Application
Hub
Welcome to the Luton Create Fund’s Application Hub!
We’re excited to support your creative journey.
Here, you can find the criteria for funding applications, support resources and the link to submit your applications directly through the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation (BLCF). For any advice or support, please email us at the Luton Creates Fund email address.
We’re thrilled to invite creative individuals and organisations to apply for the Luton Create Fund, a vibrant part of the Luton Arts Programme. Whether you’re an artist, performer, or community group, this fund is here to help bring your ideas to life and celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of Luton.
The fund is administered by the BLCF on behalf of Luton Arts, and all applications must be submitted via BLCF’s website using their dedicated application link.
While BLCF manages the application process, the Luton Arts team is here to support you with advice and guidance. If you have questions or need help with your application, we’re just a message away.
We’re excited to support your creative journey — let’s make something amazing together!
Resources…
Our page is brimming with resources to inspire and guide you, including a list of venues and schools. Other new content is on the way, Including;
- Sample Budget Templates
- Sample Application Forms
- Explainer Videos
Stay connected with us on social media to find out where you can meet our Project Commissioners Natalie and Imrana for personalised advice and support. We’re here to help you every step of the way. Let’s create something amazing together!
Guidance on Fair Pay
Ensuring fair pay for yourself and your collaborators is crucial. To help you understand appropriate compensation, we’ve gathered some valuable resources. These guides will assist you in budgeting accurately and ensuring you don’t underestimate the pay for your work:
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that everyone involved in your project is compensated fairly. This is an important aspect of your application and will be considered during the evaluation process.
Fair Pay for all
How to apply workshops
To help you prepare a strong application, the Luton Arts Programme Commissioners offer workshops designed to support applicants. These sessions are a great opportunity to ask questions, get advice, and gain a better understanding of the fund and how to apply.
Upcoming workshops:
New dates will be announced in September, with a focus on the Schools and Education Fund. Keep an eye on this page for updates.
In the meantime, the team is available for one-to-one sessions to go through the fund criteria and discuss your project ideas. If you’re interested in booking a one-to-one or attending a future workshop, please email the Luton Create Fund team.
Application Support
Venues
Welcome to our guide to venues in Luton! We have made a list of spaces, including outdoor areas, parks, traditional indoor venues like community centres or pubs across the different wards in Luton. This guide is here to help you with your project and partnership planning when applying to the Luton Create Fund. We recommend you include any relevant venue costs in your budget.
This list is not exhaustive, and you are not limited to the spaces listed here. It is only meant to be a helpful guide and as a growing town we are sure there’s great spaces that we missed. If you know any, please let us know by emailing Luton Arts
This is also not an endorsement and using a venue listed here will not affect the Luton Create Fund decision-making.
For venue details, click the button below to access the spreadsheet. This is put together with the best of our knowledge, but any space offerings are up to each venue and/or organisation’s own discretion, and Luton Arts cannot take any responsibility.
If you noticed any errors or changes, we haven’t updated, please let us know by emailing Luton Arts.
Schools & Colleges
We’ve listed schools and colleges across different areas of Luton to help you with your planning and creating partnerships if you’re interested in applying to the Schools and Education Creation Fund.
You can find each school’s contact information on their websites. If you need help connecting with a particular school or department, please email Karene Horner-Hughes, Cultural Education and Partnerships Officer for Bedfordshire University.
We also encourage partnerships with home education groups and parent-teacher associations. If you’d like your group listed on this page, please email Luton Arts.
While we’ve made every effort to be accurate, there may be errors or omissions. If you notice any, please let us know by emailing Luton Arts.
For a detailed list of schools, click the button below to access the spreadsheet.
Sample Applications
We have shared some example applications. These are here to offer some guidance and tips on how you might answer the different key parts of the criteria
- The skills you are developing
- Your connection to Luton
- Clearing describing what, how, where, why of your project. (Particularly mentioning what area of Luton you want to work in, and why)
- An appropriate budget breakdown breaking down artist fees, materials, venue etc
- Being specific about audiences you are trying to reach, and the experience they will have
The ideas we proposed in the sample applications are in no way an indicate or guide on the types of ideas we’re looking at. They are here to help you make sure that you include information in your answers.
If you have any questions, please email the Luton Create Fund team. Please note you should submit your application through the BLCF website.
If you have any problems, need help, or would like to discuss applying in a different format, please email the BLCF’s grants’ team.
Other Resources
Explainer Video
Curious about how the Evolution Fund works and how to apply? This fund is one of two key streams within the Luton Create Fund. Our explainer videos walk you through the essentials—step-by-step. Watch the latest video here to get started and feel confident about your application.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here you’ll find answers to common questions about eligibility, funding priorities areas, application guidance, and project delivery. Our aim is to help you apply with confidence and bring your creative ideas to life in Luton.
As you explore the FAQs, please remember that the Luton Create Fund Evolution strand supports three key areas:
- schools and education
- wellbeing
- creative ideas
We are looking for new ideas and are interested in applicants who can tell us who the audience they are making work for is and why. We are looking for a strong connection to Luton and for applicants to tell us how their own skills will be developed.
Questions that are specific to the schools and education and wellbeing priority areas are covered in the criteria document, so please check those sections.
If anything is still unclear, please do get in touch via our Luton Create Fund email address.
Unfortunately, individuals who are not eligible to access public funds, e.g. on a specific visa, are not eligible. If there’s anything else you are not sure of, check in with the grants team at BLCF.
No, the Lightning Fund is focused on supporting individuals. Because of the small grant size, we encourage only a small number of collaborators to be involved. This helps ensure everyone is paid fairly.
Yes, Lightening Fund applicants will be notified at the end of September 2025, and you can start your project after you’ve received the decision.
We have not set any strict limits on how many applications you can submit. You will not be excluded just because you have submitted more than one.
We encourage people to prioritise one project and submit one application. As mentioned in the criteria, we aim to support a wide range of projects. We’re also looking for projects to be delivered in a diverse range of areas across Luton.
We would only make one award per lead applicant.
- Yes, this is also eligible as match-funding for Arts Council England applications.
- We do not expect you to have match funding, and it will not affect our decision.
- We will ask for deliverables and outcomes for the amount awarded by Luton Arts.
- It’s worth noting it is a tight delivery timeframe
- Lightning Fund decisions will be shared by the end of September 2025
- Evolution Fund decisions will be shared by mid December 2025
- All funded projects should be delivered by 30 September 2026.
What evaluation and reporting will be required?
Please see page 4 and 5 of the criteria document for full details.
Ruth Melville Research (RMR), the evaluation partner of Luton Arts and BLCF, require involvement from successful applicants throughout the course of the project delivery. As part of understanding the difference we make, RMR would like to ask you to reflect on your learning and feedback, which includes the completion of:
- reflections logs (at the start of your project, during, and on completion),
- attendance at least one reflection session
- completion of ‘outcome wheels’ (a light-touch reflection exercise that allows project teams or individual artists to self-reflect on their learning journey).
The latter will be managed by BLCF, and training will be provided by RMR.
We hope this to be a beneficial process to also enable you to document learnings for other opportunities in future.
The Luton Create Fund is designed for new projects, creativity and ideas that wouldn’t otherwise be realised in Luton. We do recognise there are many pockets of creativity, independent artists doing great work across Luton and beyond. We recommend you consider whether there is a new element of your regular activity or project that this funding could make a difference to. Do book in a chat with our team to discuss more.
Yes, providing that you are still adhering to fair pay, and you are using volunteers on a basis where it is considered in line with principles of volunteering.
The application process is the same for all three strands and all the information is in the criteria. The three priority areas help guide how much funding is available and how many awards we can offer in each area (see page 2, fund priorities).
For those interested in the schools and education, and wellbeing strand, please refer to the appendix in the later pages of the criteria document for detailed information.
We recommend you outline clearly in your answers to the questions in the application which priority are you addressing.
The main marketing responsibility lies with the artist or lead applicant. However, the Luton Arts team will support you with:
- Sharing content on our social media and newsletter
- Provide advice on content creation
- Helping you plan your marketing budget/PR (likely for larger projects)
- Suggesting groups and communities to connect with
We would recommend that you plan for marketing from the start.
Make sure to include time and costs for marketing that match the size and nature of your project.
Please apply for what you need, within our range for both the Lightning Fund and Evolution Fund. The amount you are asking for will not affect our decision making. We expect to receive more applications than we can fund. Because of this, we may contact you to discuss awarding a different amount – likely lower than what you applied for.
If that happens, we’ll talk with you about how to adjust your project to fit the new amount. Our intention is to work within the available budget and still help make great projects happen with you.
Please check in with the grants team at BLCF if you are unsure
It’s great that your project is involves multiple locations, artists, organisations or schools. We really welcome collaborative and wide-reaching projects like this. The lead applicant should be the person or organisation who will sign the grant agreement. They will be responsible for managing the project and the funding. Please think carefully about who this should be. If you are unsure, do get in touch with us via the Luton Create Fund email address.
Please check in with the grants team at BLCF.
Only individuals are eligible to apply for the Lightning Strand. For the Evolution Fund, both individuals and organisations with certain non-profit structures are eligible. You can find more details are in page 2 of the criteria document. Anything you are not sure of should be directed to BLCF’s grants email address. We strongly encourage you to check before applying. We don’t want anyone to spend time on an application to find out they are not eligible. As one way of striving towards inclusivity, everyone can apply as an individual.
There is no set number of audiences, we would expect for it to be proportionate to the amount you are asking for. We are interested in engaging diverse audiences and seeing thoughtful research into how they might participate and what their experience might be.
The Luton Arts team may arrange some photography and videography. This will depend on what is possible and appropriate for marketing and documentation of the overall programme. If we do arrange this, we will liaise with you and ensure you can have access to the footage, and that it could work for you. However, we cannot guarantee to do this for every project.
If photography or videography is essential to your project, then we would encourage you to include it in your own plans and budget.
Coming Soon
We’re excited to share that more helpful resources will be available soon! Stay tuned for:
- Sample Budget Templates: Get guidance on how to plan your project finances.
- Sample Application Forms: See examples of applications.
- Explainer Videos: Watch step-by-step guides on how to complete your application.
Follow us on social media for updates and to find out where you can meet our commissioners for personalised advice and support. We’re here to help you every step of the way!