward to seeing the incredible projects that will emerge from this exciting initiative.”
Information sessions will be hosted by the Together Gloucester team on 19th & 25th November and 5th December to find out more about the funding opportunities.
Eligible applicants will have until midnight 10th January to apply and applications will be considered by a panel of local citizens alongside Together Gloucester partner organisations at the end of January.
Together Gloucester will soon be announcing specific commissions for activities in Kings Square and for Bright Nights Festival 2025/26.
What is Together Gloucester?
