Commission grants

Art Fund's Commission grants support the commission and acquisition of important new work for museums and galleries. These grants enable UK public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives to commission artists to create new works of art for their collections. Commissioned work has a unique ability to respond and reveal new aspects to collections or places in direct, timely ways, helping to forge closer relationships with artists and audiences. Applications for commissions are considered as part of Art Fund's acquisitions programme, with expectations that any commissions should be of international, national or regional significance. The programme recognizes the distinct opportunities and fundraising challenges in realising a commission. Acquisitions can be conceptualised in many different ways: as unique permanent artworks that can be accessioned into a public collection, or as temporary, ephemeral or performance pieces that may only have a permanent legacy in the form of archival material. For successful applications, organizations need to demonstrate strong benefits to the artist, the organization, and audiences. The programme offers two levels of funding: small grants of £7,500 or less for projects with total costs of £15,000 or less (considered on a rolling basis), and main grants above £7,500 for larger projects (decided at five trustees' meetings per year in February, May, July, October and December). Art Fund normally funds only part of the cost of a commission, with no fixed percentage, and can advise on appropriate grant request levels before submission. Applicants must be public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives based in the UK or Channel Islands that are open for at least half the week for at least six months of the year and are at least provisionally accredited through the Arts Council Accreditation Scheme or other national equivalents. Partnerships between commissioning agencies and museums are also encouraged.