This fund, supported by the Fleabag for Charity campaign and funds donated to the Fringe Society, will distribute 50 bursaries of £2,000 to individual artists or companies bringing work to the Fringe in 2023.

This fund is a pilot as part of the Fringe Society’s wider fundraising campaign for the Fringe, and their ambition is to provide direct financial support for Fringe artists every year. They recognise that these funds won’t make or break a show but should provide a little financial help to those who want to take part in the Fringe.

The total fund is £100,000, which will be distributed as 50 awards of £2,000. These funds are designed to help artists on their Fringe 2023 journey and can be spent on any costs associated with their show. The Fringe Society will award 100% of the funding up-front and there will be no end-of-grant reporting required.

Alongside the fund, the Fringe Society is launching a pilot programme with Smarty Grants to help capture long-term insight into the career development of Fringe artists. There will also be an engagement programme for recipients of the award, comprising a range of opportunities to maximise the value of the funding; further details will be shared in the lead-up to August.

Eligibility 

• Your show must be registered in the 2023 Fringe (registration will be confirmed before funds are paid, but does not have to be completed when you apply, and you can register anytime up to and during the Fringe).
• You must be a UK-based performer, or applying on behalf of a UK-based performer.
• You must be presenting live and in-person performance.
• Applications should demonstrate how the show captures the defiant spirit of the Fringe, taking advantage of the Fringe as a unique platform to tell untold stories.
• The fund aims to support professional performers / artists / creators or individuals with professional ambitions for their work who can demonstrate an existing level of planning for Fringe 2023.
• Applicants should set out clear ambitions for the future life of the work being funded and / or their career.
• While no budget is required and there are no ineligible costs, the details of the spend should be clear, specific and informed costs relating to bringing a show to the Fringe and the value added by the funding.
• Funding will be prioritised to artists who don’t have an existing high profile and artists who face barriers to funding / the arts more generally.
• Applicants will be assessed by external specialists to identify those that demonstrate the greatest need and the boldest ideas. Should the assessment panel identify a greater number of applications deserving of funding above the 50 bursaries available, they reserve the right to apply a random selection method to the pool of those successful applications.

The Fringe Society anticipates there will be an excess demand for funding which will require assessments to be made. The application will ask for no more than 800 words. The Fringe Society wants everyone to be able to apply and will be running online information sessions to support those who don’t have experience of applying for funding. The application itself will be kept as simple as possible and access support will be available where needed.

Applications for the fund will open at 12:00 GMT on Friday 10 March 2023 and close at 12:00 GMT on Friday 24 March. Award recipients will be notified around Friday 31 March 2023.

The Fringe Society team will host an online webinar on Wednesday 08 March at 16:00 GMT, where artists will have the opportunity to find out more and ask questions. A recording of the webinar will be available to watch on Fringe Connect after the event.

Fringe Society’s honorary President Phoebe Waller-Bridge launches new £100k fund for artists | Edinburgh Festival Fringe (edfringe.com)