Explore Fund

• To apply, first prepare your ‘Idea and Impact’ submission (see guidance below). Applications should be prepared in advance and submitted using our online application form.
• You can tell us about your ‘Idea and Impact’ in whatever format, way or order that makes most sense to you / your project, this can be in writing, audio or film.
• There is no strict word count or time limit, but in order to have the best chance of success we’d advise your ‘Idea and Impact’ submission is presented in no more than 2 pages of A4 or 2 minutes of audio or film. 
• Please don’t send us more than you need to: remember that the assessors will have a lot of information to get through and more is not necessarily better, so do try to keep it to the point and answer the questions detailed in the section below. Using headings or sections is helpful for the assessors to find the information they need.
• If it’s helpful, you can also send us a couple of examples or links to help illustrate your idea – please keep this to either 1 additional page of A4, 2 links or 2 images.
• You will be asked to upload your files directly to the online application form, the files need to be under 10mb each. Alternatively, you can save them all to a shared folder, like Dropbox or Google Drive and provide us with the link in the application form. If you do this, please ensure the links work and the files are viewable when not logged in by you – you can test this by pasting the link into an incognito tab in your internet browser.

In your Idea & Impact submission, please tell us:

1. What idea will you be exploring?
2. What do you hope to find out or test?
3. How will you know whether it’s been successful?
4. What impact do you hope it will have on you, your career or your creative development?
5. Who else will be involved (if there is anyone)?
6. Where will it take place?
7. Your plan / timeline: what will you do in the 4-month period?
8. Your budget: what will you spend the money on (in detail)

Money Stuff:

We want to be able to assess whether your project is fully thought through and deliverable. We have provided an example budget template here for you to use as part of your application – you don’t need to use this if you prefer to present your budget in your own way.

Budget tips:

• We look for budgets that are fair, make sense, and will deliver what you need to do.
• Bear in mind that there is only a short period of time to deliver your project, so your plans need to be realistic and deliverable within this period. 
• Remember that your budget also tells your story – if something is important in your project, make sure it’s also clear in the budget.
• Make sure your budget is based on reality – get some quotes and check how much things cost as you’re pulling your plans together, this can also help you get agreements on things people will provide for free or ‘in kind’ (like rehearsal space, specialist advice etc.)
• Include ‘in kind’ agreements in your budget in both the income and expenditure sections – this helps funders see the true value of your project and can help you reach any match funding you might need.
• You don’t need to have match funding for BPH, and you will not be more likely to succeed if you do have match funding in place. 
• If your plans mean that you do need additional funding, make sure you tell us how you plan to get it, and what you will do if you don’t get it. 
• You must include ‘fair pay’ for everyone involved. You can get guidance on fair rates of pay from organisations like Equity, ITC or Artists’ Union England – or drop us an email if you need advice.
• Don’t forget accessibility – what do you need to put in place to ensure your project is a great experience for everyone – creatives, employees, participants, and audiences?
• You can spend up to 50% of the Explore Fund on equipment – but we want a clear understanding on why this is essential to this project.
• Don’t include BPH wrap around support in your main plans / budget – we want to be clear on what you will do with the amount of money you have. 
• You do not need to be a registered company or charity, but if you are a freelancer, you will need to be registered as self-employed and pay your own tax and national insurance. You can arrange for your budget to be held and managed by a trusted partner or producer if you would prefer this for access or other support reasons.
• It’s OK if once your project starts, your plan or the way you use the funding, changes, as long as you’re still working on the same Idea & Impact. Just make sure you keep in touch and let us know what’s happening.

About You:

1. Name of the person filling in this form

2. Organisation name (if any)

3. Email address

4. Phone number

5. Project, organisation or personal postcode 

6. What is your/company/project’s connection to Bradford?

7. What is the title of your project or idea?

8. How would you describe the main art form of your project or idea?

9. Upload your Idea & Impact document, film, audio file, or provide links to your files.

10. Tell us about any help or support you might need.
Are there any areas of your project or your own development where you feel you would benefit from additional support, including access support? Or other things you would do with this project if you had further funding or support?

11. For monitoring purposes we need to know a little about you and your creative team’s background.
Please state below how you identify in as many of the following areas as you feel comfortable with. Such as; age, gender, ethnicity, class, education level and disabilities. We use this information to understand the various barriers a creative faces.