Grant Guidelines
What’s it all about?
The Hidden Gems grant scheme, from Herefordshire’s a Great Place, funds creative projects that bring the arts and heritage closer together; get Herefordshire community directly involved in cultural activity; and embrace creative uses of digital technology.
Projects must use arts, digital technology and/or creative interpretation to raise the profile of Herefordshire’s lesser-known heritage. That lesser-known heritage (your ‘hidden gem’) could be a place, a space, a collection of objects, unheard stories, songs, traditions or memories - it's up to you.
What's important is that you tell us what makes the heritage special; why more people should know about it; and how you’ll use arts and digital technology to raise its profile.
Grants of between £6,000 and £12,000 are available.
In 2019 we are inviting Expressions of Interest from March 12 to April 16. If your project is a good fit, you’ll be invited to make a full application in May.
If your project is funded, you will have 12 months to complete it. Five grants will be awarded in 2019.
What are we looking for?
We want Hidden Gems to do Herefordshire proud, and raise the profile of the county as a great place to live, work, and visit.
We’re looking for bold, innovative, and collaborative projects that challenge perceptions about rural culture, stimulate pride in the places where we live and contribute to the social and economic development of the county.
Community involvement is essential. By community we mean everyone, from all backgrounds, living and working anywhere in the county, or people in the region who share something in common, whatever that might be.
We’d like to fund projects that align with the aims of the Herefordshire’s a Great Place project:
- More Herefordshire residents will have experienced and been inspired by arts, culture and heritage
- Herefordshire and its local communities will be a better place to live, work and visit
- Herefordshire’s local economy will have been boosted
- Herefordshire’s arts, culture and heritage, and other organisations will be more resilient
- Herefordshire’s arts, culture, heritage organisations will have built sustainable partnerships with other sectors, agencies, and organisations
To be considered, your project must meet the following core requirements. It must:
- Involve a mix of heritage, arts and digital people working together
- Directly involve Herefordshire communities, from start to finish. Priority will be given to projects trying to reach new audiences
- Raise the profile of 'hidden' heritage
- Want to tackle a local social, economic and/or environmental issue
- Be submitted by a formally recognised group
We can only accept applications from formally recognised groups. If you are a voluntary group you must be constituted and have a bank account.
How to apply
This year we are inviting Expressions of Interest before moving to a full application stage. You can complete your EOI online.
Alternatively you can download the form and submit it by email to: greatplace@ruralmedia.co.uk, in person or by post to: Hidden Gems, Rural Media, Packers House, West St, Hereford, HR4 0BX.
The EOI deadline is 6pm on April 16, 2019.
If your proposed project is a good fit, you’ll be invited to make a full application in May 2019.
The full application will ask you more in-depth questions about your project including: information about the artists, heritage specialists, digital technologists and communities involved; marketing and promotion plans; how you will monitor and evaluate success; risk assessment; a budget breakdown and financial management.
Applications will be assessed by a panel who are familiar with the core requirements of the Hidden Gems grant scheme and the aims of the Herefordshire’s a Great Place project.
Please note that not all Expressions of Interest will be invited to make a full application. As much as we’d love to fund all the projects we hear about, Hidden Gems funding is limited. Five successful projects will receive funding in June 2019. You should allow plenty of time to go through the grants process.
Hidden Gems is being delivered by Herefordshire’s a Great Place, an ambitious cultural development project co-funded by Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund with support from Historic England and local partners.
With thanks to National Lottery players.
If you don't think Hidden Gems grant funding is right for your project, please consider My Place funding. These grants of up to £2000, supported by the Elmley Foundation, help community groups across Herefordshire commission new artwork and arts activity that celebrates what makes 'your place' special.
Find out more on the My Place grant pages.
