Near Now Ideas Fund

Get your creative project off the ground with support from Broadway's Near Now Ideas Fund.

We are offering up to £2,000 per proposal to support creative research and development (R&D) activity that is enabled or inspired by technology. Artists and creatives based in the Midlands, UK, who are not in full-time or part-time education can apply.

The R&D activity you propose should involve any, or all, of the following types of activity:

• Learning - Workshop, course, tutorials, working with a mentor.
• Playing - Experimenting with tools, techniques or technologies.
• Prototyping - Making rough examples to test.
• Testing - Presenting your ideas, prototypes or work in progress.

Some example of what we can support are:

• Digital and visual artworks
• Interactive and immersive experiences or performance
• Video or audio works
• Products and services

Eligibility: Artists and creatives based in the Midlands, UK, who are not in full-time or part-time education over the age of 18 for R&D activities and creative projects, enabled or inspired by technology. Either a new project to be started between now and March 2022 or an extension of an existing project that explores the use of technology in a way that is new to the project.

What you get: £2,000 per proposal. As well as offering funding, we can help you with: Support to identify mentors, collaborators and learning opportunities. Guidance and practical advice on project management, finance, budgeting and purchasing. Production support. Support to promote your project and create opportunities to reach audiences and test your idea. Ongoing profile and promotion from Near Now, Broadway and our partners. Flexibility to work safely from your home, studio, or other location of your choosing.