Grow: Project Application Process Frequently Asked Questions

• Who can apply for this grant?

The grant is open to individuals who live in Leeds and organisations / community groups registered in Leeds who meet the eligibility criteria. Please refer to the eligibility section on our website for full details. Find that here.

• Can I apply if I’ve received funding from you before?

Yes, previous recipients may apply again, provided they have met all reporting requirements, and the new application is for a different project or phase.

• Is there an age restriction?

Yes, individual applicants must be 18 years or older.

• I am an individual artist who lives outside Leeds but works in Leeds, am I able to apply?

No, individual artists must live in Leeds and the activity you are applying for must be in Leeds, for example, hot desking in a Leeds venue is not sufficient.

• Can I start my project before I have had the funding confirmed?

No, projects that are awarded funding cannot start until we have received a signed Funding Agreement. For Grow: Project R5 we recommend a project should not start until at least 1 February 2026.

• What is an advice session?

A Grow: Project advice session (sometimes referred to as a grant surgery) is a conversation with a member of the Leeds City Council Culture Programmes team where you can discuss your eligibility before you make an application to the Leeds Cultural Investment Programme.

The advice session can take place in person, via Teams or phone. You must have taken part in an advice session to apply for this grant.

• Can I apply without attending an advice session?

No, all applicants need to attend an advice session. If you are an organisation or a partnership the person who will be submitting the application must attend

• How do I book an advice session?

To book an advice session, visit our Eventbrite: Leeds Cultural Investment Programme Events and Tickets | Eventbrite.  Please book onto an available timeslot which suits your availability. Advice sessions are released in-line with grant round openings. For Grow: Project R5, grant advice sessions will be available between 15th October and 14th November 2025.

There are two kinds of advice sessions that you can book – Online or In-Person. All information regarding the session type is available to read on the Eventbrite page. Once you have booked onto the session, an email with instructions on how to access your session (online) or where to go (in-person) will be sent to the email address you provide.

• Do I need to book an advice session if I am resubmitting a previously unsuccessful project application?

Yes, this new session will be an opportunity for the adviser to give feedback on your original submission and support your new application.

• There are no more advice sessions left, what should I do?

For this round we will be offering over 80 sessions, these will be available between 15th October 2025 to Friday 14th November 2025. Please contact us via email culturalgrants@leeds.gov.uk to find out whether there are more dates to be released if you are seeking an advice session before 14th November 2025.

• I have booked an advice session but am now unable to attend, what should I do?

If you can no longer attend, please cancel the session so we can offer the time slot to someone else. There are limited sessions available, and we would like as many people as possible to have the opportunity to attend. Please click here for more information on how to cancel or delete a session on Eventbrite.

• What happens if I do not attend my session

If you fail to attend your advice session, without letting us know, the session will be wasted and we will not be able to offer it to someone else. This may result in your second request for an advice session being refused.

• How much funding is available?

The total funding available varies by grant programme. For Grow: Project R5 we aim to allocate up to £50,000

• Is there a minimum or maximum amount I can apply for?

Yes, applicants can request between £4,000 and £8,000, depending on the scope and scale of their project.

• What can the grant be used for?

Grants can be used for project costs such as artistic costs, materials, staffing specifically for the project, venue hire, marketing, access and other relevant expenses.

• Are there restrictions on how the funds are spent?

Yes. Funds must be used in accordance with the approved budget and cannot be used for personal expenses outside of the scope of the project, debt repayment or activities outside the scope of the project.

• Do I need to provide a budget or financial statements?

Yes. A detailed project budget is required and you must use the template provided by us to show us your budget.

• Do you fund a 100% of the project?

No, you will be required to provide a minimum of 10% eligible cash funding within your project, we do not provide 100% funding for any projects.

Cash funding can include:

• Earned income from your activity (such as ticket sales)
• Funding from public organisations such as Arts Council England, central Government or international schemes
• Grants from trusts and foundations
• Sponsorship
• Kickstarter campaigns
• Donations

In kind support or other Leeds City Council funding will not be accepted as cash funding.

• Can I use Leeds City Council or in-kind support towards my 10% cash funding?

No, you can include in kind support in the project, but it cannot be used as your 10%.

• I have already confirmed my cash funding, do I need to show you any evidence?

Yes, you will be required to submit evidence of any additional cash funding you have in place, e.g. an offer letter, redacted bank statement, funding contract. If you do not include the evidence the cash funding will be classed as not confirmed.

Applications that deliver more cash funding or have cash funding already confirmed might be considered stronger in assessment. You should consider this when planning your project.

• I have applied for cash funding from another funder, but I have not heard if I have been successful, am I still able to apply?

Yes, you can apply but you must state the funding is not confirmed. You will be required to confirm the cash funding within 4 months from when you receive our grant offer.  If you are unsuccessful with your proposed cash funding LCIP may reduce or withdraw the grant award

• What is in-kind funding

In-kind funding may be reduced rent on a venue, hire of equipment or free support from another artist / organisation.

• Can I spend the LCIP funding on a launch event?

No, the grant is for the activity, whilst it is good to celebrate your project, we do not fund launch events.

• How do I apply

You must arrange an advice session, this meeting is compulsory.

The online application form is located on the Leeds Culture Programmes website: Leeds City Council Culture Programmes | Culture Programmes – you can download a PDF of the questions asked on the application form as a reference, and even start your application online in draft, prior to the advice session, but you must not submit anything until you have attended an advice session.

When you access the website, there is a ‘Log In’ button in the top right-hand corner. Once you have clicked this, you will be redirected to a page that provides three options: ‘Log in’, ‘Create new account’ and ‘Reset your password’. Choosing ‘Create new account’ will take you to the registration form for the website where you must fill in your details.

Alternatively, you can follow this link: Create new account | Culture Programmes

• What is the deadline for applications?

The deadline is Tuesday 18 November 2025 at noon. Late applications will not be accepted, so please ensure you submit your application in plenty of time.

• What if the application form isn’t accessible to me?

If our online application form isn’t accessible to you, please get in touch. We can explore how we can support you to apply for the funding, in a way that meets your needs. Please email culturalgrants@leeds.gov.uk

• What documents do I need to submit?

You will need to submit:

A project budget (using the template provided by us on the site)

A completed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Monitoring form

Evidence of confirmed cash funding

Any supporting materials you would like to accompany your application

• Are there word counts on the questions

Yes, where it applies, each question will inform you of the word count.

• Can I submit a draft for feedback before the final application?

No, we are unable to provide feedback on drafts due to the volume of applications. However, as you are required to attend an advice session you can ask your questions and share your ideas then.

• Can I edit my application after submitting it?

No. Once submitted, applications cannot be edited. Please review your application carefully before submission. The deadline is Tuesday 18 November 2025 at noon and we highly recommend not leaving submission until 11:55am on that day.

• What if I submit an application that is incomplete?

Incomplete applications will not be assessed.

• Will I receive feedback if my application is unsuccessful?

No, due to the number of submissions we receive we are unable to comment on individual applications

• How long does the assessment period take?

We aim to announce the confirmation of grant awards by Friday 16 January 2026.

• How will I be notified of the outcome?

Applicants will be notified via email on the address submitted on their application.

• What are the reporting requirements if I receive the grant?

Reporting is a condition of funding and helps us evaluate the success of the programme. Grant recipients must submit a final report detailing outcomes, budget spend, and impact.

• I’ve forgotten my password!

Please visit Reset your password | Culture Programmes to reset your password. Please enter your email address or username associated with your account and password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address.

• The online application form doesn’t work for me!

Please try to use the most up to date version of your browser when working on the online application form, and where possible it is preferable to use Google Chrome. Other browsers such as Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, should work but are notorious for causing issues generally on online forms, particularly if they are older versions without recent updates applied.

 Please do not attempt to complete the application form using your smartphone.

• I already have a project budget and / or EDI information prepared can I submit those?

No, we provide you with templates to provide the additional information we require to make a full assessment of your grant application. If you do not use the template documents provided, OR if you amend them to include information you think we need or want to know, this can cause considerable extra work at our end and we reserve the right not to accept your application if it is submitted on documentation not provided by us.