ANNUAL GRANTS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long should my project summary be in my expression of interest?

We receive a high number of applications and we therefore ask, for your expression of interest, that your project summary not exceed 200 words.

What level of funding can I request?

Our Annual Grant amounts vary depending on the projects, the number of applications we support, and the funds we have available each year. These can range from small contributions of £2,000-£3,000 to larger grants of £10,000-£25,000. We ask for a total budget for the project and also to specify what you wish to use our potential contribution for. Please note that we do not allocate grants for staff salaries, core costs, or capital projects.

How long do I have to complete the project?

Our 2026 Annual Grants are to support projects that begin no earlier than 1 October 2026, and should take place within 2 years of the application. We understand that sometimes things do not go as planned and we ask successful applicants to contact us as soon as possible to discuss any changes to funded projects.

We only accept applications from UK registered charities, exempt charities (e.g. national museums), and charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs).

Do I have to be a registered UK charity to apply for funding?


No; we only grant funds to organisations, but if your project is backed by one you can submit a joint application..

I’m an individual artist/curator, can I apply for funding?

Absolutely, we welcome joint applications, but if funding is approved only one organisation will be the lead organisation who receives and manages the awarded funds.

I am looking to work in partnership with another organisation. Can we submit a joint application?

We are focused mainly on supporting institutions and projects within the United Kingdom.

Do you fund organisations
outside the UK?

Every Annual Grant expression of interest received between 9 - 29 March 2026 are reviewed, with a limited number invited by the board of trustees to submit a full application between 1 - 29 May 2026. These full applications are then reviewed in our annual grant allocation meeting with successful applications selected by our board of trustees.

How does the selection process work?

We aim to get back to everyone in July 2026 following the grant allocation meeting.

When can I hope to hear back on the outcome of my application?

We only allocate funds only once a year for our Annual Grant activity. Our multi-year grants follow a different process.

How often do you allocate funds?

No, we only allocate funds once a year. In 2026 our Annual Grants timeline is:
9 March: Phase 1 expression of interest form opens for submission. 
29 March: Phase 1 expression of interest deadline (5pm BST).
1 May: Outcome of phase 1 will be communicated to applicants. Phase 2 full applications will be invited for submission.
29 May: Phase 2 full applications deadline (5pm BST).

Can I apply for funding at any time of the year?

We do support multi-year projects but this does not fall part of our annual grant giving activity. Multi-year projects and grants are submitted by invitation only.

Can I apply for funding over multiple years?

Unless we have explicitly invited you to resubmit, we will not generally consider proposals that we have previously turned down. But please do get in touch if you are thinking of reapplying or if there have been major changes to the content or circumstances of your project, we are always happy to speak.

My last application was unsuccessful, can I apply again for the same project?

We are always happy to discuss possible projects and collaborations as well as our application process. Please feel free to contact us at info@theampersandfoundation.com if you want to check something or request a short call about your application.

We recommend that you do so well in advance of the submission deadline as the volume of inquiries and applications received are high during this period.

I’m not sure my application fits the criteria, what should I do?

Applicants will invited to submit a full application between full application between 1 - 29 May 2026. You will be asked to provide us with:

  • Project proposal (2 pages max including images) that include

    • Your organisation details

    • Project title

    • Full description of the project

    • Summary of the project you are seeking funding for (max. 200 words)

    • Key project dates

    • The amount you are requesting

    • how will it benefit the public

  • Project budget

If I am invited to submit a full application, what will I be asked to submit?