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Writer's pictureDaisy Hale

DYCP Notes 1.2.22

DYCP NOTES


Hello


Housekeeping:


You can have camera on or off, sit anywhere, lie down, walk around etc, I will pause for questions in each section, but I’m also aware of time so if I do move us along, write it down, and we’ll come back to a Q&A section put it in the chat when we get there, or send it to ‘X’ and he will say it for you.


So just a quick bit about me:

I’m a independent producer who supports Artists with applications and fundraises on behalf of artists and organizations.

I work with NPO’s that offer support so I often get invited to ACE’s internal info sessions and I want to share information much as I can. I focus my one to one support on getting more disabled artists to apply, so I do these sessions to try offer advice to as many people as possible outside of that through larger workshops like this.


None of what I say is ACE endorsed or a magic wand, but my experience.


First things first – have you made your account and is it approved?

The way you make a profile is slightly confusing


Basic Info-

What is it?

Grants 2K-10K


If you have personal access costs – that is on top. So if you had 10K in DYCP costs then needed 2K (for example) of personal access costs, that works.


The reapplication process does keep changing so I would keep an eye on that if you’ve recently been turned down. I think at the moment if you’ve been unsuccessful for 2 rounds or successful in 1 you cannot reapply.

Portal opens 22nd February (but you can start writing before then)

Deadline is 15th March


Who is it for and who can apply?


Individuals and small collaborating groups only – for group one person has to be nominated lead


NO ORGS CAN APPLY


Focus – personal creative development

The supported ACE disciplines in this fund are-

Music • Theatre • Dance • Visual Arts • Literature • Libraries • Combined Arts • Museums practice


This includes designers, technicians, choreographers, creative practitioners, community practitioners, DJs.


You must have 1 year of professional practice accrued- used to be 3 yrs. And be able to show this accrued.


ON FILM & TV

development activities that involve the production of artists’ film, video and/or audio work for galleries, cinemas, the public realm, publishing, broadcast or online exhibition or distribution

• applications that involve work in film, video and audio that is clearly related to practice development in our supported disciplines (eg visual artists’ film, screen dance, poetry film, artists’ creative podcasts, artist-led radio drama, sound art etc.)

We cannot support:

• film-making projects that do not engage creatively with the artforms and disciplines we support

• narrative feature films where film is the artform • television drama


So cannot directly apply for film & TV work but if you’re working with video as part of another discipline – for example you’re a poet and you’re encompassing multimedia, that counts, or if you’re a producer learning more about digital producing of theatre, that counts. But Film & TV as primary artforms are not supported.


What do you do with it?

R&D time to TAKE RISKS.

Building new networks for future work. Not about showing your work but building network.

Professional development – short course (not formaleducation) or learning from someone in industry.

Can still travel, but bare in mind covid restrictions still.

Developing new ways of working ie. Digital. Time & space to do this.

Activity has to be within 12 months from when you received the grant.

You MUST show a clear development plan for your practice, this is the key element of this application.

What CAN’T you apply for

Continuation of existing work, where there’s no development of practice.

No formal training fees ie formal training in Uni or College. Can do training courses.

Not primarily film / tv - but can if this is your secondary.

No R&D for project - that’s more for Project Grants

But you could do R&D where the R&D is necessary to develop the practice e.g. you need to experiment with actors to develop a new directing practice, or you need to r&d with a particular kind of performer to be able to develop your writing.


No loss of earnings


You cannot apply to Project Grants and DYCP at the same time – you need to await a decision from one of them before you submit the other.


SO if you’re eligible on all this, here’s a checklist to prep for your application:-


- Do you know the main things you want to explore or develop and who or what with

- Do you know how long this will take you

- Do you know how much it costs

- Do you know who might offer a supporting document

- After doing this development, what are the key milestone you expect to hit


I would try to bullet point most of these in advance.


So the application form itself.

It’s much smaller than project grants – probably about a third of the size.

Application form

3 written questions

2 attachments

2 checkboxes

Expenditure budget

Project plan


Please tell us about yourself and your creative practice – 1800 Characters


Can you summarise your practice in one sentence? Try it out!

Can you summarise your cultural identity in one sentence? Try that out.


EG


I’m a queer disabled digital visual artist and creative practitioner. My work surrounds my relationship to the spaces and rural landscapes I call home. By giving voice to my rural Queer experience I seek to explore how my ADHD influences my practice as an artist and my experiences of the world. I use the visual arts to experiment with how I share these space with those around me, particularly from an access aesthetic Highlights from my career include;




This is your chance to EITHER hype yourself the fuck up or to show where you’re at and where the gaps might be.


I would frame it either with the main focus of your artistic, cultural or creative activities if you’re looking to develop a practice you’re already within OR if you’re looking to work within a different practice, hype up your current practice and close on a sentence that shows why you want to move into this new practice. For example Director to Writer…



If you have extensive experience – create a list and cherry pick the ones that will best apply you to this development opportunity.

Your main creative achievements to date – for example, exhibitions, productions, publications, commissions, important pieces of work you’ve completed and why


if you’ve worked with any established creative or cultural partners e.g Theatres, galleries, libraries, museums, especially if they are publically funded.


Any other information relevant to your track record;



And crucially - whether you’ve shown that you are ready to benefit from a development opportunity so this might mean ending your paragraph with…


‘While my sound practice is quite established, I now require support to take it to the next level in terms of sound led projects & adapting my services for digital performance projects.’


‘I am a early career artists looking to develop a new model of working that benefits…’


Tell us about the developmental opportunity you want to undertake.- 1500 Characters


Arts council read everything in activity. So start date, end date and everything that happens in between, that is your activity and it’s crucial in this application to know quite precisely what that activity will be.


It’s really helpful I think with DYCP to have 1 or 2 overarching AIMs and I think your opening sentence can be really helpful in establishing this and establishing to ACE, exactly why you’re doing all the activity you’re about to talk about. Or you might list some objectives, make it really clear.


EG. - I have highlighted useful writing phrases to help craft these aims.


I wish to develop my audio-visual arts practice into an accessible site-specific practice through investigating embedded access in outdoor space, developing my writing, direction & artist network & upskilling in facilitation to investigate new ways of working that better serve disabled audiences in outdoor arts spaces.


Develop my visual arts practice to explore new mediums incl. digital for future work. I want to expand my networks with galleries, curators & producers. This activity will mark a shift toward a broader practice creating a more financially stable & covid safe model of working.


This application will allow me to mark a shift in my writing practice from solo-autobiographical & small devised work to larger scale playwriting and screenwriting with trans* narratives at the centre.


I wish to experiment with new forms to explore sound design led projects for both digital and future live performance work. I’ll spend time revisiting my practice & experimenting with new mediums. I also want to develop my digital portfolio & practice, to better serve projects that are currently turning to digital & having sound be the main design element. I’ll focus on leading design, knowing how many hours that takes & how to structure a project around that.


Now you’ve got your aims down


In your checklist


Know what you’d like to upskill in, write, learn, be mentored by, do a course in, spend time reflecting on, have meetings with, spend time in the studio doing


This is your chance to show your clear plan of development – that you know exactly what you need to do to achieve the… whatever your aims were.


break it down - HOW are you going to do it?



I’ve seen this set out in Phases / a process / bullet points to form a narrative on what you need.


STATEMENT ----> EFFECT.

“I will have mentoring advice from X and my aim with them is to X”

“I will undergo a period of shadowing organisation X which are relevant to X. With them, I will develop X”

“I will have 5 sessions with X to look at X and develop X”

“I will build on relationships with X to look at X and develop X”

“I will make contacts with X to look at X” - this can extend to seeing work!

“I will look at X to develop new themes of X”

“I will undertake training in X to improve my overall skill set for X”


What is key is knowing a name, or a example of a name, a place, how many sessions, how long etc you will be doing this for and writing this down precisely. You don’t need to explain why this person/place is exactly right for the activity, it’s more about demonstrating you know how to get from point A to B by asking and example of the right person / place / org.



Why is this important for your practice at this point and how will this create future opportunities?


So return to what your main aims for the activity are and what will come out of developing these.

Think about why this is the right point to take some development time and what you want this development to lead to;

what will be different about your practice as a result of this development

So practical applications of that might be;


Are you reconnecting with practice to apply for better jobs? Are you offering a new skillset? Will this training expand your practice to meet the requirements of a commission?

This period will allow me to focus on X which is poignant because X.

This will give me the financial stability to and upskill my X.

What networks might you build? What impact might you have?

Will you create a new company

Will you make all your future work more accessible?

Will you have new skills and therefore be able to work in different mediums and apply for more commissions?

Will this be the first sustained time you’ve had to experiment with writing?

Building a portfolio for leading projects

Creating structure for yourself

Will you be able to work on something that’s important to you than for necessity?

Will this offer something new to the industry that we haven’t seen before?

Will you be working with people that will support you to the next point in your career or be able to support you in areas you are less strong in?


DO NOT FORGET BOUT THE ATTACHMENTS


Attachment 1) EXAMPLE OF YOUR WORK portfolio, video, reviews eg.

Attachment 2) SUPPORTING DOCUMENT from someone else not you eg. endorsement / review / letter of recommendation. Better from someone that knows you well & good to tell them what you’re applying for.

THINK OF THIS SECOND ATTACHMENT WITH GOOD TIME TO SPARE


Checkbox - Let’s Create outcomes. Take a look at Arts Council outcomes for Let’s Create so you know what they’re interested in funding etc.


Expenditure funding –

don’t need match funding or partners.

If it’s something really expensive, can be a percentage contribution.

Your own fee is important!

Break down to what you need for the period of time being covered.

Good to know how much to pay yourself & good to pay yourself properly – you decide your fee, use

Breakdown into a proper rate - don’t scrimp.

Include fees for mentors / collaborators.

Can include studio time, ticket costs, programme costs


This is your opportunity to show you know how much each thing costs and how its broken down.


Often people ask me – because I’m more of a ‘emerging’ artist, should I ask for less money? – and I don’t believe this to be true, it’s about showing that you have budgeted accurately for the activity you have set out to do, what it costs is what it costs. The most important thing is budgeting accurately, whether that be a more modest budget or toward the threshold.


Project plan - TIMELINE.

Good to demonstrate how you get from point A to point B. Demonstrate the key milestones to get to each place.

Doesn’t have to be too precise by the hour! Can be simple but shows that you know how long things will take and what actions you need to take to get there.


Access Support –

You can also apply for access support to have a support worker guide you through the application and they are PAID by the Arts Council so a great scheme.


LINKS

The main DYCP page on our website with guidance, case studies and other info: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/DYCP

The main written applicant guidance docs, including Easy Read: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/developing-your-creative-practice/dycp-how-apply

Intro video for the reopened fund, including BSL & captioning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyt3zGgmvuk&feature=youtu.be

Full BSL guidance (over 4 videos): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHkGwH4c9fQ&list=PLzzBvi5D8s7OLilZd0pdxuA8p8mAbrV-U

White Pube has some good stuff. https://www.thewhitepube.co.uk/fundinglibrary

The Uncultured has a template for the application form on their website. https://www.the-uncultured.com/blog/october-2020-dycp-updated-template

List of Successful Applications + their title and artform


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