Charities urged to apply for up to £30,000 grant funding

Charities across Wales are being encouraged to apply to Amazon’s Regional Creatives Fund for multiple grants of up to £30,000 with a focus on upskilling people for careers in creative industries

Grants are available for charities in Swansea which run programmes aimed at boosting skills and increasing access to creative industry careers in gaming, publishing, fashion, film, advertising, TV, and music

The fund is open for applications from single charitable organisations and consortiums across the UK. Applications, closing on 31^st August 2025

The Regional Creatives Fund offers grants of up to £30,000 to UK charities that develop creative industry career pathways, helping underserved communities access careers in publishing, music, gaming, film, TV, fashion, advertising, and more.

Aim

The aim of the Regional Creatives Fund, which aligns with the Government’s recently announced Creative Places Growth Fund is to increase access to careers in the creative industries for people from underserved communities.

The fund is open for applications from single charitable organisations and consortiums based in the same region that are currently running impactful skills projects and are seeking additional funding to scale, sustain, or innovate their efforts.

Applications for up to £30,000 can be made by individual organisations that meet eligibility criteria, while consortium applications for up to £100,000 are also available.

Regional Creatives Fund grants will give charities with existing creative upskilling programmes the flexibility to address their most pressing needs.

Applications are open for small to mid-size organisations who are registered charities in the UK. Applicants must currently be running a programme that focuses on upskilling people from underserved communities for careers in creative industries.

Increasing access 

Creative Access, the UK’s leading inclusivity organisation in the creative industries, defines underserved communities as a population proven to be under-represented in the sector.

A study from The Sutton Trust, the UK’s leading social mobility charity, shows that many people, particularly those who identify as ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, continue to face significant barriers to entering and progressing in the UK’s creative industries.

Research released by The Sutton Trust found that younger adults from working-class backgrounds are four times less likely to work in the creative industries compared to their middle-class peers.

Data from Arts Council England shows only 9% of the creative workforce identifies as disabled, compared to 22% of the general working-age population.

Unique support

In addition to financial support, the Regional Creatives Fund will also use Amazon’s network of creative industry professionals to offer charities pro bono upskilling programmes for their organisations as well as their beneficiaries – including mentoring, work experience, placement opportunities, and digital training.

Support will be provided by creative minds from Amazon Music, Prime Video, Amazon Games, and more.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate that the fund will be used to expand or continue an existing, impactful programme. Examples of programmes that a Regional Creatives Fund grant can be used for include funding for placements in game development studios, music production training, and portfolio development for future advertising creatives.

Grants will be awarded by an independent judging panel. The panel includes senior leaders from Amazon, The National Theatre, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Help Musicians, and Music Minds Matter.

Funding applications will be assessed across five key areas. Strong proposals will reflect the fund’s spirit with energy, optimism, and a clear creative purpose; deliver real impact through skills, access, and industry links; show a smart, achievable plan with confident delivery; centre inclusion by amplifying underrepresented voices; and build on existing programmes to grow what’s already working. More information on the judging criteria is available here.

Opening doors

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “I want every young person to have the opportunity to build a successful career within the creative industries, which is one of this country’s greatest assets.

“Whether it’s in film, TV, gaming, fashion or music, we have so much homegrown talent and I am delighted that the Regional Creatives Fund will help shine a spotlight on that right across the country helping people contribute to our national story.

“Alongside our Creative Industries Sector Plan this new fund will help to support growth in these fast-growing sectors by preparing the next generation of creatives to tell our national story on the world stage.”

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee and RCF Board Member added: “The creative industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories, but for too long access to careers in this sector have been limited by social and economic barriers.

“Amazon’s Regional Creatives Fund is exactly the kind of initiative we need – offering substantial grants and practical support to help level the playing field. By supporting local charities with both funding and industry expertise, this programme will help unlock creative talent across our communities and ensure the UK’s creative sectors truly reflect the diversity of our society.”

“Creativity is our superpower, and the future of our country depends on talent being nurtured everywhere,” said Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire and RCF Board Member. “This game-changing initiative will help creatives to break down barriers and unleash their potential, no matter their background or circumstances.”

Amazon

Amazon has invested over £4.2 billion in the UK’s creative industries since 2010, with over 2,000 people permanently working across our Film and TV, music and audio, books and publishing, fashion, and gaming businesses, and supporting 16,000 additional jobs.

Amazon’s creative industries footprint extends across the entire UK: from acquiring the historic Bray Film Studios in Berkshire last year, which will house the production of the next season of Citadel; to the long-term contract with Shepperton Studios for exclusive use of new state-of-the-art production facilities at the Surrey studios where The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is currently filming; Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock in Wales; Harlan Coben’s Lazarus in Manchester; productions at First Stage Studios and Leigh Studios in Edinburgh; and multiple productions on location in and around London such as the live action movie Masters of the Universe.

The Amazon Literary Partnership has been awarding grants to inspiring non-profit literary organisations, writing centres and community engagement programmes groups since it was first launched in the UK six years ago. While each has a different focus, all have a shared goal of uplifting and offering opportunities to aspiring writers at any stage of their creative journey, and empowering those from underrepresented communities to experience and contribute to the magic of storytelling through the written word.

Applications for Amazon’s Regional Creatives Fund are open now here.

To find out more about the Regional Creatives Fund, visit https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/community/amazon-regional-creatives-fund