Following our review, we are delighted to share that the funds are back open! And you’ll be pleased to know that the guidelines for the funds haven’t changed, and we will still always endeavour to support as many eligible applications that meet the criteria outlined.
What improvements have we made?
* We listened to your feedback and have reduced the amount of information that we ask you to complete when submitting your completion forms.
* We’ve created additional guidance for arts partners that wish to support schools submitting applications to our Go and See and Have a Go funds.
* We updated our approval/decline letters so that they provide more useful information when providing feedback about your application.
* We have improved the process for releasing payments. Applicants will now receive payment to their nominated bank account within 2 weeks of meeting their conditions of grant and accepting their awards.
The temporary closure of both funds was a direct result of the increased popularity of the funds. During the 2022/23 academic year, we received 375 applications for both Go and See and Have a Go funding. In comparison, during 2023/24 we were delighted to receive 894 applications! But, we realised we have still only reached 48% of all schools in Wales, so we knew there was still more to be done to make sure that the funds we have are reaching more schools in Wales and that as many learners as possible have the chance to be inspired and excited by the best that the expressive arts in Wales has to offer, wherever in Wales they live.
However, there are times when we receive more applications than we can fund. In these circumstances, we must make difficult decisions on which applications to prioritise. We will always look at the case that an individual school makes for funding, but, in a competitive funding round, we will also take into consideration additional information. In these instances, we will take into consideration:
* Schools that have not benefited from Creative Learning Cymru funding previously.
* The % of eFSM (eligible for free school meals) learners at the school.
* The % number of learners at the school that have already benefited from our funding.
* The language of the activity to enable learners of all backgrounds to experience arts in the Welsh language, as well as bilingually, in Wales.
* The geography of the school to facilitate equity of opportunities for all learners in Wales
We know that every school’s reason for applying to us for funding will be different and every school that applies to us can continue to make a case for funding to meet the needs of their learners. When making a case we would encourage you not to copy and paste marketing material into your application, but to really consider what difference our funding will make to teaching and learning in your school.
As always, we recommend reading the full guidelines to our funds before applying. Whilst we have not made any changes to the guidelines, we will be looking more carefully at the case you make for funding so please take care when submitting your application.
Go and See
The Go and See Fund offers grants up to £1,000 to enable teachers in state-maintained schools in Wales to take their learners to see high-quality art in venues across Wales. Teachers can use the fund to cover the cost of tickets and transport up to £1,000 to cover up to 90% of the costs of visits for learners aged 3-16.
The purpose of Go and See is to ensure the arts in Wales is accessible to all learners. To enable schools to take learners out of the classroom to experience the creative works of others; giving them the opportunity to respond to and reflect on high-quality art across Wales.
It could be a visit to see drama, dance, music, art, a cultural festival or any other high-quality arts experience.
Seeing high-quality art in Wales should be the focus of all visits.
Who can apply?
Go and See applications can only be submitted by:
- State-maintained schools in Wales for learners aged 3 – 16years.
- Pupil referral units in Wales for learners aged 3 – 16 years.
Unfortunately, we cannot support applications from applicants outside of state-maintained schools or pupil referral units.
Schools and pupil referral units can apply to the Go and See Fund more than once throughout the year but must submit completion reports before reapplying.
Please check the guidelines for more information on eligibility and what we can and can not fund.
Find out more
We recommend reading the full guidelines before submitting your application.
If you have any questions about Go and See, we’d be happy for you to contact us.
Email us at: creative.learning@arts.wales
You should submit your application a minimum of 5 working weeks before the planned date of your visit. We endeavour to get back to you within 4 weeks after you submit your application.
No, this fund is valid for covering the cost of tickets and transport only.
No, this fund is to cover the cost of high-quality arts experiences that would not be able to take place without the use of this grant. Tickets may be purchased once you have been informed that the grant has been awarded, if you school is able to cover the cost prior to the actual funds entering the school account this is fine.
As a rule, this is a no. However, under exception circumstances, and if you can clearly detail why a specific high-quality arts experience would need to happen outside of Wales the panel may be able to consider this.
As a rule, this is a no. The aim of this fund is for pupils to experience high quality arts, within high quality arts venues outside of the school. However, under exceptional circumstances, and if you can clearly detail why a specific high-quality arts experience would need to happen inside school the panel may be able to consider this.
Match funding is not to be sent directly to us, we expect this 10% match to come through school funds, in-kind costs or fundraising as an example.
This doesn’t stop you from applying, but your application should indicate when you anticipate the visit will take place.
Yes, any maintained school may apply for a Go & See grant.
This programme is ring fenced for school aged children starting from nursery up until the age of 16. Unfortunately, we are unable to fund post-16 education, including FE Colleges and Sixth Form.
Yes, you can apply for multiple grants of up to £1,000 throughout the academic year. But you can only have one grant open at a time. We particularly welcome applications from schools who have not engaged with the fund.
You’ll need to register your school on our online portal before completing an application form. Once you have registered on the online portal you will be able to access the application form. We recommend that you register your school on our portal at least 5 working days before you wish to start your application.
If you require further assistance in accessing the online portal, please contact us via: 03301 242733 (helpline) all calls charged at local rates or email: creative.learning@arts.wales
To access the application form you will need to have registered on the online portal.
We recommend that you register at least 5 working days before you wish to start your application. Once you have received your login details, you can use these to access all Creative Learning Cymru application forms and will not need to re-register when you want to apply again.
If you require further assistance in accessing the online portal, please contact our Grants and Information team: grants@arts.wales