We’re here to help. Some of our most frequently asked Folk Foundation questions are below:
We are happy to extend our support for up to two years.
We will aim to respond to all applicants by Monday 17th November 2025.
No. Each applicant will need to resubmit their existing proposal, or develop a new one, for the next application window.
We will delete all unsuccessful applications following the award of the Grant.
Yes. If you believe that your work relates to one of our constellations, we would love to receive your application. Our constellations are:
STORYTELLING - oral histories, sound, song RITUAL - ceremony, dance, performance art GATHERING - rambling, community, seasonality
You must include two documents:
Within your proposal we require a short description of your project, a brief timeline of how you expect to enact your project, and a description of how you would use your requested budget. Please make it very clear what budget you would like from us!
To tailor your proposal, please refer to the Folk Foundation webpage.
We aim to support anyone working with folk arts and traditions in new and exciting ways. You may be an individual, a collective, a community group, or even a coven - we are excited to receive your application!
Your PDF portfolio including CV should be limited to five pages - you can include links to other materials, e.g. your website, films, animations, exhibitions.
Please limit your proposal to 800 words (it can be shorter!) - we suggest 500 words to describe your project, 100 for your timeline and 200 to describe how you will use the budget.
The deadline for the Ffern Folk Foundation Grant 2026 is 18:00 on Friday the 12th of September 2025.
We will award a grant of up to £50,000 each year.
This could be awarded entirely to one applicant (individual or collective), or to multiple applicants across smaller percentages of £50,000, e.g. £10,000 x1, £20,000 x2.
The minimum grant you can apply for is £5,000.
We welcome applications from anyone over the age of 18, living and working in the UK.
No! You can apply for any amount from £5000 to £50,000 - but the Guild may choose to give more or less to your project.
Once the application window has closed, the Foundation Curator will present our Guild with a shortlist of applicants.
The Curator and the Guild will then convene to carefully consider each shortlisted application, before deciding on the allocation of the grant.
Applications will be judged primarily on the strength of your proposal, but we will require a portfolio of previous work including an artist’s CV - this will help us assess your history of project delivery.
That said, we encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and career stages, and your portfolio can include work done at school, college, in community groups - or any other setting!
Yes. We believe that everyone should be able to complete an application for our Grant in a fair and equitable way. If you are currently experiencing barriers when applying for the Grant, please email folkfoundation@ffern.co to find out what support we can offer you.
You can contact Danny, the Foundation Curator, via folkfoundation@ffern.co.
Once the applicant has been notified that they have been awarded the grant, they will work with the Foundation Curator to ensure the successful development and delivery of their project.
Recipients will be invited to a Guild meeting and we hope to form a supportive alumni network in time.