Chatsworth Young Ambassadors, a paid opportunity for students supported by Art Fund
© Francis Augusto/ Art Fund 2022
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Student opportunities

These grants enable museums to offer paid opportunities for students, benefiting both museums and students in a range of exciting ways.

We will consider applications for grants up to £10,000.

The programme enables students to explore an interest in the arts alongside future career options, while providing organisations with extra capacity which is skilled and accountable.

The aim of this funding is to help museums, galleries and visual arts organisations provide paid opportunities for full-time university students to gain meaningful, developmental work experience that enables them to explore their interest in the arts, and related future career options, before they graduate.

We encourage applications that focus on facilitating public engagement with art – whether that be online or in real life.

We will fund the costs associated with paying students for the time they spend supporting your organisation in delivering projects. This is based on the current national and London living wage rates.

Please note, the grants cannot be used to cover:

  • Core staff costs

  • Costs relating to ongoing overheads

  • Retrospective activity – your project must not have started before you are due to receive a decision from us

Who can apply

We will consider applications from UK public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries, archives, agencies and other visual arts organisations that:

  • have a public presence (e.g. a building open to the public) or a public outcome (e.g. a festival or public art programme)

  • can demonstrate that they operate to standards of best practice within the sector (e.g. through Arts Council England Accreditation)

Please note that all participating students will be contracted to work for you, the partner organisation, via your HR team.

All grant recipients will be asked to sign our conditions for paid opportunities.

Who cannot apply

  • Organisations that exist to make profit, including Private Limited Companies, Public Limited Companies, Companies Limited by Shares, Unlimited Companies, or Sole Traders

  • General Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, or Limited Liability Partnerships

  • Organisations with a focus on music, drama, dance, and art forms outside the visual arts

  • Commercial organisations

  • Artists’ groups

  • Hospitals/healthcare settings

  • Places of worship



Key deadlines

The next Student Opportunities grant deadlines are:

  • Friday 10 January 2025

  • Friday 9 May 2025

  • Friday 19 September 2025

How to apply

Your application

Read the guidance

Download the Guidance for applicants which explains our criteria for funding, helps you apply for a grant and gives you guidance on filling out the application form.

Download PDF

Get in touch

To discuss opportunities or if you haven’t found what you need in the Guidance for applicants, get in touch with Rob Dingle, Senior Programme Manager.

GET in touch

Submit your application

This year we will be accepting applications and supporting documents via email. We will not be using the online portal due to changes in our system.

You can send your completed application form and a simple budget to programmes@artfund.org (with the subject ‘Student opportunities application’). Please ensure the application form remains as a Word file (not a PDF) as this will enable us to process the information.

You must be registered as a professional user with a My Art Fund account. If you already have a My Art Fund account, but are not registered as a professional user, you can add your professional details when logged in.

REGISTER / LOG IN

After you've applied

Acknowledgement of application

All applications are assessed in the first instance by an Art Fund programme manager. They will provide initial feedback and discuss with you if the application needs further development before it can be progressed.

Claim your grant

If your application is successful, we will send you our offer paperwork with more details on how to claim your grant.

Receive feedback

If your application is unsuccessful, we will email you to let you know the outcome and offer feedback if relevant.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I factor in between applying for this grant and having students in post at my organisation?
How long should my opportunity last for?
Is there a limit to how many students can be involved in our paid opportunity?
Where multiple students are participating, can we assign them different roles?
How much training do students need to receive?
What kinds of opportunities have you funded in the past?
How are students paid?
Student Art Pass audience demographics
What is the grant evaluation process?

Not sure if you are eligible or if you qualify?

We're here to help

Get in touch