The Scops Arts Trust (Round 2, 2026)

The Scops Arts Trust (Round 2, 2026) is a grant from The Scops Arts Trust that funds performing arts projects giving people of all ages opportunities to understand, participate in, and enjoy the performing arts across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each of three annual grant rounds focuses on specific themes; Round 2 priorities are announced on the funder's website.

Grant awards typically start from a few hundred pounds, with exceptional multi-year grants up to £15,000 per year. Eligible organisations are primarily small to medium-sized registered charities, though formally constituted social enterprises and community groups with charitable purposes are also considered. The funder does not support retrospective projects, capital campaigns, health or therapy work, or individuals.

Grant Guidelines - Scops Arts Trust This is a summary of our grant-making criteria and should answer most of the questions you may have. Further guidance can be found on the FAQs page and our homepage is regularly updated with the details of the next grants round. Please read all relevant webpages carefully to help you decide if your organisation and project are a good fit for Scops Arts Trust.

The types of organisation we support are generally registered charities, but we will consider applications from social enterprises and community groups where they are formally constituted and have clear charitable purposes. While we do not exclude large charities, we prioritise applications from small to medium-sized organisations.

Applicants must also be able to provide organisational bank account details, as part of our due diligence and grant payment processes. We support organisations located in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust has a focused grant-making approach to each of the three grants rounds per year, different in each grants round.

The categories will be advertised on our website. We only support projects or programmes which have yet to begin; we do not fund retrospectively. Our overarching aim is to give people of all ages opportunities to understand, participate in and enjoy the performing arts.

Each grant round focuses on specific themes aligned with this aim, and applicants should clearly demonstrate how their project responds to the priorities of the round to which they are applying. We primarily fund project-based work, but will consider contributions towards specific core costs for smaller organisations where our support can make a meaningful difference.

Grant awards typically start from a few hundred pounds, and in exceptional cases we make multi-year grants of up to £15,000 per annum.

Exclusions – what we do not fund Grant requests which the Trustees will not support are: Projects with the primary purpose of health, therapy or social welfare Applications from Individuals Capital campaigns including the construction or fit-out of buildings) Sponsorship of fundraising events Contributions to general appeals Religious activity that does not provide wider public benefit Public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations Activities which have already taken place Re-granting or onward distribution of funds by other organisations Privately owned, profit-distributing companies Application and assessment process This is what to expect if you decide to apply for a grant from the Trust: Check the homepage to confirm whether we are open for applications Complete our eligibility checks at the pre-application stage If eligible, and grant round is open, you will be invited to submit a Stage 1 online application Stage 1 applications are reviewed by the Trustees A shortlist of applicants will be invited to submit a Stage 2 online application Applications must present a strong case for support and alignment to the theme of the particular grant round, clearly explaining what you will do, who will benefit, how the work will make a difference, and how this will be measured During Stage 2, applicants may be contacted by a Trustee and/or the Administrator for further information; assessment visits or calls may also be arranged as part of our approach as an engaged funder A final shortlist of applications will then be presented to the Board of Trustees for their consideration All decisions are final and there is no right of appeal We undertake due diligence checks on governance and financial management before any grant is awarded A timeline for the process is available in our FAQs