Support lines
Film and TV charity
The trained team has lots of experience and can give you quick and discreet advice. Call them about legal queries, mental health and wellbeing, financial troubles, family issues, or your hopes and ambitions. Currently appealing for funding to support freelancers during the COVID-19 crisis.
0800 054 0000
Film and TV charity website
Theatre Helpline
The Theatre Helpline is a free, independent and confidential phone and email service for people working in the theatre industry. Trained staff will offer support and signposting on any topic which affects your wellbeing, including debt and financial issues.
0800 915 4617
[email protected]
Visit the Theatre Helpline website
Other sources of help
- Royal Variety Charity
- Live Events PSA Stagehand Welfare and Benevolent Fund
- Theatrical Guild
- The Artist General Benevolent Fund (Artists)
- Help for Musicians (musicians and music related roles)
- NABS (advertising and media industries)
- Music Minds Matter
Scotland
Scottish government support for businesses
There three seperate strands to funding with applications now open. More information on the Scottish government website.
Newly self-employed
A £34m Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund, managed by local authorities, will provide £2,000 grants for those who do not qualify for other schemes and are suffering hardship.
SME support
A £20m Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund will be managed by the Enterprise Agencies in partnership with Creative Scotland and VisitScotland for relevant companies not receiving business rates relief.
This strand will include rapid access £3,000 hardship grants for companies of fewer than 50 employees, and larger grants of up £25,000 if the need can be demonstrated.
The remaining £45m Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund, managed by the Enterprise Agencies, will be allocated to vulnerable SME firms vital to economic foundations of Scotland.
Applications for the funding outlined above will open by the end of April – keep an eye on the Scottish Government and local authority websites for details.
Creative Scotland bridging bursaries
The Scottish Government is also providing £1m to top up Creative Scotland’s Bridging Bursaries in the not for profit sector. Along with £1m from the Freelands Foundation this doubles the original budget for these schemes. More information here.
Wales
Bectu has been part of discussions that led to Creative Wales, an arm of the Welsh Government, expanding its offer to include two new schemes opening on Monday 20 April.
Welsh independent TV production
The Emergency TV Development Fund (ETVDF) will provide immediate financial support for indigenous independent production companies during the coronavirus crisis.
Support will be available for companies to use while production cannot take place to develop projects. This aims to put them in a stronger position to secure commissions once a normal mode of working resumes.
Indigenous digital support
The Emergency Digital Development Fund (EDDF) will provide immediate financial support for indigenous games, animation, digital agencies and creative digital businesses to:
- support the retention of intellectual property, thus enabling them to grow
- develop new digital services and improve or introduce new platforms for digitising or distributing content.
An earlier project for music professionals is now fully subscribed and no longer available.
Arts Council Wales
Arts Council Wales – with the Welsh government – has opened applications for an urgent response fund worth £7m.
Of this, £1.5m is for individuals with no other source of income, while the remainder is earmarked for organisations.
The individual fund will provide grants of up to £2,500 to professionals whose work in the country directly supports the making and presentation of creative work – including events – alongside artists, writers, performers and other creatives.
Round one applicants must apply online by 12 noon, Monday 20 April.
A second round opens for applications on Tuesday 28 April 2020 with a deadline of 12 noon, Wednesday 6 May 2020.
A stabilisation fund for individuals working in the not for profit sector also opens on Friday 29 May.
And arts organisations working in the not-for-profit sector in Wales who meet the criteria will be able to apply for stabilisation funding support from Tuesday 21 April.