Arts health and wellbeing lottery funding

Our arts, health and wellbeing lottery fund has reopened with a new priority from this autumn - arts projects aiming to improve people’s health and wellbeing by connecting them with nature.

Partnerships between Wales’ arts, health and nature organisations are among those encouraged to apply for one of three levels of Arts, Health and Wellbeing Lottery funding as part of the Creative Nature Programme, an agreement between Arts Council of Wales and Natural Resources Wales that aims to cultivate the relationship between the arts and the natural environment.

The Arts Health and Wellbeing Fund is open to partnership bids from across the arts, health, social care, nature, environmental and third sectors. Projects that address one or more of the following health challenges and priorities are eligible to apply:

• Nature - projects that aim to improve people’s health and wellbeing by increasing their connection with nature through the arts;
• Mental health - including tackling loneliness, social isolation and social prescribing schemes that aim to build resilience and support better mental health;
• Health inequalities - Arts projects designed to address health inequalities by bringing health and wellbeing benefits to people from more diverse and under-represented backgrounds; 
• Physical health and wellbeing – arts projects that support improved physical health or keep people physically active ;
• Staff wellbeing - within the healthcare and/or arts workforce.

Grants of between £500 and £50,000 are available to successful applicants, depending on the stage of their project. More information on the possible project stages, along with important information about how to apply, can be found in our full guidelines. 

The Fund opened for applications on 16 August and closes at 5pm on 20 September 2023.