Information for Grant Applicants

The Sir Barry Jackson Trust funds small-scale, touring and educational theatre projects in the West Midlands. Based on money left by Sir Barry Jackson (founder of The Birmingham Repertory Theatre), the Trust now administers three different funds.

The County Fund

The County Fund funds or assists the presentation of high-standard theatre productions which fulfil some or all of the following criteria:

The expansion of the awareness and appreciation of live theatre

Suitable for audiences with little or no previous theatre experience.

Intellectually challenging and artistically inventive.

Touring predominantly or extensively in the metropolitan districts of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

A select number of grants are distributed each year, seldom exceeding £3,000 each.

The Hornton Fund

The Hornton Fund is dedicated to the development of talent in children and young people in the West Midlands, particularly in theatre and performance. Grants under the Hornton Fund go to projects which are:

Based in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Developing the abilities and understanding of young people in the art of drama through educational work based in schools and colleges in the above area.

Particularly but not exclusively concerned with enabling children and young people (25 and under) from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop talents in the theatre crafts (including acting and writing).

The possible range of projects is broad and the educational element is important. However  we do not directly fund educational establishments, or student companies still in training, or individual student fees.

As with the County Fund, grants seldom exceed £3000.

The Sir Barry Jackson Trust Fund

The Sir Barry Jackson Trust Fund (or ‘the traditional fund’) is dedicated to the promotion of the art of theatre in the region. In the past this fund has financed:

Purchases connected with Sir Barry’s memory and legacy.

Education work with new writers.

Commissioning new work.

It is the smallest fund but the area of benefit is wider than that of the other two funds – applications from Birmingham and the historic (pre-1974) counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire (including Stoke-on-Trent) are considered.

A select number of grants are distributed each year, seldom exceeding £3,000 each.

Funding Stipulations

Grants are not made payable to private individuals. You must have a company bank account.

Applicants should complete the application and contact details forms clearly and comprehensively. Trustees reserve the right to defer or refuse incomplete or unclear applications.

All grants awarded are assumed to be ‘one-off’ payments; companies should not assume that giving a grant implies that the Trust intends to repeat grant-aid in the following year, or to accept any continuous responsibility for the company’s work. The Trust does not provide funding for the redevelopment or re-iteration of a project for which funding has already been granted for a previous application.

The Trustees require that companies demonstrate financial strength and an ability to control grant expenditure; an evaluation report on the use of the grant within the company’s work and a final project budget will be expected on completion. Companies will be expected to acknowledge the Sir Barry Jackson Trust in their publicity and must display the Trust logo where appropriate. Trustees must be invited to performances.

The Grant will be paid in such amounts at such times as shall be agreed with the Trustees. Should the financial situation of the company become unsupportable during the period of grant-aid, the Trustees reserve the right to suspend further payments. The policy of the Trustees is not to increase its grant to cover losses sustained on the programme.

Where funds have a geographical focus, we will accept applications for projects taking place in those areas and may prioritise work from artists, producers and companies based in them.

The Trust usually considers applications twice a year, in January and June. Applications must therefore be submitted no later than 1 December and 1 May respectively. Late applications will not be considered.

Further enquiries about application should be made to the Grants Secretary on applications@sbjt.co.uk

If considered helpful especially if this is the first time an application has been made, the annual accounts and other supporting material should also be sent electronically.