Creative Lives is delighted to announce a major new grants scheme for voluntary creative groups in England, as part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) fund.

Starting in April 2023, the two-year programme will fund voluntary creative groups in a number of designated areas across England to promote and deliver targeted creative activities to support people at risk of loneliness and isolation.

There will be a particular focus not just on undertaking a creative activity, which in itself can be beneficial, but on exploring ways that the activity can build connections and a sense of belonging within the community.

The Know Your Neighbourhood Fund will work in a number of targeted high deprivation local authority areas in England. 

The initial pilot phase of the project will work in the following areas:

• Thanet
• Barnsley
• Middlesbrough
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Great Yarmouth

Creative Lives will be distributing funds alongside Libraries Connected and the Association of Independent Museums.

Further information will be published shortly, so for the latest news, please sign up to our newsletter. If you have any questions, please email [email protected] 

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Information session

Creative Lives will be hosting an online information session about the Know Your Neighbourhood grants scheme on:

• Wednesday 5 April 2023
• 12.00pm to 1.30pm

The information session will:

• Provide an opportunity to meet the Creative Lives team
• Help you find out more about what we are looking for
• Provide application timescales and key dates
• Explain the application process
• Provide information on tackling loneliness
• Provide an opportunity to network
• Ask questions about the grants scheme
• Learn more about the DCMS national KYN grants programme and related research and evaluation.

If you would like to book a place, please register via Eventbrite. 

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The Know Your Neighbourhood Fund is supported by DCMS and Arts Council England.