Commonwealth Games offers £2 million in Creative City Grants

Up to 150 community groups from across Birmingham can now apply to benefit from £2 million of funding through the Birmingham 2022 Creative City Grants Scheme.

The Birmingham 2022 Creative City Grants are an opportunity for community groups in Birmingham to apply for a grant of up to £20,000 to deliver creative projects that impact positively on their community.

Thanks to funding from Birmingham City Council, the projects will be a part of the upcoming the six-month festival of culture accompanying the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Projects will allow the community to come together in co-creating artworks and performances that will occupy spaces across the city.

A range of community groups across Birmingham are encouraged to apply, from local sporting teams and youth groups through to disability groups and LGBTQI+ networks.

Encouraging artists and communities to work in partnership, the programme aims to be fully representative of the people and wards of Birmingham, with a panel of community leaders involved in the selection process.

Lydia Harrington, grants programme manager (Cultural Programme), said:

“We want to build a programme of creative projects that showcase the people that make Birmingham so special. We 're a diverse and young city so we want to see that in the people who lead and participate in the projects.

“Successful applicants will also be offered training to increase their confidence in applying for further sources of funding in the future. ”

Councillor Jayne Francis, cabinet member for Education, Skills and Culture at Birmingham City Council, said: “We always said the Games are more than 11 days of fantastic sporting competition.

“These grants will enable groups and organisations with their roots in Birmingham to showcase the very best of the city 's creativity to an international audience, and prove what we have always known - Birmingham is a great place in which to live, work or visit. ”

To submit an application or to find out more about Creative City Grants visit https://www.birmingham2022.com/culture/creativecitygrants/

Applications close at noon on Thursday 1 July 20.