The Festivals Fund aims to support arts, cultural, heritage and creative events across the Lancaster district with funding from the United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), with five festivals to each be awarded with a grant of £3,000.

The festival should align with Lancaster City Council’s commitment to fostering arts & culture, and sustainability. This could include:

• Promoting diversity and inclusion within the arts.
• Supporting local talent and community participation.
• Contributing to the development of the region’s cultural identity and reputation.
• Consideration of the environmental impact of the event.

The application window will be open from Friday 16^th May until 5pm on Friday 30^th May.  

Important information for applicants

• The earliest start date for projects will be 1^st July 2025
• The UK Shared Prosperity Fund Programme ends in March 2026.  All projects need to demonstrate a project schedule to deliver outcomes by the end date of March 2026.

The application process for local festival organisers launches on 19th May 2025. The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 30th May 2025.

All applications will follow Lancaster City Council’s evaluation and democratic decision-making process.

We expect decision-making to take place during June 2025. We will of course keep applicants informed and we may be in contact during this time for any minor clarifications to the information submitted to assist our evaluation process.

Once decisions to award funding have been made, we’ll meet with all successful applicants to finalise their project details.

We envisage that the earliest start date for projects will be July 2025.

The Festival Fund application can be downloaded from the link below:

• Festivals Fund Application Form (DOCX, 160KB)

Applicants should demonstrate how their festival contributes to the cultural landscape of the Lancaster district. The festival should showcase innovative and diverse ideas, with an emphasis on inclusivity, local talent, and/or the celebration of untold stories.

Once the application form is complete, and you have collected any other supporting information, please email all documents to UKSPF@lancaster.gov.uk by 5pm on Friday 30th May 2025.

We will acknowledge all applications received.

The Lancaster UKSPF Project Team can be contacted by emailing UKSPF@lancaster.gov.uk