Freedom Fund

A guilt-free pot of money for Black artists in the West Midlands

14 x £500 bursaries [APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED]

September 2020 Update

Applications for the Freedom Fund are now closed.

Thank you to all of the artists that applied. Please continue to keep an eye out for further updates and opportunities from us: @MAIA_Group or feel free to join to our mailing list.

What is the Freedom Fund?

No strings attached, no compulsory outcome and no evaluation: the Freedom Fund is a guilt-free pot of money for Black artists in the West Midlands. This fund is for Black artists to personalise to their individual needs.

What’s on Offer?

• 14 x £500 bursaries for *Black artists from the West Midlands

• Access to a wellbeing resource pack

• The opportunity to have your work spotlighted on MAIA socials (optional)

*We define Black as being of African, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx descent or mixed heritage.

Why does the Freedom Fund exist?

The Freedom Fund exists because arts and culture organisations across the West Midlands recognised they could be doing more to support black artists. Micro pots of money are often distributed to individual artists with lots of criteria and high expectations which can lead to artists feeling burnt out and devalued. We got together with Culture Central to come up with a way to support artists that would be the most meaningful. 

We didn’t want to run a temporary development scheme that would only scratch the surface of the complex needs of Black artists. So, we decided to create a fund that does exactly what it says on the tin - give artists the freedom to decide how and what they invest in with no strings attached, no compulsory outcome and no evaluation!

How do I apply for the Freedom fund?

At MAIA, we recognise that funding can come with lots of hoops and criteria that make them less helpful to the communities they are meant to serve. We are determined to do our best to make this process as accessible as possible so we have put together 5 quick questions on a google form.

• What is your name & what are your pronouns?

• Where are you based?

• What is your practise/art-form?

• What is your heritage?

• What type of freedom will this fund give you?

(Just a note: you'll need to sign-in to Google to complete the form)

Are there other ways to apply?

You are free to respond to these questions in whatever form works best for you: a video, a voice note, an email, or even a mind-map!

Just upload it to the google form or, if you don’t have a google account, email it to: contact@maiagroup.co with the subject ‘Freedom Fund Alt Application’.

The Wellbeing Resource Pack

Everyone who makes an application to the Freedom Fund will receive a wellbeing resource pack. Watch this space for more details to follow.

Applications have now closed.

Thank you to all who applied!