Fenton Arts Trust grants
Fenton Arts Trust is a national arts charity supporting around 30-40 early-career artists a year, with a typical grant of £4,745.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Fenton Arts Trust is a national charity that focuses its support specifically on artists at the beginning of their careers, backing around 30 to 40 beneficiaries each year. It has given around £131k to organisations, through 170 recorded grants with a typical (median) award of £4,745. Its trustees meet three times a year, in Spring, Summer and Autumn, to consider applications.
What they fund
Fenton Arts Trust funds arts, culture, heritage and science, focusing specifically on supporting artists at the beginning of their careers.
Who and where
It funds nationally across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, supporting around 30 to 40 early-career artists each year.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Fenton Arts Trust says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“The Fenton Arts Trust is a charity which focuses its efforts specifically on the support of artists at the beginning of their careers. Each year there are approximately thirty to forty beneficiaries”
Source: fentonartstrust.org.uk — Fenton Arts Trust – Encouragement and Support of the Creative Arts →
Deadlines they mention
“There is a deadline for the receipt of applications approximately three weeks before each meeting, although this is never advertised, to encourage applicants to forward plan”
Source: fentonartstrust.org.uk — Application for Funding →
How they say to apply
“Under normal circumstances, a minimum of 6 months can elapse before the Trust both makes a decision and has sufficient funds in its budget”
Source: fentonartstrust.org.uk — Application for Funding →
“Trustees meet three times a year to consider applications, in Spring, Summer and Autumn”
Source: fentonartstrust.org.uk — Application for Funding →
What a typical grant looks like
| Typical (median) grant | £4,745 |
|---|---|
| Middle half of grants | £3,000 – £5,000 |
| Grants published openly | 170 |
| Most recent published grant | 2025 |
Recent grants
- Scherzo EnsembleFunds to support fees for early-career orchestral players in three fully-staged performances of Donizetti's opera ‘Don Pasquale'.£6,500March 2025
- San Mei Gallery (Van Gogh House London)Support four early career artists to research and develop new sculpture, film and sound art to be showcased at San Mei Gallery.£6,000March 2025
- Jermyn Street TheatreTo fund the Mentoring pillar of our 2024 Creative Associates Programme, for 10 emerging theatremakers from underrepresented backgrounds.£6,000March 2025
- Shape ArtsEmergent is a new hybrid programme tackling the marginalisation and isolation of talented early stage disabled artists to kickstart careers.£5,500March 2025
- Film LondonProgramme supporting six early career moving image artists to develop their careers, artistic practice and extend networking opportunities.£5,500March 2025
- Edinburgh Art FestivalPLATFORM exhibition 2024, showcasing ambitious new work from four early-career UK-based artists as part of Edinburgh Art Festival.£5,000March 2025
From grants Fenton Arts Trust publishes openly via 360Giving (the UK open grants-data standard), used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
The advancement of public education more particularly in the arts. (b) the general purposes of such charitable bodies or for such other purposes as shall be exclusively charitable as the trustees may from time to time decide.
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does Fenton Arts Trust typically give?
Based on 170 recorded grants, its typical (median) award is £4,745, with the middle half of grants ranging from £3,000 to £5,000.
What does Fenton Arts Trust fund?
It funds arts, culture, heritage and science, focusing specifically on supporting artists at the beginning of their careers, with around 30 to 40 beneficiaries each year.
How do I apply to Fenton Arts Trust?
Its trustees meet three times a year, in Spring, Summer and Autumn, to consider applications. There is a deadline approximately three weeks before each meeting, although this is never advertised; it typically does not fund applications received after the end of June. More information is on its website, fentonartstrust.org.uk, and the Charity Commission register under charity number 294629.
How long does a decision take at Fenton Arts Trust?
Fenton Arts Trust says that, under normal circumstances, at least six months can elapse before it both makes a decision and has sufficient funds in its budget, so applicants should plan well ahead.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Fenton Arts Trust.