Applications open 30 August and close 18 September at 11.50 pm. Image credit: Shutterstock.
The MU has been engaging with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to create a better landscape for freelance creative sector workers in the region, and part of this includes work on their Activate programme.
Activate is an opportunity for all freelance creative sector workers to improve their practice, by providing funding for training, personal development and developing new skills, with grants available between £1,000 to £9,000.
Applicants can be at any stage of their creative careers (from emerging to established practitioners), however you must be:
- a freelancer or a small organisation operating within the creative or cultural sectors
- based in the West Midlands
- able to complete all funded activities by 13 December 2024.
Applications open 30 August and close 18 September at 11.50 pm.
This work also forms part of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games legacy funding, and the MU is seeking to reach an agreement with WMCA to ensure that in any future programmes, our rates and national agreements will be the standard terms of engagement for our members.
Get ahead with WMCA’s briefing webinar
For more information and to help you prepare in advance of the application portal opening, WMCA are running an online briefing webinar on 30 August. It takes place 11:00 am - 11:45 am.
Find out more and book a place below.
Applications are open to all
This funding is open to all freelance MU members in the WMCA area, and particularly invites those traditionally excluded from careers and opportunities in the creative and cultural sectors due structural barriers to apply.
Find out more about this, including full eligible criteria.
For more information or questions, please contact WMCA directly. We also strongly encourage any interested member to attend the launch webinar on 30 August at 11:00 am.
If you require assistance with your application, or if you would like the MU Midlands regional office to redirect any queries on your behalf, please do get in touch via midlands@themu.org.